I am using the hair dryer then the heat gun to remove this ridge of epoxy after removing guide wraps. I have got the blank almost too hot to touch and still a tough time getting it off. I could heat it more but am afraid I will do damage. Is it OK to get the blank that hot? What will happen when I get to the narrower end of the rod? Is there another method?

Help is appreciated
Thanks

can't you scrape it off? use a plastic scrapper of some sort.

Instead of heating the blank, try heat a "slightly moistened wash cloth and lay that on the epoxy you are trying to take off. It will lessen the possibility of damaging the blank. Patience is the key, Take your time. It might take a number of heat applications and scrapping with a fingnail, or something softer than the blank to remove all traces. Try alcohol to also soften, dissolve and remove it. It all comes off eventually.

I have had great luck with a product called Stripeeze. It is a paint remover that comes in a liquid and a gel-you will need the gel. Just dap some on with an old toothbrush, let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes, and it will come off by rubbing it with a grey scotchbrite pad. This is only for matte blanks because using it on gloss blanks will take of the gloss. I had an St. Croix SCIV that the teal paint had been worn off and I used Stripeeze to take all the paint off down to the bare blank (it may take several coats). I then used a piece of cheesecloth saturated with permagloss and rub it up and down the blank a couple of times. I now have a rod that is completely restored, has a gloss graphite look and it bulletproof.

Take the edge of an old credit card or one of those plastic picnic knives and scrape it off. It will chip right off. Wipe it down with Scotchbrite. Some differ, but I then wipe the area down with denatured alcohol. C2

I have used David Spence's method many times and it works great if you are looking for an excuse to get rid of the paint or if you prefer the natural graphite look. It really takes the stress out of stripping components when you don't care if the paint gets scratched. If you need to preserve the paint, then the other suggestions you are getting are good ones.

If you are careful you can use a razor blade Don't cut into the blank, lay the blade flat on the blank

Wrap a 4-5 layer band of masking tape outside the edge where the epoxy was - where the ridges are. With a new single edge razor blade, using quick and shallow "slicing" motions get under the ridges to removed them. The tape will prevent scraping good material off. Use a very shallow angle with the razor, almost flat against the blank, and no damge to the blank will occur. Any tooling marks from this procedure are easily covered with thread, which in my case more often than not it would be an underwrap.

Warming the finish helps but usually is not necessary. Too hot to the touch is too hot.

Lou