(Man, I'm a posting fool today).

A friend has asked that I add a fighting butt to a rod that's already been built.

The reel seat used was Pacific Bay aluminum seat with an "woven graphite" spacer. The end cap is a soft rubber sort of thing. This is a tiny image, but you can see the seat here

[www.globalflyfisher.com]

I doubt I can add a removable butt in this case, but I should be able to permanently affix one, yes?

Here's how I was thinking of attacking the problem.

1. Sand off the butt cap (it was epoxied in place).
2. Bore through any remaining material or epoxy, to gain entry into the blank.
3. Fit (or shim) a piece of scrap blank to fit inside the rod blank.
4. Build and shape a 2-ring fighting butt on that blank section.
5. Lather the inside of the rod tube and the outside of the "shim stock" with epoxy and slide into place.
6. Stand the rod section on end and put a glass or something over one end, to "clamp" the butt in place as the epoxy sets.

Does this sound right, or is there a better way?

Thanks.

Bob

By the way - the rod is one of Lamiglas' Ti2000 fly rods, so the butt diameter of the blank is a half inch. Dunno what the inside diameter is, but I know I don't have any scrap blank stock to fit snugly, so I will be doing some sort of shim with either brick foam or cork (or masking tape - I know Tom Kirkman will be all over me for that, heh heh).

Thanks again.

Bob

Another way to make a Removable Fighting Butt.

Remove the end cap and clean out the end of the reel seat. Then Bob,

you can make a 3/4 inch long plug (I prefer aluminum) with a small sholder on the end to fit the ID of the seat (probably 16mm). Next drill and tap a 1/4-20 hole in the plug. This is now epoxied into the end of the seat. The Fighting Butt can now be made with a piece of all-thread extending 3/4 inch so it can be screwed into the rod plug.

I have made the Fighting Butts from: rod blank scraps, 6061 Aluminum, exotic woods, and plain old broom stick wood. The length and shape can be to your customers desire. I have a lathe but I have done this with a electric drill clamped to a table.

I have done this a number of times, especially for the Steelhead casting guys who bought a $19.00 rod and then found out the butt was 6 inches too short. In over twenty five years of rod building I have never had a failure "knock on wood".

Cam