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VIDEO TUTORIAL

USED IN THIS PROJECT

Although not necessarily an exhaustive list, the following tools and materials, supplied by Easy Composites, were used in this project.

The quantity shown below is the approximate amount used in the project rounded up to the nearest available kit size or quantity.

STARTER KIT(S)
Fishing Pole Repair Kit Thumbnail
SK-FPRFishing Pole Repair Kit£24.99 /kit

Total £0.00
MATERIALS & CONSUMABLES
Mirka Wet and Dry Combination Pack 10 Sheets Thumbnail
WPFCOMB-10Mirka Wet and Dry Combination Pack 10 Sheets£6.90 /pack

EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin FAST 500g Kit Thumbnail
EP-L2-F-05EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin FAST 500g Kit£12.75 /kit

Composites High Shrink Tape (25mm) 10m Roll Thumbnail
CST-25-10Composites High Shrink Tape (25mm) 10m Roll£3.60 /roll

Total £0.00
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
10kg High Capacity Digital Scales Thumbnail
SCALE10KG10kg High Capacity Digital Scales£11.63 /each

Total £0.00
REINFORCEMENTS
90g ProFinish Plain Weave 1k Carbon Fibre Cloth Mini Roll (1000 x 150mm) Thumbnail
CF-PRO-PL-90-01590g ProFinish Plain Weave 1k Carbon Fibre Cloth Mini Roll (1000 x 150mm)£15.00 /roll

Total £0.00

VIDEO TUTORIAL

How to Repair a Damaged Carbon Fibre Fishing Pole

Despite the strength and durability of carbon fibre fishing poles and fishing rods, fractures or complete breaks in the pole do happen from time to time.

We have created this how to repair a carbon fibre fishing pole guide to accompany our Fishing Pole Repair Kit product but, providing you have all the necessary materials mentioned in this guide there is no reason why it cannot be followed by anyone. If you do want to purchase the kit that accompanies this guide then see the link at the end of the article.


TUTORIAL BREAKDOWN

1. What we will need to make the repair

Everything listed below is included in the Easy Composites Fishing Pole Repair Kit

  • 150mm x 1000mm ProFinish plain weave carbon 90g carbon fibre fabric
  • 154g Epoxy resin
  • 46g Epoxy hardener
  • 10 metre, Hi Shrink composites heat shrink tape
  • 120, 240, 400 and 800 grit abrasive paper
  • 2x laminating brushes, mixing cups and sticks
  • Polishing Compound
  • 3x Alcohol Wipes

Please note, we have upgraded our Fishing Pole Repair Kit to use a very special light weight and stabilised ProFinish 90gsm carbon fabric allowing very light repairs (0.3mm thick) to be made, if required. The resin system has also been updated to the EL2, so please be aware that the mix ratio has now changed to 100:30

2. What can be repaired?

Use this process to add strength to a fractured or weakened section of pole or rod, re-join a pole or rod that has been completely broken in two or patch over a hole in a pole.

3. Before you begin - using a jig for poles that are broken in two

Where a pole has been completely broken in two it will probably be necessary to 'jig' the pole or rod to hold the two sections of pole together whilst the repair is made. Supporting the pole in this way, so as to allow access all around the pole whilst the repair is made, is best done using a simple jig which will need to be constructed following the plans at the end of this guide before you start the repair.

4. Use abrasive paper to key up repair area

Use a small piece of the 120grit abrasive paper to roughen up the surface of the rod or pole around the area where the carbon fibre 'bandage' will be wrapped. This provides a good 'key' for the repair to bond to. Typically, you will be applying the bandage in an area of 60mm (2") beyond the edge of any damage. Make sure you do this to both halves of a pole that is broken in two.

5. De-grease repair area with alcohol wipe

Use one of the small alcohol wipes to wipe down the whole of the repair area. This ensures that you remove any grease from your fingers that will prevent the resin from bonding properly to the rod or pole.

6. Align pole (if necessary) using jig

If you are repairing a pole that has been broken in two you will need to align and support the two halves of the pole either side of where the repair will be made.

To do this we suggest constructing a jig as shown in the plans at the end of this guide. Having made your simple jig, secure the two halves of the pole and ensure they are correctly aligned.

7. Mix resin for ‘tack’ layer

The resin system has also been updated to the EL2, so please be aware that the mix ratio has now changed to 100:30

Next we will apply a thin layer of resin to the pole and allow it to cure to a tack. This will give us a sticky surface to apply the carbon too in a later stage.

Using one of the cups provided, accurately mix a very small amount of resin with hardener at a ratio of 100 parts resin to 30 part hardener. It is very important that this ratio is adhered to as closely as possible.

33g of resin and 10g of hardener should be about right for an average sized repair.

