Reel seat is coming apart...

[dtp916]

My reel seat on my Sage FLi 590-4 is coming apart from my rod...when i attach (tighten) my reel it pulls the metal part away from the rod, makes me think it will come off during casting :lol: which it probably will eventually...

I, immediately wanted to go down to Lowe's and get some type of glue to fix it, but then, figured I should get some advice here...

I was thinking of stopping by the shop and maybe they have the stuff to fix it...

I wanted to go fishing tomorrow, dammit. :? What should I bring for Putah? 8) Yellow eggs and tiny midges?

[aaron]

Bring it in to be sent back to sage for proper repair, they should cover it at no charge.

[dtp916]

Wow, I'm screwed. :? :? :? I want to go fishing tomorrow, but I also am supposed to take my rod with me to Hawaii in less than a week.....SAGE won't have it back to me by then.

[aaron]

Like Carl said just use some tape until you have the time to send it in. I've had the same problem with an old VPS and have yet to send it in. I wouldn't try to glue it myself as that might void their elimination of the repair charge for the defect in workmanship.
-aaron

[mike N]

If it was my rod and I were in your situation, I would just repair it myself.

5 minute or 2 hour epoxy will set the seat. You can even use a hot glu gun or something similar in a pinch. Plus, soaking the seat in a pot of boiling water will allow you to remove the seat and clean off and objectionable adhesive you used for your temporary repair. I have used the boiling water trick several times to repair damaged cork rings and it works great.

If you are really woried about the manufacturer's reaction to your tampering with your rod when you really need it, call first and ask permission and or send a nice letter expalining your predicament if and when you decide to send it in under warranty.

MN

[DocEsox]

Last year I broke a tip section on one of Sage's and needed it in about 10 days. I called Sage, sent it in overnite and they had it back to me in about 5 days.....couldn't have expected anything better.

I would probably fix it myself as I have built rods for 25 years. If you have part of the reel seat that needs to be glued back down you should use full cure epoxy....NOT 5 minute epoxy. Why? The quick cure epoxy resins are not waterproof and will break down...fully cure is waterproof.

Brian

[slage]

Sage is good and does get them back very quick. However, I too just re-set mine, SAGE, not too long ago. Like Mike N. said, 2-part epoxy works like a champ.
I took my seat off, sanded the inside, very lightly and also the butt of the rod itself, again lightly. Just enough to allow the epoxy to sit in the new grooves.
Let it sit overnight and fish.

[Anne Vitale]

Apparently Sage is having a major problem with reel seats coming loose. I had that problem with my two piece DS 2, 5 Wt. a few months ago :(. I sent in the rod and they returned what appears to be my original tip and a whole new butt section :-o. However, the charge was $40 :mad: . I was a little bummed out over charging me for what I thought at the time was a manufacturing fault. After reading all the other post above, I am sure they have a problem that needs attending to. If you folks at Sage are listening, please look into it [-o< before I have to send in the new butt section for the same problem....Anne

[bigtj]

This is nothing new. I have had to send back a 590-3 SP, a 7136-4, and now a 790-2 RP II for reel seat repair. The 790-2 is nearly 20 years old. I also have a friend who has sent a 590-4 XP 2 times for this problem. Mind you, I have had (and still have) a lot of sage rods over the years, so the repair rate is something like 5% of the rods I've used or owned.

Both my 7136-4 and 790-2 can't be repaired easily. They require removal of cork on the fighting butt for repair. The 590-3 I would have repaired myself, and saved the $40, if I hadn't had the coincidence of a broken tip at the same time. By all means repair the thing yourself, the repair will probably be better than the factory will do. And I would think that Sage would be fine with you repairing it, as it will save them time and money.

As far as the $40 fee goes, that is Sage's standard "shipping and handling" and is an artifact of the no-fault warranty. Before the warranty, Sage would fix manufacturer's defects for free, all they charged was a modest shipping fee that was their cost. Then, when they implemented the "no fault" warranty, they started immediately hemorraging money. I can't remember the exact figure but the first year it was - I think - on the order of several hundred thousand dollars. So they came up with the $25 fee. Then it went up until the present price of $40. Someday in the next 10 year I think it will be up to $75. Look at it this way - under the old system if you broke a tip accidentally, it would cost you about $100 for a new tip; manafacurer's defects like the reel seat would be free. So you break a rod tip a time or two and you're still ahead of the game. And I don't think $40 is an unreasonable cost to ship and repair a defective reel seat. So I think the rods are still a good value.

[dtp916]

I knew I should have grabbed that full cure epoxy. That wasmy gut instinct. Update on situation...

I used it today and it was fine...The whole seat stood exactly in place...I'm really confused...

The reason I was taking that rod to Hawaii is that i plan to fish the canal and Lake Wilson, I don't think I'll be fishing the surf. If the reel won't stay in, I'm sending it to Sage for repair.

Here's the report for today's fishing.

http://kiene.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?p=26089#26089

[mike N]

Sorry if I gave you bad info on the 5 minute stuff, I wasn't aware of the solubility with water. maybe that is the probelm to begin with? I have used it on two rods (a tip and a seat) that I fish ocasionsally and have not had a problem. I have even used it on flies. Other than the yellowing the suff heas held up for some time.

In any event, at least you now know how to stick a couple parts back to gether with epoxy. It's pretty simple and it work fine.


Wear sun screen.


MN

[dtp916]

No problem, Mike...Some other people I asked recommended that as well :D