I recently purchased a multipiece rod and received it with the top male ferrule portion having several fairly deep scratches. Any advice on my options?:
Can I cast and fish it as is or will the repeated cyclic stresses cause the scratches to develop cracks that will spread?
Are there mitigation methods that are recommended? e.g. a thin coating of epoxy? replace the male ferrule? Return the rod to the seller?

Any thoughts are appreciated.
Andy

It's a spigot. The scratches are deep enough that I can readily feel them when I run my fingernail over them lightly. I think it looks worse in person - I tried to show the worst area in the photo but there is additional scratching. This is the top ferrule on a 5 piece 8.5 ft rod.

I don't really think it is any issue with that spigot. If you are really worried, then a couple of coats of permagloss in the scratches and then lightly dress to original OD. What would be of concern to me is WHAT caused those scratches, is it something possibly inbedded in the female receiving end of the rod making it happen. The shape of the scratches to me looks like it was turned to seat in either the assembly or dissembly of the sections. Also keep in mind that that is very little surface contact area as opposed to the overall contact area when assembled.

Thanks all for the advice. I'll go ahead and clean the male and female ferrules and as long as I don't find any embedded debris keep and fish the rod. That's what I was hoping to hear, in all of my years fishing I've never had a scratched up ferrule like this before. I broke a ferrule once, but that's another story. I agree it does look like this one had some sand or other particles get trapped in the ferrule during assembly and will complain to the seller that it's definitely not new or mint, but I still want the rod.

The photo is the male portion of the spigot. The female portion does have reinforcing wraps as does the blank where the male is inserted. I'll see if I can get a better photo this evening.