i needed a spinning rod in a hurry for vacation and used a carbon fiber foam filled handle my buddy made. it felt alright till i taped on the reel and found out i hate it. i really need to taper it down at least on the top. is it possible to reshape one after its dry and glued on? should i even attempt it or should i just fish it and suffer for a whole week.

i think you are stuck with the style of handle. the carbon skin is thin so if you go through it trying to reshape you will ruin the handle. what style are you looking for? is it too big or just doesn't fit your hand right? how much time do you have before leaving? maybe time to make or get another

Robert,

About the best you could do is shape it the way you want it, then cover it with Rod Wrap or 2-3 coats of thread finish, fish it the week, and re-work it later.

DR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2012 08:59PM by Duane Richards.

its just a tennessee handle that i cut in half and tapered the back with 3 pieces of cork . i want to flatten the bottom for the reel seat to fit nice and taper the front down a bit. i already sanded the reelseat section a little and am down to fiber but i need to do it more. funny but i used to love regular tennessee handles but after i redid a spinning rod with the lighter guide concept and cut off about half the cork and reshaped it to fit my hand i guess i am spoiled. can i maybe cut off what i need to, down to the foam and reapply some finish? desperate times call for desperate measures!

What if you shape it and then coat with a couple of coats of Lumiseal Even tint the lumiseal
How it will hold up ?????

Bill - willierods.com

Robert,
One thing that you can do is to shape away as much as you want.
Then, take a layer of fiberglass cloth, wet it with resion and apply it over the foam.
Put the rod and handle into a vacuum bag, suck a vacuum on it to compress the fiberglass tight to the handle and let it dry.
Take it out of the bag and go fish.

If you don't have a vacuum bag and vacuum pump, it is a very simple thing to make. You can do a couple of internet searches for directions.
The vacuum bag will suck out all of the air and leave you with a glass smooth finish on the handle.
Roger

[www.bertram31.com]

thanx gentlemen - i knew this was the place to get answers, like they say " where theres a will theres a way". i was in a panic last night and got my first reply in 7 minutes, what took you so long? i placed the reel on and marked it then cut out the section and some of the foam to recess the reel seat so its flush with the handle. i taped on the reel and 'voila' it feels great. it fits so good i'm gonna fish it as is but will bring some permagloss with me in case i have to coat it to strengthen it as i'll be catching 4, 5 or god willing 6 lb smallmouth for a week on lake erie. thanks again i surely appreciate your help - bob

i'm green with envy !!!

rog