I have some old rods that are factory rods, that I like the actions on but don't like the handles, or the guides, etc. How hard is it to rebuild a rod (strip it down and redo it) compared to building one up from scratch? Would seem a good way for a newbie to experiment cheaply and with minimal risk, unless there is some really difficult step. In some cases you'd already have a blank and guides and would just get to practice wrapping and installing a handle. I would like to try cannibalizing old rods for parts (blanks, guides) as well for newer rods- any reason not to do this?

Not a one I can think of.

What's the best way to remove a grip/reel seat?

Can be done, but it's a lot more hassle than building from scratch. Removing the old guides can be a bit time consuming. Removing the wrap finish without getting into the blank finish is more tedious. Once you get that far you will likely see color differences on the blank from where the guides were and where they weren't. Older the rod, the more likely that is. If you put guides back in the same places, no problem. Otherwise you are going to have to refinish/recolour the blank if you want it all one color.

Reel seat you can try boiling to see if whatever adhesive they used will loosen. But plan on carefull cutting to get it off the blank.

Just refurbed a rod and it was easily twice the time and hassle of building from scratch. I did it because the rod was an old friend. I would not do it otherwise. So far as stripping components off blanks for reuse,,,,sure. You will likely have to pick between the handle and the blank, as one will likely have to be cut away. Guides on a rod with any age, and especially if around saltwater, are likely to have some corrosion on the feet that you will have to cleanup and seal.

If you are just looking to play cheaply, I think you can toss together all the components for a basic rod for $50ish. Sale blanks $20 and under are common. Reel seat, $5. Basic EVA grips, like $6. Set of guides will vary depending on the style rod ad size, but $20ish is doable for most I can think of below SIC. And say $5ish for buttcap and tip. Depending upon rod style, sales, and @#$%&, I would not be surprised at all if it could total in the $30's.

Unless you really want to revive an old friend, I'd start from scratch.

I just have all these rods that have seen little use (no salt) for one reason or another that I'd like to play with. The time is not the issue, I just don't want to throw away all those good guides and blanks. I don't like the grips on most of them, or they have too few guides, etc. I'm in this for the utility and the fun, not to produce art quality rods, at least not to begin with, so if the blank is discolored I'll live. I would just like to take some old blanks and rods I don't like because of little things and make them usable again. None are older than about 5 years and none has seen extensive use- if they had I wouldn't cut them up.

Back in 76' when I taught myself out of Clemens Book I must have rebuilt at least 30 rods before I built one from scratch using new components. By that time I was starting up a good part time business and progressed from there. Jesse

So....best method for getting reel seats/handles off? I'm going to start with a 5' ultralight that has an uncomfortable handle and too few guides, and a 6' ML that has the same problem. The ul will become a tenn. handle and the ML may become a casting rod for small SBs. I think getting the guides off will be easy but getting the handles off could be a trick. Any help would be appreciated.

If by handles you mean the grips, they should cut away easily. The reel seet is where you will likely have to decide whether to try and save the seat or the blank, but not both.

If you don't care about the look, then you can get away without a lot of blank refurb. You will likely have to do something though, as getting the finish off where the guides were you are going to probably get into the blank finish a bit. Minimum I'd guess is scotchgrite and permaglass or spar. Warning though,,, I've gone in with the same thoughts and once there was disappointed in the look and ended up redoing it all :-)

Nathan,

Rebuilding the rods is a great way to learn and develop skills. Like Dave said, you can get by pretty cheaply. Mudhole has some great inexpensive "house" blanks. Grips can be cut or boiled off and with reel seats, unless for some reasom, you really want to save it, cut lengthwise with a Dremel/cut off wheel and pry off. Obviously there will probably be a lot of sanding involved. I put a hand sander in a vise with the sandpaper facing up, turn it on and just rotate the rod on it to get it sanded down enough to get new ones over it. Since you're experimenting, you might want to lightly scuff the entire blank after it is stripped and all wrap finish is removed and spray with an auto touch up enamel like Duplicolor and use an auto clear coat (light dusting coats) let cure for a week and wrap. A lot of guys have had success with this.

As far as salvaging old parts, I regularly remove all the guides/tips of of old broken rods I pick up and use them for repair jobs;

If you unhide your e-mail address, we can send you much more info direct

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 may try it with the ultralight. Otherwise, I'll definitely be stealing guides off rods that aren't used. It's tough to do all that work when you can get a rainshadow blank for 20-30 and a tennessee grip for 8-20, and steal guides from old rods. Pretty much you can do a whole rod (once you have all you equipment/thread) for 50 or less. I do like that ultralight I have though, besides the handle, and it's a two piece, so probably I'd just have to take off the bottom guide and the handle to switch it, which would introduce me to applying handles and get me 1 guide wrap in before I start on custom rods, and fix my rod so I like the handle!

