Hi, I'm a little embarrassed to post again so soon but I am doing (attempting to do) something I haven't yet done. I found one of my first rods I built from the mid 90's. It is a 9' 5wt St. Croix Avid. I traded the guy for a spinning rod. The reel seat was pretty beat up and ugly. The cork is dirty but I kind of like that look. I removed the seat without much problem. The seat that was on was one that has the recessed hood into the cork and the hood is not round but has the area for the reel foot to insert into. It is still inside the cork. I don't know if I should try to find a matching seat that I like or attempt to removed the recessed metal hood...or just to remove the cork also and redo the entire cork and seat. A question I have is can I efficiently place a cork grip and seat from the butt end of the rod? I am sure I could do just the seat from that end but wonder if I could get a new cork to fit well. I am pretty picky about fits. I could redo the entire section of the rod (it is a two piece) but would lose the label and take more time. Thanks for your time and knowledge!

Hi Todd,
The answer is that you can do it from either end.
Hope you have some sort of lathe.
Are you saying that the reel seat hood is still glued into the cork?? If so it was not built properly. The hood is supposed to be epoxied onto the reel seat's barrel.
Anyway:
Do it from the tip end by turning the cork down to the winding check - but not through it.
You will be left with the logo, winding check and a level layer of cork. You will ream new cork rings to fit over the bed of old cork. You should get rid of the old hood. Your new seat will have it's own hood.
You will have to port the cork for the new hood.
Suggest that you buy an REC RSLS and I will port it for you.

Back end - same way - but will have to destroy fighting butt. But you already did that if you slid the seat off.
Send questions.
Herb

Sounds like the rod used a reel seat like the PacBay standard fly reel seats. Here is what one looks like.
[www.jannsnetcraft.com]
The last time I used one of these it came in multiple pieces and you glued the pieces together. So with such a reel seat, don’t use the fixed hood that comes with the seat, rather just slide the wood insert into the hood which is already glued into the grip. That’s an easy fix. If you want to clean up the cork grip just scour it with soap and water with a scouring pad. Any voids in the cork can be filled with a cork filler. Lightly sand and give it a coat of cork sealer. Will look like new. If you wish you can cut the old grip off and install a new one from the rear. You can leave the old winding check in place, or use a vinyl/rubber check which will easily stretch over the butt. Ream the new cork grip so it will fit over the butt end of the blank. To get a snug fit, wind on a layer or two of dry wall tape, if needed.The dry wall mesh allows for the epoxy to make good contact with both the blank and the grip. Hope this helps.
Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2021 12:51PM by Norman Miller.

When I want to do this, I just grab a pair of common slip joint pliers.

Place the pliers over the cork in the toothy round portion of the pliers, close the pliers and go to work. It only takes a couple of minutes to destroy the cork grip and have it off the rod.
Then, I take a dremel tool with an abrasive cut off wheel in the tool and make two slices in the reel seat on opposite sides of the rod. Insert a wide bladed screw driver into the slots formed by the cut off wheel and twist the screw driver. The reel seat will split and come off the rod. Then, I use a heat gun to heat up and soften the remaining epoxy and use a straight edged razor blade help perpendicular to the blank and scrape off any residual epoxy.

With the blank clean, I take a roll of 1/2 inch wide masking tape and make a series of arbors starting from the butt of the blank to where the winding check is or was located, suce that a constant diameter is formed by the tape arbors. I leave about 1/32nd to 1/16th inch gaps in between the rows of tape arbors to allow epoxy to extend from the grip or reel seat to the blank. As long as you have the gaps filled with epoxy from the handle and reel seats to the rod blank will prohibit any moisture from penetrating and causing the rod parts to loosen.

This entire process has taken about 10 minutes.

Now, pre fit a reel seat and a grip to be sure of the fit. When perfect, starting with the component that is furthest toward the tip of the rod, epoxy that part and go on to the next part of the rod etc. until you are done.

The total time for removal of all old parts and fitting and installing the new pre fitted components should take about an hour.

Take the rod and the afternoon and go fishing.

Be safe.

Thanks!!! I knew you guys would have answers! I don't have a lathe. I also don't like the reel seat that was a on there. Norman... that is exactly the seat that was there...an old Pac Bay. I think I will just take the cork off and do a fresh cork and reel seat. I love you guys and love this site! Thanks!