User talk:Csd54

Graphite Fly Fishing Rods
History:
 * In the 1960’s many government agencies including the United States began research and development into high performance fibers such as boron and graphite. Their projected improvements in these materials were strength, stiffness, and weight. Originally boron got most of the funding and attention but graphite was fast to steal the spotlight due to its greater potential for lower cost while maintaining previously stated qualities. Fishing rod manufacturing began experimenting with graphite in the late 1960’s. During the early 1970’s boron were still the majority of rods in existence and production, but by 1985 graphite rods were so cheap they were able to make boron rods uncompetitive. In 1973, Fenwick, a rod making company, was the first manufacturer to offer graphite rods for sale. Shortly after in 1974, Orvis came out with their first graphite rod for sale. These early rods from these companies had high breakage rates and were often inaccurate, but they could cast farther than the traditional bamboo rod. Today graphite rods are the most commonly used for both beginner and expert anglers. This material is useful for catching small game and large game which makes it a very popular rod. It can be argued that the only attribute that it lacks is that it does not have the traditional feel given by a bamboo rod.

The challenges that early manufacturers had to overcome in the development of these rods were:


 * The ever changing graphite fibers and epoxy resins which change the physical and chemical characteristics of the rod.


 * Changing the fiber format on the rod to provide the lightest weight while maintaining the structural integrity.


 * Utilization of different fiber types to decrease cost or weight while dealing with the problems associated with using these materials


 * Developing lightweight ferrules (areas of the rod where it can come apart for easy transportation) without introducing areas of high stress

The development of the rod today reflects and masters the challenges presented to early rod makers:

--Csd54 (talk) 03:15, 6 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Most commonly made by wrapping a resin-impregnated pattern over a tapered steel mandrel and curing the rod in a high temperature oven. The high temperature aligns the fibers in the graphite to bring out its praised properties. Once cooled to room temperature the rod is cut to the specific dimensions based on the rod weight and length.