The worst has happened – You have broken a section of your fly rod into two pieces! Is it ruined? Is the only fix to have a rod maker make a new section for you? An expensive proposition. The solution:
If the break is very near the end of the section, a simple and cheapest solution is to reset the tip top or ferrule to the now shorter section. This of course will result in the section lengths to be mismatched. While aesthetically displeasing it should not affect the action significantly. However, if the break is more than a couple of inches from the end you might think about having it scarfed back to full length. What is a scarf? Technically speaking
A plain scarf is simply two flat planes meeting on an angle relative to the axis of the stock being joined and depends entirely on adhesive and/or mechanical fasteners (such as screws, nails, windings, or bolts) for all strength.
A good scarf repair should have all the following characteristics.
• The scarf piece should be of the same taper profile as the section being scarfed
• The scarf joint should take advantage of the maximum glue surface area possible. This is achieved with a 3 – 5 degree slope and a precise mating of the surfaces
• The scarf joint taper area will be nearly identical to each other so that minimal scraping or sanding of the result is required
• The joint should be placed so as to take advantage of a guide wrap to provide hoop strength. In some cases, an invisible wrap may be needed to provide added hoop strength
• The scarf cut should be placed on a flat other than on the guide flat to provide the maximum flex strength
• A quality glue with the highest shear strength should be used to glue the joint
• The scarf piece should be the same color or be dyed as the rest of the section
• A quality finish coating applied to rod section that blends with the rest of the original section so as not to stand out. In the case of impregnated sections no finish will be applied
Done properly a scarf joint is cheaper than a new rod section, will preserve much of the original section, will be invisible to the naked eye and will hold up just fine for many years of use.