Hi guys

Another (maybe) silly question:

I've built up about 7 rods now, all fly rods, ranging from 5 weights to 9 weights. All the books tell you to glue the reel seat components together carefully, thin layer, etc etc but I still seem to get a little epoxy on the insert or the threads. Fingers seem to pick up slight bits of epoxy and before you know it the insert or threads are sticky again. It's a time-consuming job to ensure a clean reel seat!

Is there are easy method to avoid getting epoxy on the seat/threads? Masking tape is okay, but then you jave masking tape-glue to remove anyway.

Regards
Mike
South Africa

ROD BOND!!!!!!!!!!!! It stays where you put it (consistancy of vaseline). All you need is a thin layer on the seat/components (create a water break free surface) If you do use too much, just wipe excess with alcohol/paper towel

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

I must still try this Rod Bond stuff...everyone raves about it. The problem with 5 or 10 minute epoxy is it dries so quick you barely get a chance to wipe off the excess! I'm using a 2:1 paste epoxy now, stuff is awesome (S.A. Product, called Epidermix 372), can repair boat's hulls with the stuff. Strong as @#$%&.

I just thought there was a trick or a way to avoid getting glue onto the insert and threads totally.

Mike

I wrap masking tape around the seat first.

Michael: I use vinyl electrical tape. It stretchs quite well and the adhesive isn't that sticky. John

I appologise for the (*&*^%% above...dunno why it did that, I'm sure I didn't type a bad word!
John, thanks for the tip...haven't tried electrical vinyl tape yet, will give it a bash. Masking tape does tend to leave a lot of glue residue.

Mike

Use blue painter's masking tape and you won't have tape residue like regular tape. When your grip/reelseat joint is almost complete, remove any excess buildup that looks like it might ooze out. When it is together, remove the tape and if you still have any epoxy that creeped out on the seat, immediately clean it up. I use a q-tips dampened with alcohol with one swipe per Q-tip end.

I haven't tried it yet, but I heard/read that teflon plumber's tape works well too - it would certainly be easier to remove than electrical tape, and it form fits to the thread on a reelseat very well. I intend to try it here ASAP, since I was cleaning out my basement shop and I have about 8 rolls of the stuff!!!

Ditto on the plumbers tape. It is great on the threaded areas!!!

Mike Barkley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ROD BOND!!!!!!!!!!!! It stays where you put it
> (consistancy of vaseline). All you need is a thin
> layer on the seat/components (create a water break
> free surface) If you do use too much, just wipe
> excess with alcohol/paper towel
>
I agree completely!!!!
I'm completely new to this rod building addiction, in fact I started working on my first rod on the weekend.
I used Rod Bond on the handle, reel seat and the stuff is incredible!!!!!!!!
It takes longer to set up than the 5 min. stuff but well worth the wait :-)




Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

I wrap black electrical tape tightly on the threads/hoods. Then, I use Rod Bond to attach my parts. Once I put the parts together, I remove the black electrical tape. That takes care of almost all the overflow Rod Bond. However, there's always a little that seeps out of the joint. For that, I use strips of coffee filter (i.e. mostly lint-free) that have been wetted with a little isopropyl alcohol. For the really small bits of Rod Bond still left, I'll use the alcohol/coffee filter and wrap it around the point of my dubbing needle (bodkin). That way, I can clean up the really small crevices, if necessary.

One word of warning, though. On one occasion, the black electrical tape did pull some finish off a Fuji gold hood. I'd never had it happen before or since, but I'm more gentle now, when removing the tape.

I use Rod Bond and I use plumber's white Teflon tape. The neat thing about Teflon tape is that it stretches and fills/attaches to and around the oddest shapes, nooks, and crannies. All with no adhesive involved like other tapes. Try it and Rod Bond. Quite a combination of no mess, no clean-up required.

Actually, when just gluing up/assembling a handle and it's components, I don't use the plumber's Teflon tape. I don't have problems with getting Rod Bond all over the place when I'm careful. But I do use the Teflon tape in lots of other instances to avoid making a mess.

Putter
Williston, ND

Put the glue inside the insert , not on the blank and glue it on, the excess will come out the back. Same goes for the hardware, put the glue inside the hardware then the excess comes out the end opposite the insert.
john

I use 2 part, 5 min epoxy, I create mating water break free surfaces, I mask off everything before I assemble the reel seat; the incert, the threads, I make sure not to ooz too much out. I also check to make sure the seat I.D. hasn't got a drip in/on it. The trick with 5 min epoxy is to wipe up most of the drips and ozzing (as it does expand when drying) THEN get after it 5 mins after it sets up, the epoxy is still easily removable then with denatured alcohol and picking at it with an exacto knife, WAIT 24 hrs and it rocks up. After the reel seat is clean and assembled I tape it off agian Hoods , incert, threaded ends to protect it in the next assembly stage from glue up. I also tape off the mating portions of the fighting butt and foregrip laying down clear cellophane before the tape so I don't pull out any of the cork fill.

Randy stole my thunder...I use teflon tape too!

Paul

I second Mr. Channer. On fly seats, load the insert bore and barrel bore with your glue and the excess gets pushed out the end opposite the joint. On insert reel seats I always clamp them after fitting and cleaning up any heavy excess glue. Once that's done, take a paper towel saturated to dripping in denatured alcohol and wipe everything down. The idea is to put enough solvent on the area that any glue left on/around the joint is flushed out. You may need to do this several times (and use a fresh wetted paper towel each time), to get what you want. Once you have it all off, hold everything up to a strong light and make sure you don't have any dissimilar "shine" on the barrel or insert. If you do, repeat the alcohol douche as needed. The trick to a clean reel seat is not tape, it's slow curing glue, plenty of solvent, and a through inspection of your assembly before it's too late. I've used this method on all manner of inserts with no problems. I've tried tape and all it did for me was make it harder to tell if I had a clean joint.

I'll do the stupid thing first, then you shy people can follow. -FZ-

If you want to stay with inexpensive epoxy, I'd recommend Devcon 30 minute. Plenty of working time to clean up any overrun, but things are fairly stable faster than you think. I'm too cheap to use rod bond, and I abandoned 5 minute epoxy long ago...not enough time for me to do clean up as necessary.

I started with flex coat 2 part epoxy for cork and Eva, but after I moved up from florida it became a mail order item so I switched to devcon 2 ton and have never had a problem with it. In florida I always used marine tex to mount reel seats, but the boat dealers up this way don't stock it so I switched to rod bond and just accepted having to get epoxy I couldn't see before I paid for it. A few years ago I got caught with no rod bond in hand and my supplier backordered as well. I called and asked what else they had I could use until they got some rod bond. They said devcon 2 ton would do the job just fine, and I've been using it since for both grips and reel seats. It took some changes in my glue up routine, but so far so good. I still use rod bond or marine tex (if I can find it) for reel seats on heavy rigs, but for everything else 2 ton has been working great.

I'll do the stupid thing first, then you shy people can follow. -FZ-