Something weird just happened to me.

I’m working on a pair of spinning rods with split rear grips and split reel seats, both of which are a first for me (I’m using Fuji SK2 reel seats, which I've found to be pretty nifty).

Anyway, during the handle assembly, everything went great: for once, I took my time, and epoxied all the pieces individually, and didn’t move up the blank until the epoxy for the last piece had cured (first I did the split grip closest to the butt, then the one below the reel seat, then the bottom of the reel seat, then the top part of the reel seat, then the foregrip, etc.). I figured that by doing it this way, I lessened the chances that two pieces would move, and mis-align, while the epoxy was drying. And, for the most part, it worked great.

I particularly paid close attention to where I put the top part of the split reel seat (i.e. the piece closer to the tip top). I wanted the reel nuts, when fully tightened, to be positioned properly – I didn’t want the winding checks that serve as the transition between the inside of the reel and the blank (the part number I used is Fuji WCS) to either stick out too much or to disappear inside the tube of the reel seat. And, miracle of miracles, it worked: after everything dried, my seats looked great.

The problem came a day or two later, when I was screwing around with both rods. As part of testing, I loosened the nut on the seat enough that the nut came off the threads, and fell into the bare blank section between the top and bottom of the reel seat (I mounted the reel seat to be downlocking, if that matters). I didn’t think anything of this, because I’ve done the same thing 100 times with regular tube seats, and I could always screw the nut back onto the threads without a problem.

But when I screwed the nuts back onto the top part of the reel seat, things were different: instead of the winding check sticking out the perfect amount, it, when the reel nut is fully tightened, it disappears inside the reel seat. I checked everything, and nothing has moved: there hasn’t been an epoxy failure anywhere. Moreover, the same thing has happened to both rods I’m working on, which have the identical reel seat. So I’m thinking that this has to be something with either what I did, or how these reel seats are constructed.

Has anyone ever seen something like this before? With these seats, is it possible to put the nuts back onto the threads in a different position than they were originally? If so, is there something I can do to fix this?

It’s not a huge deal, but I wanted this these rods to be perfect, dammit, and now they look less than that, and I don’t know that there’s a way that I can fix them without removing the grip and maybe the reel seat, which I do not want to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I just realized that this is the kind of thing that is much, much easier to explain with a picture than in words. I just uploaded a picture to the photo section that has two drawings (no jokes, please!): the one on the top left is what I wanted, and how the rod looked after I finished, and the one on the bottom right shows what happened after I removed and then re-threaded the nuts. I still am scratching my head trying to figure out how this could have happened, but after being re-threaded, the nuts do not end up in the same position as they were in before.

Chris,

Did you use the reel to determine the distance between the two sections of the reel seat? I install the lower section, as you did, and use the reel to determine where I will install the top section. I cut the threads to be slightly shorter than the foregrip so that the threads are not visible. You might need to cut off the threads and install new ones using the reel as a template for positioning the top portion.

Hole this helps,
Andres Perez
Miami, Fl

The funny thing, Andy, is that I did what you said: I used the actual reel to position the seat components.

And what's weird is that after the epoxy dried, the positioning of both halves of the reel seat was perfect. It was only after the nut was removed (i.e. unscrewed off the threads entirely) and re-threaded back where it was supposed to go, that the positioning changed.

Logically, one of two things must have happened to change things: one is that one of the pieces moved (i.e. there was an epoxy failure), or the nut must have gone onto the threads of the reel seat a different way than it was before. Since I know that it is not an epoxy failure -- the threaded part of the reel seat, the part that is epoxied to the blank, hasn't moved a millimeter -- then it has to be how the hood/nut attaches to the threads.

I'm going to have to check to see what the deal is with how the nut attaches to the threads. I'll probably buy an extra seat and play around with it. Perhaps when you thread the seat from the bottom, it sits on the threads, and the reel seat, a little lower than if you thread it from the top.

Chris,
Can you take two PICTURES of your rod.
One picture of the reel seat with no reel on it, and one picture with the reel on the seat.
Also, a picture with the nut threaded onto the reel seat as far as possible and one picture with the nut run all of the way off of the threads?

I have looked at your drawings and would like to see the actual pictures of the rod and reel seat to verify my thoughts.

From your description, it sounds like you have placed your reel on the reel seat and then tightened the nut down as you did the glue up?

