Broken Thorne Sweetheart!!AHHHHH

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Well i was out last weekend fishing and the tip of my Thorne Bros Sweetheart rod popped off.... i dont think any of the tip broke i just have to get a new one and glue it back on.... is there some way i can get a tip for it without visiting the store or is that a must? I really like the rod and would like to have the same size tip put back on... I believe it is the 28" Panfish or perch sweetheart moel... Im also thinking it is the indoor model since the guides are so small....

Thanks for the help!

Ryan

[DinkADunk]

All blanks have a bit of variation in tip size from blank to blank. Take out a micrometer and measure the diameter of the tip and roughly 1/2" back from the tip. Convert that number to 64's of an inch (i.e. for a 5/64's diameter rod tipyou would order a size 5 rod tip) and then you can order any tip you want from various rod building suppliers. IIRC Thorne Brothers uses Fuji Guides

[harvey lee]

I would contact Thorne Bros and ask for Matt. Matt can get you the right tip top and the rod will be good to go.

http://thornebros.com/

[sodajerk]

I'm having a related problem with my Thorne Bros. rod, which I just ordered from them a couple weeks ago. The rod has caught maybe 15 fish since I've had it and hasn't been abused at all. It's the 28" Panfish Sweetheart Plus, and I noticed yesterday that the tip guide rotates. It won't pull off the end of the rod, it just rotates with some slight resistance.

Is that normal? I've never seen any type of rod where the tip guide or any of the guides are meant to move. At over $50 for an ice rod, I'd think they could take the time to make sure the tip guide is solidly mounted.

I'll take Harvery's advice and give them a call and see what they say. Probably have to be a rod short for a week or so and have to pay to ship it back to them to repair it.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

yup mine actually went down the hole all the way down to my jig but the jig was to big to let the guide slip past... i figure i just get a new tip since the other one obviously wasnt staying on there... i sent an email to the email on the thorne bros site. hopefully i will have a quick response.. i love the rod and would like to get it back out there again...

Later,

Ryan

[sodajerk]

I just fired off an email to them as well. We'll see what happens next. I'm sure they'll stand behind it.

In all other respects it's a great rod, though I do like the spring bobber on my St Croix Legend ice rod better than the one I got from Thorne Bros.

[hanson]

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We'll see what happens next. I'm sure they'll stand behind it.

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They sure will! If you can't drive up there, they'll have you mail it in and either fix yours or send you a new one. Thorne Bros takes great care of their customers!

[Deitz Dittrich]

The tip you have is fine... its just a glue problem... dont get a new tip... just find some hot glue and do it yourself...

Same with the rotating tip... same think it sounds like a glue issue... all rod mfg seem to have this problem as these rods go through such huge.. and I mean HUGE temp ranges...

Thornes WILL stand behind their product.. I know that.. but this is a problem you can fix yourself.. The tip, if you still have it is fine.

[blackdog1101]

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Thornes WILL stand behind their product.. I know that.. but this is a problem you can fix yourself.. The tip, if you still have it is fine.

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Yup, this is easy. I've built many rods. Just mix up a little epoxy, and use a toothpick to work some epoxy inside the "tube" of the tip top. Then slide the blank back inside the "tube." Any epoxy that gushes out can be wiped off with a paper towel with some bathroom alcohol. Make sure the guide is lined up with the others. This is a 5 minute fix and you're back on the ice.

[DinkADunk]

If you have the tip top then you can easily glue it back on. There are two good ways of gluing the tip; 5 minute epoxy (not the long cure) and the flex coat glue stick (it's a hot melt). Both of these methods work well and both are reversable/repairable. If you go with a long cure epoxy you will not be able to remove the tip in the future if needed. With either method make sure that the inside of the tip top, and the rod tip are clean of existing glue. Then lightly scuff up the tip top (scotch brite pad, but don't remove the outer coating of a graphite rod). If using epoxy, mix up a small amount of 5 minute epoxy and then use a toothpick to add some epoxy to the inside of the tip top. Slip the tip top on to the rod tip, twist to distribute the glue and then align. Set aside and let dry (5 minutes or so) and you'll be good to go. If using the flex coat tip top glue stick just heat up the glue with a lighter (or alcohol lamp if you have) and scrape some on to the tip top. Heat the tip top and the glue will flow. Also put some glue on the rod tip (light smear). Then lightly heat the rod tip (with the glue on) and the tip top and then put the tip top on the rod tip, align and wait for it to cool. Afterward you can clean up with a single edge razor. Both methods will allow you to remove the tip top if it's ever damaged (i.e. a ring falls out) by applying judicious amounts of heat.

