I recently bought a TFO Axiom II and I want to change the reel seat. I would put on a REC seat. However, there is a strong possibility that I could ruin the rod. I am told the best way to remove the reel seat is to use boiling water to loosen it.
Has anyone tried this ? Thanks ,Bill

I have tried the boiling water technique because others said it worked for them , didn't work for me . Cutting it off with a Dremel with a thin cutting wheel with the Dremel spinning at 30,000+ rpm is what many experts rely on but you got to be so careful . I believe Phil Ewanicki loves the Axiom II fly blanks and he knows fly rods so good choice there.

I have used the boil method on a rod I made more than 20 years ago and it worked just fine. But who knows how well it will work with a TFO rod and whatever type of epoxy they use.

As to the boil method, I would say your chances of ruining the rod are pretty slim if you are careful and don't overheat. I boiled the water and just kept dipping until I got some reel seat movement. But, I also build golf clubs, and graphite shafts are similar to fly rods.

The big issue with graphite is that If you apply too much heat you can easily ruin the integrity of the graphite. Also, you do not want to twist the reel seat, especially initially, to get it off, as a high degree of torque can splinter the blank. I believe the Axiom has a graphite spacer in the real seat, so that should make it a lot easier to get off in comparison to a wooden spacer that is glued directly to the blank, as the graphite spacer is likely over a foam-like platform or tape wrappings. Even when you get the old reel seat off, you need to be very careful in sanding down or removing the remaining epoxy so you can fit on the new REC reel seat. I have heard folks who have had success with the Dremel method. You just need to make sure that you do not cut into the blank by mistake . Good luck. Be slow and methodical.

Check out this video. Shows boil and direct heat gun method. Again, be careful not to overheat. I have overheated graphite golf shafts and they weaken and splinter, especially if twisted.

[www.google.com]

David,
That is a great video, he makes it look easy. Do you think the butt piece will come off that easy as well. I was going to say don't mess with it because you would wind up busting the cork in the recessed part but that doesn't look like an issue. The heat gun method is the one I would use, just remember to keep it moving so you don't burn the cork. I would also mark the cork where the foot hold is supposed be in the recessed part of the grip.

I have used the boiling water approach to safely remove well over a dozen reel seats. Never had it work quite as quickly as the video, but always came of without any damage to the blank or the grip.

The upside of this technique is that the reel seat is salvageable, not destroyed!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2020 10:29PM by Phil Erickson.

A hacksaw, wielded carefully, can be used to spiral cut the seat. Then insert a screwdriver into the cut slot, twist it, and the seat will pop open and can slid off. 5 minutes work, tops.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> A hacksaw, wielded carefully, can be used to
> spiral cut the seat. Then insert a screwdriver
> into the cut slot, twist it, and the seat will pop
> open and can slid off. 5 minutes work, tops.
>
> ..........


Provided you do not put too much pressure on the hacksaw. I did and cut not only the reel seat but also the blank ... A Dremel-like tool is really a precision instrument and with caution - it should do the job perfectly.

Use the same caution with the hacksaw and it'll work as well.

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I’m with Phil, heat does work, and you salvaged the reel seat for later use.
Norm

Heat gun does it for me .

What I think I will do is fish the rod for one season then try the boiling water method. Thanks guys for your input. Bill