Let's say I have this friend and this friend somehow got some epoxy on the threads of a nylon reel seat while he was installed it on a rod and his locking nut is now permanently attached in a single position. Is there any way my friend could get that epoxy to let loose so he wouldn't have to cut off the seat and start over? I'd really like to help my friend with this just because he is obviously an idiot and cannot for the life of me, I mean, him, figure out how to make it come loose without damaging the seat.

Hi Ray,

Lets see.

If my friend did the same thing and asked for ideas, this is what I would try, I mean tell him.

I would use the alcohol burner in an attempt to warm up the locking nut.. Apply the heat 360 degrees around the locking nut, slowly and gently, at intervals trying to loosen the nut(carefully using slip jpoint pliers).

If it didn't loosen at first I would move the heat closer to the locking nut and try again.

Once the nut loosens and moves keep turning it untill epoxy cools off. Don't want to let it set again.

Use a pick and remove the epoxy while warm from the threads.

After a sucessful operation I would offer my friend one of my favorite cold beers.

Good luck.

Capt Neil

Dear Ray,
One suggestion is to let your "friend" try applying heat from a hair dryer and it may soften up the epoxy enough to turn the nut and then deal with the clean up with some alcohol.

Next time, you'll ...er, I mean Your "Friend" will learn to cover the area with black plastic tape to keep out the epoxy.

I had a friend who wanted 'friendly' advice on removing epoxy from inside the threads at the fighting butt and if memory serves me right the hair dryer did the trick, and don't anyone tell Ralph what else my real friend uses the hair dryer for when finishing....

Rich

You chickens! LOL

Yeppers, the hair dryer trick works but you have to have patience. It also helps to tap it with a screw driver handle while heating it.

While heating the reelseat I would have the rod rotaeing
Good luck.

Sometime in a rod builders life a rod builder glues some thing that should not be glued. I remember once a long time ago. HEEeee. I got finish on a ferual. when the 2 pcs. were together. By the time I relized what I had done the finish was set. What I did was to apply a iced rag to the male end and I heated the female end. I got lucky and the 2 pcs seperated without damageing eather piece
Good luckBob

I would certainly try low heat from whatever source first to see if that works. If the threads and ring are metal you can soak them in methylene chloride solvent. Not easy stuff to find, but it is also the principle ingredient in "Attack" epoxy remover and works very well. Take precautions with this extremely volatile solvent as you would with most solvents. I have not tried methylene chloride on many substrates so I'm not sure what it would do to a graphite seat, for example. I suspect nothing.

Thanks to you all. I'm going to try it, I mean, tell him to try it with the heat idea.

I will admit that I had the same thing happen. Makes you feel sort of dumb but in my case it was not too bad and I was able to break it loose. Now I always make sure to turn the nut in as far as it wil go away from the end of the seat and then carefuly wrap the whole seat in saran or glad wrap. The saran offers protection from a number of things that can hurt a seat.