Hi All

Has anyone had any luck taking a manufactured rod apart. I would like to take a rod apart, all the way back to a raw blank without cutting off the handle.

Bill

I have rebuilt numerous factory rods by removing all components down to the bare blank. Not too difficult. Guides come easily of course, the grips can be shaved off, the reel seat scribed with a sharp knife (if graphite) and pried off or cut off with a handheld grinder w cutoff wheel/or dremel tool.and pried off.

Of course it costs more in labor to rebuild a rod than to build one from new parts....

Lou

Pay particular attention to Mr. Lou Reyna's subtle, but profound remark: "Of course it costs more in labor to rebuild a rod than to build one from new parts..."

Re-building is almost a rite of passage in the beginning, like building your own rod wrapper is. And re-building is a way to build considerable rod-building skills in general, and is almost an art in itself. In fact, I highly recommend it. (That's how I got started; a 'poor college student' who wore out his 'high school days' arsenal. ... Nothing quite like the "School of Hard Knocks", right Lou?) But once you've done your share of re-builds, and reached the stage of "Been there, Done That", it may be time to say, "Show me the money !" Renovation or new construction?

"Out with the old, and in with the new" is where I usually live. -Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-

It is a great learning experience and if you have the time to do it, it's fine. Lots of extra time put in versus buying a new blank and starting fresh with that, though. I haven't done one in many years, now.

Putter

Geez, you guys are gonna make me feel bad. I've been thinking about replacing the reel seat on the very first rod I ever built because I screwed it up 30+ years ago.

William. I am with the other guys on this one. There has to be a really good reason for me to strip an undamaged handle and reel seat off a blank, like the blank is no longer available and there are no comparable products. You can make a good case for re-doing only the guides though, since often the style and spacing is less than optimal. Of course you will likely need to strip off the commercial coating, but Strip-eeze and steel wool will do this. If you are just a beginner, use only CP on your wraps, fish the rod, and you can re-build to your heart's content until you are finally satisfied.