I am removing some old guides on a rod and have used a hair dryer with OK results.
My question is, would a heat gun be too much heat for the blank?

I have been able to remove 95% of the old epoxy, but there seems to be a residual film of the old epoxy on the blank that just seems to smear itself around when I try to scrape it off after applying the heat.

Any words of wisdom or suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks Thom Cherry
Louisville, KY

Since the finish on the blank might already be in trouble if you are re- doing a rod, that you could just scrape it off with a blade, or use acetone and take all the finish off, then just take some cheese cloth and apply a new coat of finish with perma gloss. I think that that might be the easiest way. If the finish situation on your rod is fine and you don't have permagloss another path would obviously be preferable. Good luck with the problem.
James

A heat gun can easily put out enough concentrated heat to harm a rod blank. I'd stick with the hair dryer if I used any heat at all.

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

If the remaining finish is "smearing" try denatured alcohol. It may remove the epoxy and will not harm the blank finish.

Even a hair dryer will damage a blank to the point of causing a failure. Don't ask how I know.....

humm your denatured alcohol must be different than mine as i just spent 30 min's doing that and nothing , well the word "nothing" is wrong i left the red rag on for a few and went to get a drink and when i came out it was stuck to the rod, so maybe it softened it up some.

Jeff is right & I know what Jeff knows....the same way...

If you are using heat hold use your free hand to hold the rod in the area you are heating.
If it's too hot to hold it's too hot for the blank.

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

I think what you folks who like heat need to look for is what is called an "embossing gun" - much less heat than a paint stripping heat gun or a hair dryer. Check you local craft store. You can also use them to gently warm epoxy on guide wraps and butt wraps to release micro bubbles from the finish. Just remember like anything there is a "too much" limit. GENTLY - 8 to 10 inches from the finish - just enough to watch those little nasties burst on the surface of the finish.

Ken has it right.
Heat works just fine as long as you use it in moderation. When removing guides and finish, I will work on a small section of blank at a time. I will rotate the blank a few times, gently heating the area.
Then, I use a straight edged razor held at 90 degrees to the blank to scrape off finish and epoxy.

It works very well.

However, do NOT overheat the blank. You can easily heat the blank to such an extent that you collapse the blank and ruin it for future use. The suggestion that you heat it only enough so that you can still hold the blank in your hand is a good one.

Good luck
Roger

No heat or chemicals. Use a utility knife blade held verticly to the blank surface and start scraping from butt to tip. Dont ever hold the blade as if you were going to slice into the blank. Try a scrap piece first to get the hang of it. You have to learn how much pressure it takes to get the finish off. Sometimes all you have to do is draw the blade across the surface and it will shread or flake off. If you encounter any tuff spots where the guides were, use a plastic butter knife or a plastic ice scraper (used on your windshield) to knock off the chuncks of old finish. Its a knack you have to learn. So, before you go good ,go scrap!

Like Bill and Jeff, I also know. USE VERY LITTLE HEAT!!!. I was removing the tip guide and trying to get the epoxy residue off. All of a sudden the last three inches of the tip ended up on my bench.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Oh, yes! And the guide foot will absorb the heat faster than the epoxy/wrap and wil transmit it to the blank, causing a weak spot. Glad I was practicing on a broken blank. Gentle scraping along with patience will eventually do the job. Of course the finish will also probably be gone, too.