Fixing rod guides

Hey guys,
           Going through some of my gear I noticed that a couple of guide inserts on one of my rods were missing.  Is this a simple fix?  Any ideas how much to fix this or a good place to get it done at near San Jose?   Thanks!

Hi Dave:

      The cost is about $10.00 per wrap plus the Rings. It's takes
a lot of Baby sitting curing the Flex Coat and, is a pain in the ASS.
                                                                                  Ernie
                                               
      Check with for Intel and look at Erics' handy work
http://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2
                                                                         

Rod Rack in Hayward

If that rod is an Okuma model, I've seen many reports of the guide inserts falling out. I won't be buying their rods till they get this sorted out, but if that's your problem, you should insist they replace them.

Best,

Paul

Sackyak owns a Baidarka and had the first guide break last year which I replaced. The second guide broke this year so I replaced the second and third guides. Here is the easy way to replace a guide. The harder way involves removing the underwraps and trying to match the design. I don't do this because of the risk of damaging the blank. I wouldn't recommend welding the old ring back on either because the high heat will weaken the epoxy and could damage the blank. The factory guides are a POS, replace them with something better.

Step 1 - Remove the Old Guide
Heat the epoxy which covers the guide feet with a flame for 5-10 seconds. Use an knife to carefully remove the epoxy and thread which cover the feet. Leave the underwraps untouched. Wiggle the broken guide until it comes off.

Step 2 - Wrapping the New Guide
Buy a guide which matches the style on your rod. I bought titanium guides from Anglers Choice for about $5 a guide. For Etienne's rod, the first 3 guides are size 10. Some Baidarka's use size 8 for the first 3 guides. I use sized D black nylon thread and wrap starting from the ring outward to the tip of the foot then double back to the ring. You can wrap all the way to the trim band if desired.

Step 3 - Apply the Epoxy
You can use Flex Coat or Thread Master. You will only need to use .5-1 ml of resin and hardener. Apply a coat that covers all of the old epoxy then rotate for 4-6 hours to prevent sagging. Wait 4-7 days for complete drying.

Of course you Baidarka owners are thinking... if a guide breaks I will send it to Scott.   Sorry guys, maintaining Etienne's Baidarka is a full time job.  

Scott

nice repair...but if/when mine fail I am calling okuma.

Even if they did honor the "lifetime" warranty for a broken guide, the replacement rod will have the same guides, cheap pac bay metal guides so all you buy is another year or 2 before they fail again. Fuji guides have never failed me. Okuma seems to have corrected the blank failures but still uses the same guides. If it was my rod and I really liked it, I would replace all of the guides but at that cost you should just buy a better rod like a calstar, seeker, lamiglas or st croix. Blank and guide failures are pretty rare even in cheap rods. The baidarka is plauged with issues. The fish of a lifetime may only come once in a lifetime. Invest in your equipment carefully.   Just my 2 cents.