I never pass up a broken rod if I see one discarded. When I have a broken rod I use the throw away for salvage repairs. I would never use a nail to repair a break. I use a piece of the broken salvage rod, epoxy the piece in & let the glue cure for a day. I can then wrap the repaired area & epoxy thinly over the thread. I have used a piece for inside the break & another piece on the outside, it depends on the location of the break. I have some rods repaired this way that I've used for years. I don't think I'm careless with a rod. If you use them often & move them from your shop to your truck then to the boat & back again it just seems one gets broken but not often.