Re-tipping a Micro Magic

[doc]

I have 2 duckett micro magic rods, that the tips are broke off of, (got caught between the console and the wall of the boat while moving and broke them both.) I know a regular rod you can buy a tip kit for, but what about the micro's, anyone have any experience tipping one, and can lend some advice?

[Lvitch]

Can you get the old tips off? Will they fit on where the rod broke? If so just heat them up and they should come off. Other than that I don't know where to het replacements for those yet.

[WaffleJaw]

You can order a new American Tackle Nanolite Micro tip from Mudhole .com
(which I believe is the guides the Duckett is using)

The white hot melt with those fuji kits are junk..Not nearly as strong or high temp as flexcoat hotmelt (golden color)...Or you can use 5 minute epoxy which in my experience works fine,but a pain to get the tip off sometimes if it ever needed repair.

The hard part is figuring out the correct tip tube size .I think they measure in 64th of an inch or whatever...Find a repair shop and see if they can measure the tip for you will probably be the fastest way...

Just pm me if you need any further help.ordering the tip or removing the old one...Its really not hard to do..Just gotta be very easy on the heat and patient.

[doc]

well 1 tip is completely broken off so it wont be a problem to remove, the other tip just has the insert crushed out of it, and it is fraying my line . The nearest repair shop is a 2 hour drive. I was trying to avoid taking them that far and was hoping to do it myself with the help/expertise of some more experienced members .

*hint, Hint, Waffle

[BigBassin144]

doc, replacing tips is pretty easy. Gently heat the old tip with a lighter (the part that slides over the tip of the rod). This softens the glue and the tip slides right off.

Use a 10 minute, 2 part epoxy approved for marine use to glue the new guide on. I've used Devcon 2-ton with good results. It's cheaper than the rod epoxy and you can use it for other stuff since you don't need the flex that rod epoxy provides for the tip. Align the tip with the rest of the guides and let cure overnight before using.

BB

[doc]

I've found the tips thanks to Waffle, now I just need to know what size to order. The rod with the mashed tip is a micro magic 6'10 medium heavy, split grip, the one that is broken down past the tip to the 1st eye is a 7'0 medium split grip cranking.

[doc]

On a side note, this is the 3rd micro rod I've had break. All could have been avoided, but I'm not so sure about the durability of these toothpicks.

[Bender]

Getting the right size may not be very easy. I had to replace 3 tips last year due to damage from the airline. I put cheap ones on temporarily since I wanted to use the rods right away. Then I measured them and stopped at Netcraft to get the right ones. 2 out of the 3 fit, but not the way I measured them. My suggestion would be to get a few extras in sizes close to what you think you need and keep the others as spares.

Waffle is right, they are measured in 64ths of an inch so a Size 3 is 3/64" or 0.047". I measured with calipers but something got a little messed up when I did it.

[WaffleJaw]

I picked up one of these when I had blanks and didnt know the tip size....I very,very handy inexpensive way to measure precisely
http://www.mudhole.com/Shop-Our-Cata...-Ferrule-Gauge

If the new tip has a little play,you can shim it by wrapping a little thread around the tip of the blank for a snug fit.

[doc]

So would I do better ordering some Flex coat rod builders epoxy, or can I just get any 2 part marine epoxy from wally world?

[WaffleJaw]

Never used the marine epoxy..I stick with flexcoat brand hot melt and the 5minute epoxy due to their design specifically for rod building...Some of that 5 minute stuff can be a real pain in the *** to take back off if you need to....The hotmelt is the easiest to remove,and is what I mostly use on rods..Never had any issues with it in summer heat like some claim out here in TX.

[DVT Mike]

A certain brittleness is the trade off for today's super sensitive high modulus rod blanks. Sharp bends, dents, scratches and nicks are all precursors to rod failure. The only way around this is to handle with care or revert to old style, heavier rods.

[doc]

Got my rods re-tipped I ended up ordering 2 of all 3 sizes of tips (it was cheaper than the tool to measure the rod diamater.) I lost nothing on my 6/10 medium heavy, lost about 3 inches on my 7ft cranking stick. Heated the old tip with a lighter and it came right off (kind of spooky how easily it came off actually.) Very pleased with the way they look. I appreciate the help, it saved me a 2 hour drive both ways and a little pocket money to do it myself.

[WaffleJaw]

Awesome,glad it went good
for you!