Picketpin,
Thanks for the response. Oddly enough, the blank is fairly stiff overall, and this is especially true in the vicinity of the bruised spot.
I gave it a wiggle along side some other 7 foot fenwicks (all production rods) and it seems a good bit stiffer though that may just be a result of not having guides wraps or thread on it yet.
I just finished sectioning the rod into 4 pieces. I left an allowance for 2" spigots (stick out length). I made a mountain of a mole hill about how hard sectioning the blank would be. About half an hour of careful work with a tape measure, a jewelers saw and some 400 grip sand paper did the job well.
Now I have a better idea of the dimensions for a stent if I place one. Based on the ID and OD of the blank at the female end of the tip section and the OD at the point of the bruise, I think Im looking at a stent in the neighborhood of 0.108" in diameter. I just so happen to have a tip section from a CGR rod that matches these dimensions. Ill work on getting it stripped and ready tonight, then Ill probably need to throw in the towel for the night.
Edit: I got a little carried away and got the stent fitted to the bruise. Based on my measurements of the blank I had a rough idea of the diameter I needed for the stent. I found a spot on my donor rod about 0.010" larger than that, and cut donor rod in that location. I then sanded the area towards the butt end of the donor piece aggressively so it would not interfere with the inside of the fenwick tip section. This allowed me to use the whole rod section to poke the soon-to-be stent in and out for careful test fitting and gentle sanding. Adter I was satisfied with the fit, I marked the donor piece with painters tape to show the depth that the donor piece needed to be pushed into the fenwick tip. Then, I cut the last inch or so of the donor piece off to become the stent.
Now all I have to do is apply epoxy to the stent and use the remainder of the donor piece to push the stent in until I reach the blue tape. I couldnt find any 30 minute epoxy at the house so this job will have to wait for tomorrow.
For anyone who is curious, the butt of the 84-5 measures 0.427" and the tip is a 5. Ive already ordered a reel seat from Ray Lee.