Straight up, I've never made money doin this in either repair or build. Lately, I've gotten an influx of repair requests. When I tell em it make take months, they say "That's okay, I ain't in no hurry." So, instead of tryin to run em off with delay tactics, I'm gonna try to start chargin em more by an average of the "goin rates" show in this month's issue of RodMaker. Give or take an adjustment for my location and/or demand. I've got several questions for you guys that charge regularly and are able to realize some profit.
I won't ask em all here as that would get time consuming, instead, I'll stretch em out over a few posts.

First,
Is it possible to reglue a handle and/or reel seat? I see the article listed a price for this and I didn't realize it could be done properly. I've always just replaced them with a new one (the article lists a different price for replacing). How would one reglue a reel seat that is, say, spinning on the blank between a butt grip and a fore grip?

Next,
The number of different types of guides is astronomical. Do you folks in the repair business just stock as many different types as you can, or do you order as you need em, or do you just replace with something close? I thought they should match the style that's already on the rod and I seem to be forking out alot of dough for shipping and handling charges for just a guide or two that I don't have.
How do you handle, economically, the many different guide styles needed for the many different rods?
Thanks
Greg Marshall

Greg, here's how I replace a broken or spinning reel seat: I cut the seat and rear grip off right at the beginning of the foregrip. I mean right through the blank. Then I turn a new handle and glue it and the new reel seat to a section of equal sized blank, with enough left in front of the seat to slip inside and glue to the fishing rod with Rod Bond. Snug it right up to the foregrip and you can't tell. At that section of the rod, there's little to worry about concerning a change in action. Just make sure the new section fits snugly and is long enough to form a good bond.

As for stocking guides, I keep a limited assortment of hardloy guides, spin and cast, beacuse I get a lot of bass rod repairs. I keep some double foot snakes and a healthy assortment of fly tips, because I get a lot of fly rod repairs. It seems that fly fishermen all suffer from an inability to get the last three inches of the rod into the car. I don't try to keep everything around. As you say, it's impossible. If I get a rod that requires a different guide than I need, I order it, and the repair waits until I get the part(s). I have a surf rod sitting here now waiting for guide and tip.

As for repair rates, I found that when I compare what I charge to the table in the new RM, I tend to come in on the higher end of the scale. But as was mentioned, replacing a double foot guide takes the same amount of work on a WalMart rod as it does on a St. Croix or Sage. If I have to charge $5 to get a repair job, I'll just quit now. The last two rods I replaced the reel seats and rear grips on were both 15 year old Berkeley Lightning bass rods, and I charged $65 each. However, I also replaced two broken guides no charge. And every rod that comes into my shop goes out with freshly cleaned cork grips.

A friend in the fly outfitting busines told me, "Quote your price, and let the customers decide if they want to pay it. Are you in this to make money, or screw around?"

Fran has given you some excellent advice. I'll try to fill a few details that were important when I was in the business of rod repair.

You can't stock every guide out there. But, you can stock the basic casting and spinning styles as represented by the likes of the Fuji NLG and SVLG. Most component companies out there make a similar frame type to either of these. Stock them in black and simply make these your standard replacement guides (One of these two style is still used on probably 90% of all commercially produced rods). If a customer insists on a perfect match to something that's a bit different, tell him you can do it but it will take extra time due to your having to order and receive the parts, and that you may have to charge a bit extra due to the extra expense you'll incur in regard to special orders, shipping charges, etc. Most times the customer will accept your normal replacement guide. If not, he has the option to wait a bit longer and pay a bit more.

....................

Great advice from Fran and Tom. For a slipping reel seat or grip, you can drill a hole or two and inject epoxy. I think that is a cheap way out and while it may work great, at best I think it is really temporary since you have no idea what is underneath. I recommend a full replacement but sometimes you get a request that will get a guy on the water the next day or sooner. All about your comfort level and how you offer to follow up.

Guides have been covered well. If a mismatch is acceptable, no problem, but if a perfect match is required, you may have to do some horse trading if it's an old one.

You gotta be flexible. If your main focus is profit and you don't have a big parts bin, it most likely isn't going to happen. Every time you order guides, throw a few more in, along with a couple of different types. A few extra guides costs a bit more if you arent using them, but charging a guy the price of a guide, plus shipping, plus labor, not to mention the time, well.. that's really up to you to decide if you want to do that. There's no formula for this stuff.

Sometimes you make a bit of spare change, sometimes you eat some cash. It's all about what is important to you.

With respect to a slipping reel seat - forget it.

Remove the rear grip, reel seat, and install a new reel seat and grip.
Anything less is not satisfactory.
If you do drill a hole into the reel seat, about 90% oif the time, you end up drilling a hole through the blank, and causing a weakness and potential failure.

Roger

Which back issue has this scale? I am getting ready to resubscribe and I want to get a few back issues as well.

Thanks,

Volume 10, Issue 5 (The newest one)

Volume 10, Issue 5 (The newest one)

Thanks