This reel seat is perfectly round and the diameter is too large to squeeze a reel between the slidebands. Should I take the diameter down slightly or should I make a flattened section for the reel seat? I have seen Orvis flatten them out on their Superfine series. I am just leary on how to go about it. The picture REC gives looks exactly like the one I received and judging from the picture they don't have a whole lot of room between the slidebands and the cork either. I was thinking of taking a flat file to it until there is enough clearance. Any suggestions or experience with this kind of reel seat?

Thanks,

Scott Bearden

A sanding block does a great job on this. Start with 60, get it close to shape, then finish with 150, 220, 320, and 400. Might be a few pits and fissures in the cork but REC's cork is generally pretty good stuff.

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

If you're gonna do this, I would start with 320 or even 400 and just graze the cork away, remove very little material. The cork will compress to accept your reel foot if you force it a LITTLE. It might be too tight now, but you certainly don't want it loose. Yeah REC uses nice cork in their inserts and recessed corks.

Josh Markvan
www.markvanheirloom.com

My preference is to put the cork seat on a lathe or drill and take the entire diameter down with a sanding block. Check for fit often.

I am a rookie so forgive me. I went to REC site to look before commenting but couldn't find a slideband cork handle. I have a 35 year old rod with a cork and slideband reel seat...can use it as a spinning rod or a fly rod. The reel feet fit into the slide bands perfectly. Have never had a reel come loose but confess I don't mean to say I have used it for all those years. But it sounds like you purchased a slide ring cork handle to mount on a rod blank. So now you have to ream it to get it to fit the rod blank.....and now you have to custom sand the outside to get it to work? Something wrong with this picture to me. I would be sending it back.

Just a dumb opinion from a rookie.

Gem