I have a 10' rod that i want to change the guide's on. What is the preferred method of removing the guides and old finish. Please all the feedback will be helpful

i would slice the thread on top of the guide foot with an xacto knife and pluck out the guide... unwrap leftover threads, and use a plastic butter knife/fingernail to pluck at the bits of finish..

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

That was kinda what i was thinking, But just wanted someone elses opinion. Thanks Christopher,

Same method as listed above, but adding the use of a heat gun will soften the old epoxy and make it much easier to remove. Start with a little bit of heat, it doesn't usually take much and you can use your finger nail to remove the old finish without damaging the blank. I got myself a heat gun that has an adjustable setting for the amount of heat it produces. Check an Ace Hardware store for their brand, it was around 35 bucks.

Chris,
In addition to the other posts, when removing the old finish - use a bit of heat to soften the finish and then use a straight edged razor blade - held at 90 degrees to the blank. (don't use too much heat or you may destroy the blank).
It is also a good idea to scrape from the butt to the tip. There is more carbon at the butt of the rod, and if you scrape from the tip to the butt, you run the risk, of hooking a carbon thread and peeling it back off the rod.

Finally, after getting the finish removed, go over it with finer and finer grades of sand paper and wet and dry paper used wet for the final finish. You will be left with a nice matt finish ready for the new guides.

Take care
Roger

i've heard about using heat guns, but i cant seem to find one over here..

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Heat guns can be hot enough to break down the rod. Boiling water won't - even at sea level. (Boiling temperature drops with increased elevation.) So I use boiling water. Very safe and easy.

Mo

have to add.. slice the top of the guide foot away from yourself (do it towards the ring)

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Also wear eye protection when scraping the old finish. That old dried up finish really flies off the blank.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)