If that is the case, I am wondering if the reel sits in a slightly different position, once you take the reel off of the rod - loosen up the nut all of the way and then put the reel back onto the seat.

If you have a caliper, measure the distance between the two parts of the reel seat. Then, put the same reel on a different reel seat and measure the distance between the two locking portions of the reel seat.

The description of your problem seems to tell me that the final position of the front and back portion of the reel seat end up being a tough too far apart. As a result of the spacing, when the reel and also the nut is removed from the reel seat and both are put back on, the reel is more fully seated into the reel seat and to get the reel fully secure on the reel seat, the nut gets tightened up another turn or two, which results in the winding check ending up inside the nut.

By the way, what happens - to your rods appearance, if you put a different reel on this rod that has a different length, or different depth reel foot, such that the reel nut will end up being adjusted a different amount to make the reel secure on the rod?

It is this adjustment for different reels, that I have gone away from trimming the ends of the threads very much, if any any more. The reason is pretty simple. If I happen to have a trimmed set of threads on the reel seat, and end up putting a reel on the rod, having a longer or thicker reel foot, the reel does not fit on the rod.

Many many folks keep a good fishing rod for years and years. Often, over these years of time, there are multiple evolutions of reels with different foot dimensions that may end up on the rods.

I still use some of the very first rods that I built quite a few years ago. But, I have to say, that I use virtually NONE of the reels from that time frame any more. Other reels have come along that I prefer much more, so the old reels have gone away forever, and the new reels are now used on these rods from some time ago.

In particular, I have a very favorite rod, that was built for a reel that had a very short and thin foot. So, I have taken a couple of my newer reels that I like, and have used a tool to make the reel foot both shorter and thinner, so the new reel will fit on the older rod, with the shortened reel seat.

I might suggest, that you take your reel that you want to use on this rod, and put it on several different rods.
Then, use a caliper and measure the distance from the back reel foot cover, to the front reel nut cover. (or the reverse - depending on how the reel seat is setup)

I expect that there should be a given distance between the front of the rear portion of the reel seat and the back of the front portion of the reel seat.

I have built many rods with a skeletal two part reel seat. Similar to, but not identical to the reel seat that you are using. When I first started using these reel seats, I was using a sander to sand the length of the piece of cork or other material that separated the two parts of the reel seat.
But after a few seats, it became apparent that there was a very good reason, why manufacturers made the reel seats the distance that they did. After the first few, I just went back to a standard distance of 1 1/2 inches for a size 16 reel seat and that took care of all of me reel seat issues.

So, I expect that you are seeing a similar issue. You need to determine a "standard" distance between the front and back portions of your reel seat and make sure that they are all built the same way.

I would like to see the actual pictures of your installation.

Thanks much
Roger

I will take pictures, if I remember, Roger. Thanks for checking in.

But here's the weird thing: the stationary part of the reel seat, the two parts that are epoxied to the blank, have not moved 1 millimeter. I am 100% certain of this. I verified it by measuring, both before and after I did all the epoxying.

I think that this is why the issue is the collar/nut: if the tubes underneath it have not moved, then the issue has to be where the nut sits on the tube, right?

It's hard to explain what happened in words. I'll take pictures tonight, and post when they're up.

I will take pictures, if I remember, Roger. Thanks for checking in.

But here's the weird thing: the stationary part of the reel seat, the two parts that are epoxied to the blank, have not moved 1 millimeter. I am 100% certain of this. I verified it by measuring, both before and after I did all the epoxying.

I think that this is why the issue is the collar/nut: if the tubes underneath it have not moved, then the issue has to be where the nut sits on the tube, right?

It's hard to explain what happened in words. I'll take pictures tonight, and post when they're up.

Wow, that is odd. Try backing out the reel seat and trying different starting points to see if you get lucky and catch the threads that result in the correct position,

Best of luck,
Andres Perez

Chris,
As I said in my post, I am really guessing that the reel seat is simply sitting more deeply into the reel seat and thus allows you to have a different amount of nut spinning to tighten the reel.
That is why, the picture would be useful to verify the settings.
Roger

Chris,

Absent any pics, I would have to second Roger. It sounds like you are able to screw the reel seat down a couple more threads, onto the reel foot, because the components are glued up and stationary, thus allowing the reel to slide further into the seat, under pressure.

Chris

Is it possible you are mounting the collar nut backwards?