Hey guys, before I started building my brother had tried to "fix" a couple guides on an old fenwick blank that he really likes. He tried things like superglue and JB weld.. I'm assuming its probably screwed but is there any way that I could get that stuff off? Thinking the superglue may be doable with heat but the JB weld may be a little tougher... hopes aren't high but he asked me about it the other day and I figured I'd ask. First time for everything I suppose!

Every fenwick blank I have worked on had a finish over the raw blank. So anything your brother did should be "on top" of that finish. The finish typically isn't all that strong/tough.

When removing an old guide I use a sharp razor (knife or blade) and cut through epoxy/string on top of the guide foot. This way I can't cut into the blank. Peel off what you cut with a thumbnail and try to catch the end of the thread used to wrap the guide on. You can generally unwind the thread and it will take the epoxy finish off with it. If need be, lightly clean up the blank where the guide used to be and attach a new guide and apply new finish.

A little heat can help soften old epoxy. Keep in mind I said a "little". I find a file, or emory board, gives me more control than sandpaper if I have to use that to remove stuff. Generally you are better off scraping at right angles to the blank. Work slowly and you should be fine. Getting in a hurry is what gets me into trouble on such things.

Things typically turn out faster/better if you plan from the beginning to replace all guides, often locating them in different places all together, based on 27X/NGC and static testing.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

get all you can with like you said - heat The JB you may have to get a pop siscle stick split it to size and fold sandpaper over it and sand it off is said to be really hard

You can also try Womans nail boards If needed break in half and sand

the heat may just work on it '
Just DO NOT OVERHEAT the blank

Bill - willierods.com

awesome will definitely give that a shot, definitely need to convince him it needs new guides because that old thing is lookin rough!

Was it as bad as this?? [www.rodbuilding.org]

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

oh boy.. that's special right there LOL

James keep the faith, we all get them too. These were wrapped with 65lb. braid and Gorilla glue !! Although not as bad as Freds.

Tom

[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2014 10:30AM by Tom Wewerka.

James, the rod will likely perform better with guides moved like Russell says, but the chances of you getting the finish looking good when you do that is pretty slim, IMHO. Since the improvement will likely be minor I would suggest putting new guides in the same places as the old, but changing the heights and sizes to come as close to a 27X or a fast reduction setup as you can get. The Fenwicks I've seen have such nice color and finish that I would prioritize retaining that over a few percentage points in casting distance. With my proposal the rod will most likely be more sensitive due to lighter running guides, and maybe some improvement in distance.