I have an 11 foot CTS surf rod I am building. I had installed a reel seat along with an eva foregrip and rear grip but not liking the reel seat I removed this and the rear grip. I'm wanting to move the reel seat (size 18) further down on the blank starting at about 20 inches (previously at 24 inches). It was my first reel seat and EVA grip removal and ugh what a mess. In the process of sanding down the blank where the rear EVA grip was, sanded off some of the paint from the blank. Hesitant to take it down further but there is some remnants of EVA grip/ propaste. I'm wanting to wrap the rear grip with cork tape / xflock.

1. Can I continue to finely sand / use DNA on the blank at this point to remove the remaining EVA grip?

2. Is there anything I can use as a transition from where I place the new reel seat to the foregrip. Would 3-4 inches of cork tape from the reel seat followed by a wrap and epoxy work ? Anything better. Or is removing the foregrip and starting from scratch going to be my best option.

Thanks, Mark

Mark,
Removing paint from areas that will be covered during the re-build is obviously not an issue.
To remove the remnants of the EVA from the lower grip - where the new seat will be installed - I would use a razor or, better, a scalpel and cut through the EVA parallel to the blank as close to the epoxy as possible. Then using the razor perpendicular to the blank - worry-off the epoxy. If you feel comfortable doing it - you can use a heat gun to soften the epoxy. I don't do that. The unheated epoxy will worry off easier anyway.

Be careful you don't cut parallel to the blank when attacking the epoxy because you may cut into the blank.
DNA will not have an effect on the cured epoxy - so don't bother.

You can use current fore grip position as a fighting grip if you wish. If you want it off - just do as described for the lower grip and cover the whole thing with a long butt wrap.

Just be aware - unless you will use color preserver - the difference in the section of painted vs unpainted blank will show as a different color if the paint and blank color are markedly different.
Herb
U.S. Distrib. CTS Rod Blanks

For the foregrip I don't really see a way to leave it and make it look "normal". If it were me I would just bite the bullet and cut it off, you'll be happy you did in the long run. Get a longer foregrip that will cover up where the old one was or go the cork tape and heat shrink route. You don't need to clean the blank up perfectly. Get most of the old material off and put the new one over it, nobody will ever know.

Mark,
A real easy solution to your issue with the fore grip is to remove all of the finish - down to the blank and then to a final wet sand with 600 grit. Before doing this, take some masking tape and tape off the blank at the area where you have clean undamaged finish.

Then, just take some appropriate thread and do a fore grip - so to speak - wrap with thread, where the blank was formerly covered with a fore grip.

Then, do a thread finish on the wrap, in the same way that you could finish off any other wrap and you will be set.

No need for a fore grip, unless you want to have one on the rod. The thread and thread coating will cover any missing or removed finish from the blank.

Good luck

Thank you all for the advice. I'm going to do what you advised and get rid of the foregrip and start a new. I'm going to move the reel seat down a few inches as mentioned and may / may not put another eva foregrip but leaning more towards the cork tape/ xflock as the foregrip with wrapped thread transitioning to the blank .

My only remaining concern is how far can I take the sanding. If doing this will I compromise the integrity of the blank. Is there some wiggle room as I remove the paint and get to the blank itself. Guess I'm lacking the confidence at this step.

Thanks again
- Mark B

Elbow grease is the answer my man. If you heat that Pro Paste up with a hair dryer you'll be able to scrape it off fairly easy. i usually use a small piece of scrap hardwood (maple, oak, walnut) about 3/8" thick by 2" wide by 8" long.

10-4 on Jay's comment.

To remove the finish I use heat to soften the glue and then use a straight edged razor blade held perpendicular to the blank while scraping. By holding the blade perpendicular to the blank, the blade will not cut the blank.

Normally, using heat and a blade, removing the grips and reel seat takes only a few minutes.

Take care

I followed what the below article states and i'm glad i did , using those specific grades from Scotchbrite make it easy to just remove the finish without going too deep and damaging the fibers underneath .


[www.rodbuilding.org]

If you just want to move the reel seat down 4 inches because the butt grip is too long,
why not just cut 4" off the butt end and install a new butt cap?

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Ron,
If I had done the build and wanted to make the change, I would not want to cut off the butt of the rod by 4 inches and make the rod 4 inches shorter. I generally have a good reason to have a rod of a specific length.

Good luck

I always appreciate your suggestions and advice. I started tearing it apart at first because I didnt care for the size 20 reel seat that's on it. And in the process figured I'd lower the new reel seat 4 inches to where it now sits at 20 inches rather than 24 inches. Hoping to tackle the rest of it this weekend.

Mark,
Since you did not care for the size 20 reel seat; what size reel seat did you install in its new location?

Size 18. Paired w 6000 saragosa. The 20 just didnt feel right to me. Learning on every build.