Fly rods are making me feel like a real dummy. My parts arrived and I know I'm likely to make a mess on the front (recessed) hood on the UL3 reel seat. I/m concerned with not getting epoxy into the area where the reel's foot is supposed to go. Maybe I'm supposed to glue the hood into the cork handle first? Do I need to sand the finish off the wood insert? The hood isn't a snug fit and it looks like I need to find a way to maintain the space for the reel's foot while the epoxy sets up. I assume the hood goes on the wood until flush with the end?

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Like with so many processes in this craft, there are several ways to reach the same end....I usually glue in stages, using 5 minute Devcon. First, I glue the threaded barrel to the insert. Next, I'll glue the hood to the grip. This ensures (for me) a better fit than attaching the completed reel seat into the recess of the grip. Also, it keeps the hood where it needs to be, relative to the mortise of the insert. After that, I epoxy the insert/barrel assembly to the blank, running it all the way into the recessed hood. Apply epoxy sparingly to the part of the insert that contacts the hood. You don't need much, as the hood is already secured to the grip. I will jam a q-tip wetted with alcohol into the gap between the hood and mortise, just to clean up any excess epoxy, but there really shouldn't be much, if I am careful, in the first place. Attach the nut and sliding band. Glue on the butt cap last.
Make sure to scuff the mating surfaces of the seat, and create a water-break free surface on the blank, before starting. Also, dry-fit everything before even reaching for the epoxy.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

I do mine the same way George does, except I use Ultimate Epoxy to glue the insert to the blank and 5 minute epoxy for the rest of the reel seat assembly. 5 min epoxy will work just fine for all of it though. Cork Grip, I would recommend using Ultimate Epoxy or Rod Bond to glue that to the blank. Make sure you scuff up the parts to be mated, any epoxy needs a rough surface to achieve the best bond. Iso Alcohol is great for cleaning up any excess.

Dry Fit any pieces several times -- before you glue up

You know - measure -- Three -- times Cut Once

Bill - willierods.com

Let me make sure I have it straight.

1) Glue threaded part on rear of reel seat. Clean and scuff aluminum parts. Do I sand the wood insert where the threaded barrel will rest also?
2) Glue front hood to recess in grip.
3) Glue grip to blank.
4) Working from rear of the blank, glue wood insert to blank and into recessed hood. I'll assume I sand the inside of the wood insert. I never work with wood handles and I don't know if they come specially "sealed" and any sanding would ruin that and lead to early failure.

The seat seems very small to me. I wish I had the planned reel on hand. Only fly reel I have is larger, like 7/8 wt. It barely fits so I'm guessing a 5/6 reel has a much shorter foot? What reamer works best for you guys? I have the dream reamers and the taper is too fast. Butt end of the grip is reamed too large and handle still doesn't make it all the way home. I didn't know how blessed we were 30 years ago with regards to cork quality!

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russ,
Scuff the wood where it mates with the barrel and the hood. The epoxy will seal the wood, where sealant was removed. Don't need to sand right to the edge of where the metal mates with the wood. Leave a small (1/8") border of wood unsanded. That way, you won't risk marring anything visible.
Should have said that I glue the grip to the blank before I even touch the seat.
It sounds like you may need to ream some of the tip end of the grip. Try to match the taper of the blank, by pressing the reamer into the areas that need reaming while stroking. Try to avoid taking anything more off the butt end of the grip. I often use a smaller reamer to fine tune the fit because it allows me to just hit the areas that need it. Check fit often. If you end up with an overbore on the grip, no big deal, you can use thread wraps or dry wall tape on the blank to tighten the fit.
Depending on the ID of the wood insert, you may need to glue arbors inside the insert, then ream arbors to fit blank, or add thread wraps to the blank, if the gap is small. If you need to ream the insert itself, a rat tail file or reamer works, but takes a little while.
A UL3 is the right choice, and will fit just about every 5/6 weight reel without any problem, although Pfluegers do tend to have bigger feet.
You're on the right track.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

Thanks George. For normal salt water rods you always mount grip, then reel seat, then foregrip. Between difference in guides sizes and reel seat numbers I'm lost on these fly rods. Thanks to you (and others) I think I'm ready to start gluing things up in the morning.

It should be fun as I haven't a clue.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Just to let you guys know.....everything turned out perfect. I appreciate the tips.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.