I am fairly new to rod building (have built 2 fly rods). A friend of mine has asked me to repair/refurbish several Salt water rods. These rods are used in Alaska for halibut and salmon fishing out on the ocean. The primary problem is the guide wraps are coming loose and the finish is cracked or peeling. Are there any books available that detail how to refurbish these rods? Nothing fancy, just removing the old wraps, putting on new wraps and applying new finish. They don't have to be pretty, but they need to be functional. I agreed to do it. It gives me something to do this winter and I plan on taking advantage of going to Alaska and fishing. The main questions that I have is type of thread, size of thread and rod finish (when to apply, what type, etc). Thank you very much for your help!

There are no comprehensive books on rod repair available, although we have done some articles in the magazine on rod repair. What you are faced with, once you get the old guides off, is pretty much no different than wrapping guides on a new rod. Any of the basic rod building books on the market will show you how to proceed and get good results.

You might also do a search on the board for "guide replacement" or "refinishing" or the like. Removing old guides is not difficult, just use a razor blade to slice the thread off the tops of the guide feet (do not cut into or against the rod blank) and peel the thread off. Use a hair dryer to warm old epoxy and peel off with the thmbnail or plastic butter knife. If the rods are very old and varnish was used, it will likely all come off with the thread.

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Steve Tom is to polite to mention that the current best book on rodbuilding is his own.Rod building guide,while not a repair book it covers a wide range of rodbuilding info,your project is one of the most common and often is the beginning of rodbuilding for many.Do as Tom said and good luck.

Thanks for the info. I am already planning on purchasing Tom's book.