After spending the winter building a few rods I have now been asked to try and repair one for a friend. Does anybody have any suggestions on the best way to remove the old guides other than just trying to cut & slice them off? How about cleaning/restoring the blank before wrapping the new guides?

Thanks as always

Jim

I use a craft heat air gun to help soften the old epoxy before I cut it off. If I am going to be putting the new guides right back in the same locations of the old guides, then I carefully scrape off as much of the old epoxy off to get as smooth of a surface as I can. Then rewrap the new guides. For me, this sometimes means the guide wrap might be a bit longer to cover up the old wrap area.

What Mike says seems reasonable. If the guides are to be replaced in the same positions then try to rub a fraction of the blank outside the old resin mark and feather it in with either fine wet @ dry or a handy tool is the wifes nail sandpaper strips.

To remove the old guides get a sharp blade or knife, heat the old resin gently (the heavier the rod the more the heat) make sure the blade is in line with the blank and gently slice along. Do not dig into the blank.

Stan

Jim, if you slice on top of the foot from the tip of the foot to the guide itself, you'll never slice the blank because the metal foot is protecting it. I've found that a small, very sharp, thin bladed knife gives the most control. Use your fingernail to prise up the edge of the slice, pull that off and usually a tag end will allow you to unwind the rest of the wrap, taking the epoxy with it. I prefer never to sand off any residual epoxy - some heat (even the hot tap will do) and your fingernail will do the rest. If you didn't use CP when you first built the rod, now is the time to ask yourself whether CP in future will make this process easier - I guarantee it will, because the thread doesn't adhere as well to the blank and the blank's finish will be preserved along with the thread colour. I've always used slightly thinned Flex Coat (unless I've specifically been asked not to), because I know that it makes rebuilding that rod in the future much easier! Just my 2 cents worth. Jim

You really want to go easy on the heat though, Jim.
In my experience if you soften the blank with too much heat, you'll kill it.
It's not hard to do. Believe me.
One of those sick-to-your-stomach mistakes, too.


Josh Markvan
www.markvanheirloom.com