Take your time and mix the resin thoroughly. Any unmixed resin will not cure. It is a good practice to transfer the mixed resin to another container before using it. This avoids the risk of applying unmixed resin from the sides of the mixing cup to the repair.

8. Set aside to cure for around 4hrs

You now need to wait for around 4hrs (slightly more or less in warm or cold environments) for the first coat of resin to almost cure. When the resin is firm but still tacky (i.e. you can get a fingernail into it but it’s not wet on your finger) then you’re ready to continue.

9. Cut carbon fibre for repair bandage

Use a pair of normal household scissors to cut a section of the carbon fibre fabric to a size that will allow you to extend it about 60mm past either side of the damaged area. You then need to allow sufficient fabric to run approximately 3 times around the tube or rod. This will result in a repair of around 0.75mm in thickness.

10. Wrap carbon fibre around the pole

Taking the piece of cut carbon fibre fabric, align the fabric along the pole and press the leading edge of it onto the tacking resin.

Press it down with your fingers so that it grips firmly. Wrap the carbon once around the pole and leave the excess hanging down.

11. Wet-out fabric with a new mix of resin

Using a new cup accurately mix a slightly larger amount of resin and appropriate amount of hardener at a ratio of 100 parts resin to 30 part hardener. Again, the ratio must be exactly right.

It is a good practice to transfer the mixed resin to another container before using it. This avoids the risk of applying unmixed resin from the sides of the mixing cup to the repair.

Brush a thin layer of resin onto the dry fabric, just enough to wet it out. Next, wrap the carbon fibre around the pole again and dab the fabric with your brush to wet it out again, applying a little more resin if necessary. Complete the process for the remaining number of wraps around the pole.

12. Wrap the repair with shrink-tape

Next you want to spiral wrap the whole repair with the special Hi Shrink heat-shrink tape supplied.

To do this, stick one end of long length of the tape to the pole (using normal sticky tape) on part of the pole not wet from resin. Spiral wrap the Hi Shrink tape all the way around the repair until past the other end of the repair. Secure the tape using another bit of normal sticky tape.

13. Heat shrink-tape with a heat gun

Use a heat gun, or a hair dryer with a very high heat setting to heat the tape so that it starts to contract. This special Hi Shrink tape will contract by up to 20% at 80°C. This will compress the whole area of the repair, squeezing out any excess resin and resulting in a very strong repair.

14. Leave to fully cure (around 8hrs)

Leave the part to cure for a period of around 8-12hrs in an ambient temperature of 20°C.

15. Remove the shrink tape

Once the part has cured, remove the Hi Shrink tape. You now have a full strength repair.

16. Rub smooth with abrasive paper

At this stage, you could leave the repair as it is, or, you could choose to use the included abrasive papers to smooth and polish the repair. If you choose to do this, start with the 120 grit, then progress to 240 and so on. You can use the abrasive papers with water to stop them from clogging.

When sanding the repair, we very careful not to sand the original parts of the tube as this will reduce their wall thickness and make them weak.

Only sand the new repaired area and only remove as little material as you can to leave you with the finish you require.

Included in the kit there is even some polishing compound so that you can finish the repair to a smooth shiny gloss.


DISCUSSION (5)

Please share any questions or comments you may have about this video tutorial.


George
Can I use this process (and starter kit) to repair my carbon fibre SUP paddle?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, absolutely. The process would be the same. Remember that you need to match the wall thickness of the original tube with the wall thickness of the repair so if it was a 1mm wall thickness on the paddle then you'd need several layers of the lightweight carbon we use in this kit.

andrei vlad Mate
Can I use this for the top kits of the pole to add more strength to an area that I want to drill a hole to fit a side puller system?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes Certainly! Fitting side puller kits is one of the common applications for this kit other than actual break repairs. Generally for the puller reinforcement you will only need 1-2 wraps of carbon fabric around each place you plan to drill.

Isabel Gonclaves
Hi, I am repairing rods, I would like to buy the Jig where he is securing the rod part. Do you sell it? I didn`t found it in your website. minute 2.21 of the video. thanks
Easy CompositesMatt
We don't sell the jig but it's very simple and there are downloadable plans (in PDF form) which show how to make it yourself.

Pierre Thomas
HI Guys, just repaired my mountain bike and it worked brilliantly, however I am struggling to get the finish to be anything other than matt, even using the polishing compound, what am I doing wrong? Cheers
Easy CompositesMatt
Hi Pierre, you probably need a bit more resin over the top of the repair. It depends how much you flatted the repair before you polished it. If you have rubbed down through the very thin layer of resin coating the fibres then when you use the polishing compound you're really trying to polish the carbon fibre itself which won't work, you can only get a shine on the resin, not the carbon. To do an overcoating now you'll need to 'key' the surface (so, get it back to an 800 grit) and ensure it's free of grease and dirt and then you can paint over a layer of resin on its own and then you'll find you can flat and polish that to much better effect.

