I don't know if anyone has done this, but I just tried a bronze shotgun cleaning brush (new one, not greasy) in a hand held cordless drill and it worked great for a water break free surface inside a graphite spinning seat.

The bristles are very fine, and give enough to just break the surface. In the cordless drill it took about 5 seconds to do the reel seat, and the brush cost me $1.99. A 20 gage brush is perfect for 16 mm seats, and between 16, 12, and 10 gage I am sure you could cover larger seats.

Watch close, as there are "immitation" bronze brushes that actually have bronze colored plastic bristles.

Keep smiling,
Marc

Good tip!!! Thanks, Marc

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!!

A lil' over kill, no??? But nice tip...Thanks

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information,which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
- Herbert Spencer

No overkill - it works too easy. Try it!

MARC;

TREMENDOUS IDEA. THANKS! I'VE BEEN WONDERING IF THERE WASN'T A BETTER WAY...

RON.

RodMaker Magazine showed how to make such a Water Break Free tool in a past issue. The ideal material is Scotchbrite and it's easy to fasten into the split end of an aluminum or steel rod. No doubt the bronze shotgun brush will work, but the Scotchbrite tool is even better and by using longer or short sections of the SB pad, you can adjust for the size of any reel seat.

.........

The tool Tom mentioned and wrote about was sold at the NERBs booth in 2006, about 24 of them were sold in 3 hours. No way is this tip overkill at all, it's just an alternative method for $2. I used to HATE cleaning out the center of reel seats, not it's a 5 second process.

You could do the same with the SS bristle brushes sold for prepping copper pipe for sweating (soldering) in plumbing applications - might last a bit longer than the brass variety. ..

I use a Dremel tool with Abrasive Buffs
[www.dremel.com]?
They have enough give to fit multiple size handles.
Also use them to buff off the mold ridges left on the out side of the handles from the factory and to do some finish contour work.

Alright, I'll bite here....Is this step necessiary? Don't get me wrong, I want to build the best possible rod, But I sorta feel thats its over kill to put a water break free finish on the inside of a reel seat. I dont use graphite seats much at all, so I may be a bit nieve here. Is this a common step that is done with a graphite reel seat skeleton? I generally use alum skeletons with wood inserts, but just so I know when/if I use another graphite seat....

Thanks in advance.....


Danny

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information,which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
- Herbert Spencer

Danny,
Not sure how neccesary it is, but for the few seconds that it takes, it's worth it to me for piece of mind. By making everything that I bond together water break free, I know that I've pretty much done everything that I can to ensure a good bond.

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 was always told to stay away from metal buffing materals when buffing a blank. This was told to me by a blank manufacture I use nothing but a grey Scotchbrite pad.
Good Wra]s bob

Danny;
I'm with Mike on this one.
I've seen several handles come loose on rods over the years.
But not on one that I have built, and I always prep all my surfaces that are being bonded together.

Bob I buff the insides and out sides of seat, handles, arbors with power buffers, but like you I only use scotchbrite pads on my rods. But I had not ever heard that it is bad to use metal buffing materials on blanks.
Did he give you a reason for this?

WHere did anyone say to use this on a blank?

Danny, don't clean the inside of your reel seats, it really doesn't matter to me or anyone else. Anyone who actually HAS cleaned teh inside of a reel seat with paper towel and alcohol will understand why it's probably not a good idea though.

It provides the best bond possible and with the proper tool takes about 5 seconds to do. 10 seconds if you clean the inside of the seat first (which you should also do).

Against many years of hoped for use, I wouldn't pass this step by. It takes seconds to do and might keep you from having problems at some point down the road.

...........

What issue was the tool in?

Billy Vivona Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Danny, don't clean the inside of your reel seats,
> it really doesn't matter to me or anyone else.
> Anyone who actually HAS cleaned teh inside of a
> reel seat with paper towel and alcohol will
> understand why it's probably not a good idea
> though.
>
> NERBS - North East Rod Builders


You know...I dont believe I was being a smart a$$ in my replies, just stating what I had though and said I was probally a lil' nieve, because I dont use graphite skeletons very much....Maybe Im taking this wrong, but from someone who is a respected individual in the rodbuilding world, I would have expected less of a sarcastic answer to a simple question. Im glad that you dont care, but I'll take it that its a common practice and the right move to do when using a graphite skeleton... Thanks all for the reponses, even Mr. Vivona, I know your time is valuable.



"There is a principle which is a bar against all information,which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
- Herbert Spencer

Steve: This info. was told to me at a rod builders get together in Woodland WA. . The info was given to me by an Lamiglas rod designer a few years back.. He stated that a a metal buffing products like a steel wool could scratch into threw the bank finish and damage the blank fibers (graphite). Where a grey ScotchBrite pad just deglazes the finish and well not cut into the graphite.
Good Wraps Bob

Billy: The issue was de-glazing the inside of a reelseat was it not, By de-glazing you would get a better bonding surface, correct. If this is true why not de-glaze the blank surface also. I put in my suggestion about not using a steelwool product on a blank. I posted this as a extra precaution for, I guess for newbie’s
Good Wraps Bob

Wow - didn't mean to cause such a fuss with this. Tom K. has always stressed breaking the surface of any items being bonded - inside or out - and I think he is 100% correct. The brush idea is for the inside of reel seats only. Rod blanks are so easy to scuff by hand with scotch brite or 400 grit paper, I wouldn't bother with anything else. I do know that using anything too agressive on a rod blank is not a good thing.

I do have the Rodmaker issue with Tom's tool and have made one and it works well too.

Now everyone go get a shotgun brush, or make one of Tom's tools - whichever you like, and scuff some reel seats.