Fibreglass Pole Repair Kit
Product Information: Fibreglass Tent Poles
Fibreglass tent poles are lightweight, durable and flexible.
They are commonly used in camping tents to provide support to the
tent fabric. However, due to wear and tear, these poles may break
over time. The good news is that fibreglass tent poles can be
repaired easily using replacement sections.
Product Usage Instructions: Repairing Broken Fibreglass Tent
Poles
- Remove the broken section of the pole by assembling the
sections to make the pole straight. Use something to poke out any
dirt or grass that might have blocked the end, and expose the knot
inside the metal ferrule. - Measure the new pole section against the broken section(s) and
mark the length to cut. Use tape to mark where to cut and protect
the good end of the pole from splintering when cut. Wrap the tape
completely around the pole 2-3 times. - Cut the pole to length using a hacksaw. Clean up the edge with
a fine file or sandpaper to remove any sharp bits before removing
the tape. - Reassemble the pole by joining all sections back together in
the right orientation and re-threading the elastic. Once all
sections are back together, re-tie the knot at the end to secure it
from going back through the pole with a figure eight knot.
A handy tip for re-threading the elastic cord into the pole is
to thread each section individually and when it becomes too short
to go through another section, stretch the elastic until it is taut
and wrap around and under the pocket clip of a ballpoint pen 2-3
times to secure while you then thread the next section. Repeat
until all sections are threaded. Alternatively, fishing nylon can
also be used as an alternate method of re-threading the poles by
pre-threading a section of pole with the nylon, attaching it to the
elastic and then pulling the elastic through the section after it.
Put the knot in the fishing nylon and not in the elastic line or it
will be too big to go through.
If you are not confident in repairing the tent pole yourself,
you can bring it into one of Torpedo7 our stores nationwide, where
our workshop should be able to repair it for you using the above
process for a small labor charge.
Guide to repairing broken fibreglass tent poles
You will need: · Torpedo7 Pole repair kit (containing the correct diameter of replacement sections to match your broken pole) · Hacksaw (to trim new sections down to the same length of the broken section) · Cello tape/insulation tape (to mark the cut line and to stop the new section from splintering when cut) · BBQ Skewer/Needle nose pliers/Tweezers or similar (to grab the knot in the end of the elastic cord)
Handy extras: · Vice or something similar (to hold the pole section steady whilst cutting) · Ballpoint pen with pocket clip (to mark the length and to hold the elastic when rethreading it) · Large adjustable wrench (if you need to remove a ferrule) · Small Rag (to protect the pole from being damaged in the vice) · Fishing Nylon (as an alternate method to rethread elastic into pole sections)
Before you start, you’ll firstly need to remove the section of pole that has broken (being careful not to get splinters from the broken section in your hand).
Do this by connecting/assembling the sections so that the pole is as straight as possible. Find one of the end sections (preferably closest to the broken section) and using something to poke out any dirt/grass etc that might have blocked the end, expose the knot inside the metal ferrule.
Now using something like a BBQ skewer, small needle nose pliers or tweezers, pull out the knot from inside. Cut the line just below the knot to release it (Tip: if the broken section is near one end, try not to let the elastic shoot through the other sections beyond the broken pole this will save you time later). Now disassemble the pole only as far as you need to remove the broken section.
Cutting and fitting the new section:
1. Measure the new pole section against the broken pole section(s) (ensure correct orientation eg checking which side has the metal ferrule etc).
Nb. one of the end sections of your existing pole might have ferrules on both ends. If this is the one that is broken, you might need to remove a ferrule from the broken pole (if glued on, this can be done by using a large adjustable wrench, adjusted to the pole diameter of the pole to remove the ferrule of and used as a sliding hammer to knock the ferrule off it might take a few good whacks to break the glue bond). Also be careful when measuring the length of a section with two ferrules as the length to cut the new section doesn’t include half the length of the second ferrule.
2. Mark the length to cut and protect the end
Use some tape to mark where to cut and to protect the good end of the pole from splintering when cut. Wrap the tape completely around the pole 2-3 times with one edge of the tape against the line at the point to be cut and so the other edge is below this on the good section of pole
3. Cut the Pole to length
Using something to hold the section steady while you cut (eg a vice or your foot and the edge of something eg a stair or deck) but being careful not to crush/break the pole by holding it too tight (it’s a good idea to wrap a rag around the pole to protect it from being scratched by the vice), cut along the edge of the tape, perpendicular to the pole at the correct length using a hacksaw. Clean up the edge with a fine file or sandpaper to remove any sharp bits before removing the tape.
4. Reassemble the pole.
Join all sections back together in the right orientation and re thread the elastic. Once all sections are back together, re tie the knot at the end to secure it from going back through the pole eg with a figure eight knot.
A handy tip for rethreading the elastic cord into the pole is to thread each section individually and when it becomes too short to go through another section, stretch the elastic until it is taut and wrap around and under the pocket clip of a ball point pen 2-3 times to secure while you then thread the next section. Repeat until all sections are threaded.
Some fishing nylon might also be able to be used as an alternate method of rethreading the poles by pre-threading a section of pole with the nylon, attaching it to the elastic and then pulling the elastic through the section after it. Tip: put the knot in the fishing nylon and not in the elastic line or it will be too big to go through.
Alternatively, if brought into one of Torpedo7 our stores nationwide, our workshop should be able to repair for you as per the above process for a small labour charge.