[Shack]

All I know is if something was to fall on my rod bag and bust every rod I had, I would be going down to Thorn Bros asking for Matt and telling him crappie, perch and walleye. I believe in Thorn Bros’s because of the responses of posters to this thread (threads like this on and ones in the past). Its not because they are a forum sponsors, but because Thorn Bro’s sells a great product and stands behind it.

If you can , I would go down and talk with Matt.

Good luck!!!!!

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Yeah im pretty sure now looking at the tip that a little piece of the rod blank broke off into the tip top tube... I think i will see if they can just send me a new tip top... I have not gotten an email back yet but im sure i will soon... Are you out there somewhere Matt??? LOL Thanks for your responses guys and sorry for not clarifying what happened to the tip top...

Later,

Ryan

[DinkADunk]

If the tip broke then you will need to measure the new rod tip and buy an appropriate tip top for it. You will probably need a tip top one size larger than the one that was on it. It would be best to send it in for repair.

[Northlander]

Send it in and get it done right by the pros at TB. May take a week or so but it will be worth it. They will check the whole thing out and make sure its all ok.

[vikingmeatwad]

I'm sure they will help you out. If I pay 50 bucks for a rod I am not using epoxy on it as they may then deny the warranty when I mess it up :-)

Good luck guys, I may get one of these rods in the future when I hope to have more disposable income(don't we all)

[Matt Johnson]

Give me a call at the store today if you have any questions. We'll make sure everyone gets taken care of... 763-572-3782

One thing to keep in mind... if you fish close to your heater then the heat can wear down the epoxy that used to hold the tip on the rod. Heat is how we take the tips off, so if too much heat is applied to the tip of the rod then you can expect the tip-top guide to come off with a little pressure...

[bigbritt]

tips are a very easy fix. if your tip-top is just turning on your blank or if it poped off, that is an easy fix. just like matt said those tip-tops are epoxied on using heat. you can just take a lighter to the tip-top to reheat the glue that is already in the tip. dont hold the lighter to the tip for too long, doesnt take a lot to reheat them. then spin the tip-top to the correct position and let it sit for 10-15 mins...should be good as new. you can actually buy a stick of epoxy at thorne, have them show you how to do it correctly and your set for good

[so haaad]

If you want a quick dependable fix, then use the 5-minute epoxy rather than the Flexcoat tip adhesive. Most of the new ice rods have a 4.5 - 5.0-sized tip or smaller. In layman's terms, that's really, really small. The tip problem is common for a lot of ice rod companies, including St. Croix. The reason it's a problem is that the contact point between the rod tip and the rod blank is not very large, so there's not a lot of adhesion.

Thorne Bros makes their Walleye Sweetheart rods (or at least used to) with a Fuji Hardloy guide as the tip rather than using the standard rod tip. In my opinion, it is a pain for a rod builder to wrap these guides on the tip of a micro ice rods, but well worth the time considering the adhesion qualities.

[slipperybob]

In a way, I've always wondered why they don't make a tip guide that doesn't require it to be fitted over the blank, or at least have it partially offset with a half pipe so that you'd at least have something to wrap around and apply plenty of adhesive to to blank.

[ocf1]

I would guess they do this because of time, and it should have no problems unless it goes next to a heater for a while...Hint HInt

[DinkADunk]

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In a way, I've always wondered why they don't make a tip guide that doesn't require it to be fitted over the blank, or at least have it partially offset with a half pipe so that you'd at least have something to wrap around and apply plenty of adhesive to to blank.

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Well, they do make tips that you wrap - they're called single foot guides Just look at a Thorne Brothers outdoors rod, most of them use a single foot guide at the tip. It's a PIA to wrap though. Anyhow, tip tops are generally not wrapped and applied with adhesive that is removeable because tip tops are a high wear item and you will often need to replace them. A bit of sand, swivels, a big knot, all are enough to damage the ring in a tip top. It's nice to just glue them on (5 minute epoxy or tip top glue) and then heat them up if you need to remove it.