fibre glass poles split at the end

[familyguy1]

After the family having to come back from Wales due to the gales and two poles snapping, I'm going through the aftermath and 2 poles have definitely snapped, a few are starting to at the ends which will inevitable travel along the length and snap.

Any suggestions on what to do with the open ends of fibre glass to help.

I notice the angled poles have metal fittings at both ends to prevent this, but the other poles have to fit inside this sleeve.

[RizzoTheRat]

Assuming this is the standard multi section poles with an elastic cord through the middle and a metal tube on one end of each section to join them, you can get replacements pretty cheaply on e-bay. They come longer than your tent poles and you just cut them to length and thread the cord through with a bit of wire.

[familyguy1]

RizzoTheRat said:

Assuming this is the standard multi section poles with an elastic cord through the middle and a metal tube on one end of each section to join them, you can get replacements pretty cheaply on e-bay. They come longer than your tent poles and you just cut them to length and thread the cord through with a bit of wire.

Thanks RizzoTheRat, that's my intention but I wondered if there was anything I can do with the cut ends to seal/glue them to prevent them splitting.

[randlemarcus]

Bit of duct tape might delay things, but replacement is the only realistic way to stop them doing what they do naturally.

[RizzoTheRat]

I tried duct tape on mine but couldn't get it tight enough to stop it splitting further, and as the end of the pole needs to go in to the metal sleeve of the next pole you can't strengthen the tip, so it still bends more than it should at the join. I did use duct tape and a peg to splint one of the joins when I put the tent up though

I thought about trying to use epoxy to stick them back together, but set of replacements was only about a tenner so it didn't seem worth trying to bodge it.

[familyguy1]

as I've got to take them apart, I might dip the ends in araldite to try and seal them

[speedyman]

Try fibre glass matting from halfords thats used on car body repairs.

[dhutch]

Some thin epoxy might work, or a good cyanoacrylate? Else as said, replace.

[Mercury00]

What about heat shrink? I've got no idea about tents.