My method is simple and doable for the beginner rod maker. The ferrules I make utilize both carbon fiber and Kevlar. The result is an exact fit.
I am building and trying various configurations and combinations and will post the results.
The procedure I use is as follows:
1. I prepare a sheet of carbon fiber cloth about 8" x 10" this allows for making several ferrules. The carbon fiber cloth is thoroughly wet with resin and cured on a flat mold plate. Vacuum bagging is the industry standard of preparing the carbon fiber however a good result may be obtained by the DIY'er at home.
Using (2) flat mold plates of 3/4" or thicker blocks of MDF or chipboard preferably with one surface of Melamine or Formica the cloth is wet and sandwiched between the blocks and clamped or weighted to squeeze out excess resin.
2. Once the sheet is cured I cut out the material I need.( the Strips the width of my rod blank)
3. Two strips are then laminated to the tip portion of my rod blank on 2 sides of the blank. Then after they have cured 2 more strips are laminated on the 2 other sides of the blank.
4. After trimming and sanding I then wet all four sides with resin and then wrap tightly with Kevlar threads. The outside of the threads are wet also and then wrapped with a heat shrink plastic and using a heat gun or hair dryer shrunk thus squeezing resin into the corners and filling the voids surrounding the Kevlar thread. (All of the above is accomplished with both the rod tip and butt end to end and aligned.) The tip section of the rod has the Carbon fiber laminated to it. The butt portion is protected with mold release so the 2 sections may be separated. The fit is so tight that a jig for clamping to each section is required and 2 bolts are use to then slowly pull the sections apart. (a colorant may be added to the resin or the ferrule may be painted after fabrication.
5. It is important to make and use a plug for the ferrules when not in use. The Composite ferrules can and will distort slightly over time if not kept in position. You want to do this to achieve the tight exact fit of your rods ferrules.
The illustrations and photos shown below are how I do the above. I have found modifying my guide wrapping jig for making ferrules works well without having to build a separate jig.
Please note, The information provided on this page is only a basic representation of the subject. My plan for this blog is to expand on each topic by presenting new rods being built, trial and error experiments with bamboo, composite materials, tools and techniques.
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