Well, I tore down 7 rods today, guides, cork, and reel seats gone. Two were broken ones I"m going to use for making reamers. Which parts of the rod do you guys like for reamers, and how long do you like them to be? The other 5 will be rebuilt in various forms, but first they need some additional thread work taken off, and then sanded down and re-finished with flat urethane. One will become a 5'10" skipping rod for my friend Ned Kehde, one will become a 6'6" jig/worm casting rod, one will become a 6'6" spinning rod, another a 6'4" spinning rod, and the last is 5'6" right now, but I'd like to maybe extend it to 6'2 or so for practice. I learned A TON just from tearing them down, not the least of which is how to quickly remove guides and handles, and how useful a dremel cutting wheel can be! Also, I learned that you can remove twist-lock type reel seats complete for re-use by steaming them and then sliding them off! However, in addition to what I learned, my experience yielded a couple questions:

1. Can you weaken a rod-butt by twisting too hard, like when removing reel seats? One of the rods I broke down felt like it would take more twisting in the very butt part after I took it apart. Is this going to be a problem in that part of the blank if I re-build it? It isn't as though its spins and creaks or anything, but it just twists a little more than I think it should. I may build it anyway, but I thought I'd ask.

2. What's the best method for removing decorative wraps near the handle that aren't holding anything on without damaging/cutting the blank?

3. How do I know I've sanded the blank down enough for re-finish without overdoing it, and what type of sandpaper do you like best for this type of work? How long will this sanding take per blank?

P.S. Bass Pro Rods are VERY poorly put together. Just another little nugget I learned today. What a pain, worst one of all 7 to work on!

Congratulations!! My dremel is the most used tool in my garage next to my hammer and benz-o-matic torch. Others will chime in I'm sure but I'll offer my methods for answers to your questions. To remove guides I lay a razor flat against the guide foot and scrape/slice away the thread and finish until the entire foot is exposed, if you slip then you just hit the guide or the foot. To remove decorative wraps, I could only suggest VERY carefully scoring the thread finish and sometimes it will peel away with your fingernail, if weight and thickness are not issues then you can always re-wrap over the old stuff. Blank re-finish... are you talking about thread finish that you removed or re-finishing the entire blank? The most important thing is to not get into the fibers of the blank material or otherwise damage the blank, it doesn't take much to cause catastrophic damage even though it may not look like it. You would be surprised at how poorly most "off the shelf" rods are built. Just go find the fanciest production rod you can and inspect it closely, that's just the part you can see!! Hope some of this helped,

Steve

I'm not a fan of using any king of sand paper on a blank. X fine Schotchbrite pad however is your friend, far less chance of damaging your blank or other components. It will deglaze a shiny finished blank to a fine mat finish in no time also.

Nathan,
When cleaning up rod blanks, I use a bit of heat from a heat gun to soften the epoxy finish and then use a straight edged razor blade used at a perpendicular direction to the blank.
It cleans up very quickly this way and is very easy to see.

Yes, you may have damaged the blank by twisting the blank for reel seat removal.
You may have broken inner fibers in the blank.
That is one of the reasons that I never try to save any reel seat parts on a blank that is destined for reuse. I just use a dremel to cut though the reel seat, a bit of heat to soften the epoy holding the reel seat in place and a screwdriver to pry the reel seat apart. It works very quickly and doesn't damage the blank.

If the blank feels softer or different than it did before part or seat removal - it is quite likely that you did internal damage to the blank.
Having said that - depending on where and how the blank was made weaker and where any reel or handle might be placed - it could still be possible to use the blank if a stiff outer part of a handle or reel seat spans the damaged area.

However, remember, that you are going to be doing a bunch of work on this blank after the part removal. If there is any serious doubt on the integrity of the blank - reuse it only with the caviat that you might be toiling in vain because the blank might then fold up on you on the first cast. Give the bare blank a good bending stress test before starting any rebuild on it. If the blank breaks - you want it to break before you start doing any work on it.

Take care
Roger

I think you got great answers to your questions.

With respect to removing decorative wraps, go easy on the heat. If you use a heat gun, low setting and just leave it there a few seconds at a time, or keep it moving all the time. You don't want concentrated heat in a specific area. If you re-melt the resin in the blank, it's pretty much toast. An alcohol flame is cooler and preferred by some, or a hair dryer is like a heat gun at a lower temp.

I like to score lightly the wrap area with an exacto knife. Try to just get through the finish layer on a section near the end of the wrap. Don't try to cut through the whole wrap on the first try. Then use a small amount of heat and peal the finish away where you have scored it. Use a pointed tool to break the thread wrap, or use a razor blade lightly to get an end started. Once you start unwrapping, the old wrap will come away with the finish unless it is very old and brittle.

Also, don't twist much when you remove old reel seats. Just cut them away with the dremel and you'll have much less chance of damage.

Terry