I am looking for any suggestions to recover a real seat from a broken fly rod.
The rod is totally destroyed but I would like to reuse the real seat on constructing a new rod. This is the first time I have had to do this and was wondering if there were any tricks to getting it off. The seat was set with 5 min. epoxy. If all else fails I guess I could drill the broken rod out of it.

Hi Cory
I have found the easist way of attempting this,and not all attempts work ,is to hold the reel fitting immersed in a pan of boiling water until something gives,normally the old epoxy,then try to pull the fitting away from the blank.
one word of warning.
Be carefull there are no protruding splinters on the blank and if this were a blank you were going to try to re use-in this case we know you arent- dont overheat or you could damage the blank.


Bryan

If you mounted with RodBond, the boiling water technique may not work. It may not get the components hot enough. I recently disassembled a reel seat, insert, and rod blank and only ruined the impregnated wood insert. I posted the procedure and results on this forum 1 or two months back.

Josh Markvan
www.markvanheirloom.com

If you have a lathe with a end chuck or an accurate drill press, you can cut the blank and re-bore the seat to remove the blank, otherwise the boiling water or heat gun might work. I've had some work with boiling water and some that did not.

Couple of hints for boiling -

Get the water to a fast boil before you start.

If the reel seat has a wood insert (which is a great heat insulator) you need to heat it from the inside out - take off the end cap (alcohol torch or better propane torch will work), Then wrap the seat in a heavy freezer bag. Take a pencil (the eraser end and push the bag up the butt end of the blank. This will help protect the wood while getting the heat inside the blank

Get the biggest pot you can - you'll want to lean it out as far as you can so the

Once you've removed the end cap, you can look at the construction - use you judgment on how long to leave it in the water.For a well done reel seat (small bushings and or wood insert), I generally start off with 1 minute and then 30 sec intervals - I try to twist it between each dip. You'll generally feel (or smell) it start to give.

For some reel seat with think masking tape bushings, you can leave it in for 15-30 secs and it'll come right off.

If you want to save the blank - don't lean the blank on the lip of the pot.

Christian

Do a search for "Jesse Buky" and you will find his method of removing a reel seat.
Fastest,easiest way I know of.
Don't have time to go into it myself.

Jesse`s method is for broken seats not for seats to be reused.It does work great though.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I ruined a Pac Bay Saltwater seat by bioling it. It became discolored after emersion. I find getting a piece of steel rod glowing hot with a torch and jamming it up the blank works well. It will slip right off. Even the cork will slip off, if you want it!