Jonathon Howson
I have a carbon fiber mountain bike. I have noticed that the rear wheel is rubbing against the rear swing arm and is slighting cutting into the carbon. Can I use your product as a form of sacrificial part that can be fixed onto the frame and wear instead of the frame? Thanks in advance, Jonny
Easy CompositesMatt
Hi Jonny, yes, definitely. Adding a wrap of carbon around the outside of your swingarm using the process shown in the video (and the materials included in the kit) would be a very good way to replace the warn carbon and act as a sacrificial surface that you could re-wrap in the future.

LEAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION

Note: Your name will be abbreviated and your email address will only be used to email you the answer directly

USED IN THIS PROJECT

Although not necessarily an exhaustive list, the following tools and materials, supplied by Easy Composites, were used in this project.

The quantity shown below is the approximate amount used in the project rounded up to the nearest available kit size or quantity.

STARTER KIT(S)
Fishing Pole Repair Kit Thumbnail
SK-FPRFishing Pole Repair Kit£24.99 /kit

Total £0.00
MATERIALS & CONSUMABLES
Mirka Wet and Dry Combination Pack 10 Sheets Thumbnail
WPFCOMB-10Mirka Wet and Dry Combination Pack 10 Sheets£6.90 /pack

EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin FAST 500g Kit Thumbnail
EP-L2-F-05EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin FAST 500g Kit£12.75 /kit

Composites High Shrink Tape (25mm) 10m Roll Thumbnail
CST-25-10Composites High Shrink Tape (25mm) 10m Roll£3.60 /roll

Total £0.00
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
10kg High Capacity Digital Scales Thumbnail
SCALE10KG10kg High Capacity Digital Scales£11.63 /each

Total £0.00
REINFORCEMENTS
90g ProFinish Plain Weave 1k Carbon Fibre Cloth Mini Roll (1000 x 150mm) Thumbnail
CF-PRO-PL-90-01590g ProFinish Plain Weave 1k Carbon Fibre Cloth Mini Roll (1000 x 150mm)£15.00 /roll

Total £0.00

DISCUSSION (5)

Please share any questions or comments you may have about this video tutorial.


George
Can I use this process (and starter kit) to repair my carbon fibre SUP paddle?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, absolutely. The process would be the same. Remember that you need to match the wall thickness of the original tube with the wall thickness of the repair so if it was a 1mm wall thickness on the paddle then you'd need several layers of the lightweight carbon we use in this kit.

andrei vlad Mate
Can I use this for the top kits of the pole to add more strength to an area that I want to drill a hole to fit a side puller system?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes Certainly! Fitting side puller kits is one of the common applications for this kit other than actual break repairs. Generally for the puller reinforcement you will only need 1-2 wraps of carbon fabric around each place you plan to drill.

Isabel Gonclaves
Hi, I am repairing rods, I would like to buy the Jig where he is securing the rod part. Do you sell it? I didn`t found it in your website. minute 2.21 of the video. thanks
Easy CompositesMatt
We don't sell the jig but it's very simple and there are downloadable plans (in PDF form) which show how to make it yourself.

Pierre Thomas
HI Guys, just repaired my mountain bike and it worked brilliantly, however I am struggling to get the finish to be anything other than matt, even using the polishing compound, what am I doing wrong? Cheers
Easy CompositesMatt
Hi Pierre, you probably need a bit more resin over the top of the repair. It depends how much you flatted the repair before you polished it. If you have rubbed down through the very thin layer of resin coating the fibres then when you use the polishing compound you're really trying to polish the carbon fibre itself which won't work, you can only get a shine on the resin, not the carbon. To do an overcoating now you'll need to 'key' the surface (so, get it back to an 800 grit) and ensure it's free of grease and dirt and then you can paint over a layer of resin on its own and then you'll find you can flat and polish that to much better effect.

Jonathon Howson
I have a carbon fiber mountain bike. I have noticed that the rear wheel is rubbing against the rear swing arm and is slighting cutting into the carbon. Can I use your product as a form of sacrificial part that can be fixed onto the frame and wear instead of the frame? Thanks in advance, Jonny
Easy CompositesMatt
Hi Jonny, yes, definitely. Adding a wrap of carbon around the outside of your swingarm using the process shown in the video (and the materials included in the kit) would be a very good way to replace the warn carbon and act as a sacrificial surface that you could re-wrap in the future.

LEAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION

Note: Your name will be abbreviated and your email address will only be used to email you the answer directly

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