Well As a few here know I build mostly with wood handles of some sort. All is great except I have a rod built on a great blank that fishes great but I hate the split grip. I turned it out of purple heart and is on a Pac Bay pro series blank. Well its winter time here in WI and I want to rebuild it. Anyone have any quick fixes to get it off. I know it wont boil off. It takes forever to grind it off with a dremal tool. And the last handle I mounted up on my lathe, I blew up the blank. Any idea's or solvents I can soak it in for a easy remove.

Split it off. Wood splits easily once you get it started. Notch one end and with a screwdriver or chisel make a deep cut and then twist.

Travis -
I'll go to my favorite local 'craft' / jewelry store tomorrow. I saw a product there that claims to dissolve epoxy. Heck - I wanted to try it anyway. I don't know what it will do to a rod blank - it may damage the finish or worse attack the resin(s) that bind the fibers. I'll go and pick some up and let everyone know the results (with product name / distributor) if it works or not.


// For Emory: I'd test it on the dog too but she's looking pretty scared even as I type this//

Thanks Ken!! I'm Affraid to ruin the blank Its only a year old and cost abit more than I'd like to spend again. Let me know how it works

Ken
The only thing I know of that will disolve epoxy is acetone. I expect you will find the binding for your rod is also an epoxy ( although a tougher type ) and will disolve as well, only slower.
Regards
Neil

Neil
Agree - but since I do some jewelry work and I need to clean up some existing epoxy spatters and messes that have accumulated I thought I'd get some of this stuff and check it out. I have some 'off cut' pieces of rods from shortening trolling rods and nipped tips from other experiments as well as a 5 gallon bucket of broken rods that I use for repair work. What I plan to do is go buy a pint of this stuff ( $9.95
as I recall), read the instructions and warnings on the packaging then bring it home and pour some into a stainless steel container and drop in some rod parts (with and without guides and reel seats attached). I think I even have a broken rod with a wooden foregrip on it. I don't expect it to work very well. Simply getting it to penetrate under/between the wood and the rod blank is problematic - but I've been surprised too many times in the past to not at least give it a try . Either way I'll let everyone know if it worked or not. I'll do that in a new post / string so it doesn't get lost. If it does work it might add to the FAQs pages. I see it as a cheap investment ( 10.00 ) in knowledge.

Thanks again Ken!!!

Ken; keep the dog away from this stuff, you don't want him to drink it LOL

Travis,
I hear that if you hit the handle with water from a high powered hose it will disolve the handle, leaving the blank. Do you access to, say, a fire truck hose or something similar? :)

Cans down, fish on,

Buzz

Cut the grip with a dremel tool the full length of the grip and split by twisting a screwdriver in the cut. Jesse

I tried to split it with the dremel and screw driver but that darn epoxy is stronger than one would think. Buzz I could put up to 1000 gallons per minute on it but I need to find someone to hold it for me. Anyone wanna Volonteer? I hope Kens idea works.