For that U/L, if you upgrade a little on the guides and go with the New Concept system in the library above, you will be amazed at the performance difference! E-mail me at mbarkley@wowway.com and I'll send you some more info.

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!!

Nathan I have used Auto Dupli Color and then use Dupli Color clear coat with great success. As Mike said, let it set for a week before wrapping guides on.

Jay

Nathan, my two favorite back up rods are rebuilt rods from old (but nice blanks) rods. There is much good lerarning that comes from stripping old rods. Often the old guides are not the quality, size or color you want. Neither is the old thread and almost always the placement of your new guides will be different. (Especially if you go Concept Syle)......therefore the old guide wrap spots on the rebuilt version might show a little. Since these rebuilt rods are for me or relatives I don't care if they show a little ware at a few spots. I am not trying to make them brand new. I am trying to make them comfortable, handsome and fishable for me. These are also great rods to try a Tennessee handle on. If you have the time it is very educational and satisfying to strip and rebuild a nice old rod. Go for it and throw up a photo or two when you get done.

All the equipment and thread? Yeah, there's little limit to how much stuff you can accum. But it isn't needed. My first rod I didn't even have V blocks (circa 1974). Was a 9' two piece Fenwick fly rod that I redid to be a UL spinning rod. Utility knife and hacksaw took care of removing the old seat and grip. Phone book for line tension with the thread in a cup behind., and a couple of holders bent out of coathangers and clamped to the table edge. That was it.. Finished with spar varnish and a brush from the hardware store. Still works and looks good to this day. Certainly don't let equipment and stuff get in the way. At its most basic, remember you are just glueing some things together and tying stuff on with string

Got to agree with all the above! Rebuilds are the easiest and least
expensive way to learn an awful lot about rod building. Granted, it's
a lot more work to rebuild than to build from scratch but the rewards
are there in the knowledge and experience gained with very little
money spent ta boot.

You'll probably destroy a blank or two by mistake or find that seat
you wanted to save isn't salvageable after all but hey, when you
do get one done and it works far better than when it was new
the satisfaction will make it all worth while.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Nathan
If you would send me your "e" mail address [yours is hidden] I will be more than happy to take you step by step in re-doing the oldies.
Like Jesse Buky , Mike Barkley, and Steve Cox say It is a great way to learn, I too learned from a Clemens book and I must have re-done
a few hundre to date and am still doing them for customers. Yes they are time consuming and you will wind up with busted and skinned knuckles,alongwith cuts and bruises like all the rest of us "old timers"have done but you will have learned and you will be enjoying a rod
you have done yourself and watch all of your friends showing up !!! I would venture to say that a good 90 % of rod builders have started
this way.
fred_schoenduby@sbcglobal.net

Tight Lines
Tight Wraps
Fishin'Stix by Fred

Rebuilds are our specialty, but the comments about the time it takes to do them (twice as much as a from-scratch rod) are spot-on.

A razer blade or razer-blade knife will strip off just about anything except the reel seat. We use a Dreml tool for that but you gotta be bloody careful not to zap the blank itself!.

You can replace whole handles wthout removing the reel seat. You can replace foregrips without removing the guides, buit of course it's easier to remove the guides. Why bother? Because you avoide the expense opf buying a new blank - and because these are, from the sound of it, experiments. It's self-training, and that's sometimes the best kind.

Be aware that if you leave the reel seat on, you'll have to live with the alignment it already has with the spine and therefore the tip-top.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

You can remove old grip assemblies by cutting or boiling. This works, and I've done it.. A dremel tool is your best friend.

You can also rebuild the grip assembly on an old scrap of blank. Sounds like you have lots of material to try this rebuild tactic on as well. Just cut off the old seat and grip either in front of or just behind the fore grip and then fit/epoxy a new scrap of blank that you can rebuild the new seat and grip. It's like extending the old blank you've cut and is much quicker than trying to remove all the old material.

Send me a note if you want to try this.

Terry

explain to me this tensioning device? V blocks I can make in about 10 minutes from felt and plywood, but the tensioner and the rotating motor I see little way around unless someone has an idea.

A telephone book makes a good tension device. Place the spool in a cup
and run the thread thru the pages of the book. The more pages that cover
the thread the more tension that is applied. If you place the spool so that
it rotates as the thread comes off you will get much less twist however.

An old BBQ rotisserie makes a good dryer motor or you can turn by hand
for about 2 hrs. Just rotate the rod 180 degrees every few minutes by
hand until the epoxy sets up. Lots of guys don't use drying motors.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..