Semi pro bought me a St. Croix Legend Extreme LXC711HMF today and asked me to change out the handle. Normally not an issue, this rod has a composite handle approximately 11" long that is shaped all the way down like a split grip. It has an hour glass shape so to speak. I cannot see the blank in this run but I can tell that this taper, in the center, takes down to nearly the exact size of the blank, if the blank does run all the way to the end. He doesn't like the grip as it gets slick. The first think he did was to add shrink tube to it but that made it feel too big for him. He wants me to replace it with a full cork grip. Has anyone ever removed one of these? I'm most certain that it is not foam cored but rather an entire piece of carbon tube or, heck, polymer? Anyway, it's got me on how to remove it without damaging the blank. Thinking of trying heat but not sure. Seems like this piece would take a lot of heat to get moving.
Greg Marshall

You don't want to try and remove it with heat. Instead, pull the butt cap or cut a notch in it and see what it's actually made of. I suspect it's rigid urethane foam. If so, you can easily turn it off the blank, or down to a diameter that would allow you to then install a cork grip over it.

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Maybe sand the whole thing down as close to the blank as you can without going onto the blank. Then add the cork over that.

Tom
Heat will not soften it up and maybe peal it as one heats

Bill - willierods.com

Mine were Not the St. Croix Legend Extreme LXC711HMF but the straight tube type mud-hole sells. I removed and replaced 2 of them with a built up cork Tennessee grip, Like your client, I found them to cold in the Fall and hot in the summer, Also larger dia than I liked. I used a sawzall with a metal cutting blade to remove a 1/2"-3/4" wide section on each side of grip, {top to bottom}, Which then revealed the graphite arbours. I then hit it with some heat from my hairdryer to soften the epoxy and peeled off the balance of the carbon tube off, I then went to work on the arbours that were still epoxied to the blank with heat from my hair dryer and razor knife while still warm, splitting and peeling off. I will be the first to tell you That a sawzall is overkill and has no place in rod building!! But that's all I had at the time, And I worked very carefully not to hit the Blank and it worked fine . A band saw with a fine blade would be my first choice. Tight Lines! Jay



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2015 01:12PM by Jay Dubay.

Chuck McIntyre Wrote:
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> Maybe sand the whole thing down as close to the
> blank as you can without going onto the blank.
> Then add the cork over that.


You don't want to sand it off and take a chance of breathing that carbon fiber dust Even with a mask. just my 2 cents and your lungs. Jaa

Hey Greg,
Please post when you get it done and let us know what you found and how it worked out.
Good luck
Buzz

Posted 8 pics under miscellaneous to show the steps I went through. Used utility knife to cut the skin and, to my surprise a foam core underneath like Tom mentioned and it sanded down like a breeze. Am considering a cork split grip to go back with but I'm concerned on the blank section in between the grips. It appears that whatever agent was used to coat the blank and foam before applying the skin my have etched the finish of the Legend extreme. I say this because when I rub it with alcohol it looks like the rest of the blank. Beautiful. However when the ISO dries, it goes back to a dull finish and I can see those radial lines in the finish where a brush or some applicator was used to apply the solution. I'm hoping a good coat of finish would fill in the minor etches. And, It might be a good idea to put his name in there while I'm at it. Not to mention a logo.
Thanks for the help guys.
Greg Marshall

If you don't mind me asking, what did you charge for this?
Or what would be a fair price?

Joel Conner
CONNER
Custom Rods

I'll charge $45 as I'm going to turn a composite cork split grip to put back on it.