Greetings from Manchester uk, I have a pair of hand built rods, on carbon/kevlar blanks,they were fitted with fuji reel fit with a spring clip device,not screw winch, striking into a running carp the reel fell off...not for first time, so, after finding your site I removed the reel fits with a dremel, carefully as advised, i didnt even nick the blank, BUT, how do I remove the araldite off the blank(which was under the reel fit) and could i use fuji fps screw winch fitting of 22mm inside diameter,(the only ones I could source) when the rod diam is 19mm, what, if any, material should i use to build up the blank to ensure a sturdy and solid fit for the new fps fitting,and is araldite the best reel seat adhesive? thank you, Its my first rebuilding attempt, thank you,Brian

The amount you need to build up to accept your reel seat is not much. Only 3mm overall or a1.5mm thick wrap of mesh tape or thread. I would use kevlar thread and wrap it as a scrim up and down the seat area until you have sufficient material for a good fit. As long as the araldite is sound I dont see any need to remove it. Once satisfied with the fit saturate with a good adhesive "Rod Bond" or "Flex Coat" and assemble should be fine.

Rod Bond is best in my opinion, although I have used Araldite (30 minute and 1 hr) with good results. A little heat from a hair dryer (low setting) may help soften the leftover adhesive, which can then be carefully scraped off.

A few turns of 1/4 inch masking tape under the reel seat, spaced in bands about 1/2 inch apart will work fine. The reason we use a longer setting adhesive is the longer time gives you a chance to correct any screwups.

If you're really bent on removing the araldite (I know I personally would myself) there are several ways to go about it depending on the pattern of the araldite. If I remember correctly, araldite doesn't have as much bend in it as some other epoxies when dried. Therefore, the stuff chips off pretty easily. I've had great success depending on the job at hand with a large blunt knife striking the araldite going witht he blank and not into it. If the araldite was improperly mixed and is indeed a touch soft, you'll have to break out miniature saws and sharp knives and go slowly and gently removing each island of epoxy. This is probably my least favorite part about refurbishing rods! Good luck and hope this helps!