Broke my hot stick.....

I have a fiborglass hot stick that broke about 8 inches from the end (where you hold it). The break is a clean break all around (no splinters). Does anyone have any sugestions on how to fix it?

Thanks
Todd Hubbell
Thibodaux, LA

Yeah, I fixed a carbon one, I'll do a write-up.

Ok this is how I fixed mine.

1. take the outer sleeve off the inner shaft.

2. sand the area around the break about 4-6" from the break on both pieces.

3. Hold the two pieces together and put a drop of superglue on the crack to hold the pieces in place. Ensure that they are lined up.

4. pickup some light 3oz 2" wide fiberglass tape. Cut it into two 8" long strips.

5. use some scotch tape to attach one end of the fiberglass tape to the shaft at an angle so that you can wrap a spiral around the shaft with the glasstape. Try not to overlap too much on the edges. Make sure its tight against the tube and then again, scotch tape the end of the glass so you have two hands to work with.

6. apply epoxy. Use your hand to squeegee it out since a flat edged one wont help that much. oh yeah, make sure you're wearing gloves.

7. while that layer is still wet, apply a second layer of glass tape in the opposite spiral and wet it down good.

8. Wait till it dries then sand smooth. I applied some polyurethane to match the gloss of the rest of the stick.

I might try one or two other things:

Get an aluminum tube that has nearly the same outer diameter (OD) as the hiking stick's inner diameter (ID), and use this to support the broken pieces from the inside. The aluminum doesn't have to be really stout. An old lawn chair with the right diameter tubing would work. Use rivets to hold it in place, then fiberglass from the outside as MauganN20 suggests. You also may want to first sand the stick where you apply fiberglass to remove the sheen and give the resin something rough to cling to.

Rather than using your hands to squeeze out resin (definitely wear gloves no matter what), clamp a window squeegee to a table and turn the stick against it in the direction the glass cloth was rolled on. Squeegee each layer independently, then let the first layer get tacky - not dry - then apply the second layer in the opposite direction and squeegee again. Also, wet the cloth completely with resin before applying it to the stick and skip the tape.

You'll have a hotstick that's tougher in the repaired section than anywhere else.

The aluminum tube really isn't necessary. It'll add weight, and it will cause problems with the telescoping mechanism.

I've done a "redneck" stress test on my repair and I'm confident in my technique.

Problem is that the aluminum sleeve isn't going to pass by the internal extension piece, so you'll only be able to close the Hotstick up to the point of the sleeve. That may or may not be a problem depending on where the break occurs.
This could also be a problem with any wrapping method, because any epoxy that gets to the inside of the outer tube is going to probably bind up on the inner extension piece.
It might be possible to use a long piece of tubing, like PVC, to temporarily sleeve the outer extension piece just during the repair. Wax the area of the PVC where it will be in contact with the repair, and leave the PVC long enough that it sticks out of the end of the tube you are repairing. Then pull it out once the epoxy has cured.

sm

No sleeving is necessary when you superglue the pieces together to check for alignment :P

If the wind is light this week end, I'm gonna use a $10 telescoping extension from Home Deopt. Anyone care to guess how long it will last?

Forever, or until you step on it. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> At least it will be another "regular" in your trailer.

If you've broken a telescopic tiller extension 6 inches from then end. Why not just clean up the break and glue a squash ball on the end? How often do you max out your extension?

Because when he unlocks it and pushes down on the outter sleeve, it'll pop that "squash ball" right off the top.
<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

oh and tall bastards like me need all the tiller they can get <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I would guess longer than 2 years 4 months.

That's encouraging1 <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

If you need the length thats a different ball game I'm 5'6" so its not an issue. If you don't need the length a small bolt through the top (covered with the ball) would fix the popping off issue.