With the hood and nut removed from a Fuji reel seat, it looks like the nut portion just snaps into the hood. Is there any way to disassemble the two or is it a one way deal for lfe? I know Bill Boettcher masks off the hood when painting the nut but I'd like to remove it to paint it if that's possible

The metal is held on by being pressed into the graphite underneath. I tried removing this on a seat - it ain't happening unless there is a secret I don't know about. THat metal is even tough to cut with a hacksaw.

Just mask it off, life is easyer that way. You may not get it back on or if it does it may not hold.

I've been taking them apart for years and mixing and matching hoods and trim rings, etc.

This is hard to explain in text - photos in the magazine would be easier, but here goes. Take the nut/hood off and flip it around. Screw the nut up on the seat barrel but leave the hood sticking off the open end. Wrap a rag or cloth around the hood and grasp it inside/outside with a pair of pliers. Pull straight off and it will just pop off without damaging anything.

To reinstall - set the hood down on a flat surface. Put the nut on top and face it with a wood block or something hard and flat. Press straight down and the nut will pop into the hood, good as new.

The hood on the seat itself used to be easy to get off, but the newer "pipe" seats are more difficult. You have to rock the hood enough to gain some opening at the forward end of the seat. From there, you insert a screw driver and work it around to get the hood moving. I made a "tool" that looks like a scissor type thing with two metal flats that I can then get into the opening and tap with a hammer to remove the hood. Once you get it moving it's a snap. The trick is getting it started without damaging that hood or the seat barrel.

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I only did one and when I put it back together it did not feel right.Did not want the nut to seperate from the hood when taking a reel off. So now I just mask them off.

You explained it well enough Tom, popped it off perfectly! Thanks.