I am sure most of you already know this, but for the new builders out there please take my experience and learn from it, do not let this happen to you.

Last night before I went to bed, I noticed that there was a guide on the ice fishing rod I am making for my dads christmas present that was not aligned like it should have been. No problem thats an easy fix, just CAREFULLY cut the guide off with a sharp knife and start over. So I sat down at my bench this morning with the rod, a brand new very sharp blade and my heat gun. The plan was to heat the blade of the knife and carefully slice through the epoxy and thread to remove the guide and rewrap. Everything was going good until it came to removed the last little bit of epoxy and underwrap and it was being a real bear, so I thought I would very quickly hit it with the heat gun to soft things up like I have done many times in the past. Well a 10 second laps in concentration ruined 100 hours worth of work. Instead of hitting the low switch on the gun I hit the high switch and even though I didn't have the gun on for more than 3 or 4 second it was enough to completely warp the blank and the very top twisted. Down the tubes is a 40 dollar blank (ALOT for an ice rod blank) and close to 100 hours worth of work.

I have nobody to blame but myself I should have seen that the guide wasn't lined up when I wrapped it, I should have been paying more attention when I went to fix it. Unfortunately there is no time to get another built before out family christmas on Saturday. Please let my mistakes be a lesson to everyone out there, pay attention to what you are doing, if you are going to use a heat gun be incredibly careful you can ruin all your hard work before you realize what just happened.

so sorry to hear that..
your epoxy still very fresh and soft enough to carefully remove without heat.
but sometimes we want everything faster :(

That is why I tell all Ya got to give two weeks at least

Hast makes Wast
Happened to me heating guides up to change them and refinish the blank
Watching TV not paying attention Butts alright Got neer the tip Over heat All of a sudden the tip makes a 90 bend OOPs

Bill - willierods.com

bill boettcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is why I tell all Ya got to give two weeks at
> least
>
> Hast makes Wast
> Happened to me heating guides up to change them
> and refinish the blank
> Watching TV not paying attention Butts alright Got
> neer the tip Over heat All of a sudden the tip
> makes a 90 bend OOPs


Yup, I didn't think it would be much work at all, just remove the guide and start over. I just got sloppy and stopped concentrating for just a second and BOOM, its all over. Then on top of it when I did notice I damn near stabbed myself in the foot when I dropped my knife and burned my knee when I dropped the heat gun. Im staying out of the rod shop for the rest of the day LOL

Scott, sorry for your lost work and money!!
Do not use the heat gun again on the rod blank, it is just not necessary! You don't even need it to heat the scalpel. Just start cutting at the junction of the guide foot, be careful and peel off the epoxied thread after once making a cut at the base of the foot. Heat is not necessary at all. You won't ruin anymore rod blanks and your hours of work.

Scott,
As long as there is nothing left to lose, just use the heat gun on the other side of the blank to remove the twist and warp.
Try it, it may work.

But, in any event, do not THROW out the blank and your work.
Depending on the blank, no matter the blank, you can cut a portion of the blank and splice on a new piece. If you do the splice where you have the guide, you will be able to make it nearly invisible.

Another option that I have used on occasion is to cut the blank, right at the first guide. Then, make the splice with a replacement blank at the first guide. That will save all of your butt wrap and its work.

However, I would certainly give the heat gun a try - first - to see if you could remove the warp and twist.

In spite of the other comments, I use a heat gun on every rod that I build to flow out the finish when finishing.

By the way, whenever I remove a guide, I just put a bit of heat on the guide side of the blank. I use just enough heat to soften the epoxy. Then, I cut the thread and epoxy against the guide. By cutting against the guide, this prevents any damage to the blank.

You can easily make it right. Don't give up.

Be safe

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Scott,
> As long as there is nothing left to lose, just use
> the heat gun on the other side of the blank to
> remove the twist and warp.
> Try it, it may work.
>
> But, in any event, do not THROW out the blank and
> your work.
> Depending on the blank, no matter the blank, you
> can cut a portion of the blank and splice on a new
> piece. If you do the splice where you have the
> guide, you will be able to make it nearly
> invisible.
>
> Another option that I have used on occasion is to
> cut the blank, right at the first guide. Then,
> make the splice with a replacement blank at the
> first guide. That will save all of your butt wrap
> and its work.
>
> However, I would certainly give the heat gun a try
> - first - to see if you could remove the warp and
> twist.
>
> In spite of the other comments, I use a heat gun
> on every rod that I build to flow out the finish
> when finishing.
>
> By the way, whenever I remove a guide, I just put
> a bit of heat on the guide side of the blank. I
> use just enough heat to soften the epoxy. Then, I
> cut the thread and epoxy against the guide. By
> cutting against the guide, this prevents any
> damage to the blank.
>
> You can easily make it right. Don't give up.
>
> Be safe

Roger,

I thought about doing that, but the blank twisted 180 degrees so I am pretty sure its shot. I am not sure if I have the skill or the knowledge to splice it. I am going to keep it, and put it up on my bench as a constant reminder to myself to slow down and pay attention. Sure I have a good deal of time and quite a bit of money wrapped up into it but its just time and its just money, I am still proud of the work that I did on it and I think it will be a good reminder for me.

I am sure Roger will not agree, but for most of us, the risks of using a heat gun on a blank at anytime far out weighs any benefits! I almost all cases the same work can be done without heat.

It may not be much consolation, but I use bent butt rods all the time for offshore trolling - You just be able to start an innovative trend with a bent ice rod.

That @#$%& so bad. im sorry to hear. Sure pop will understand. Look at it this way, you could now have the chance to do some of it with him. I wish I had the chance with my pop. Turn it positive. Still @#$%& though. Thanks for the tip. Merry Christmas.

Scott,
You stated that the blank twisted 180 degrees. I assume that this is a solid graphite rod. With the rod the way that it is right now, how does the rod flex if you just flex it from the tip by putting line through the guides.

If you can do a full flex on the blank and not break the blank and the blank is reasonably straight, just take off the guides that are not aligned, including the tip and rewrap them.

Be safe

This type of mistake usually happens to me when I've been working a long time in the shop and it's late. Trying to get a project finished, I'll miss a step or attempt the dreaded short cut. If I have to leave a rod before all the guides are aligned, I put a huge note on it so I don't forget to do it on the return.

Just so you know, I use an alcohol flame for a little heat on removing old epoxy instead of a heat gun. Cooler and a little more controlled than the gun. You might give this a try next time.

So, we all feel your pain. Hope you can avoid this in the future.

Terry

Cobble the remainder of the rod into a flyswatter, they are popular made from rod grips.

Even a back scratcher

Bill - willierods.com