rod rebuild ?'s

[broodwich]

So I was digging around the basement the other day and came across the very first rod I built. It functions well but cosmetically it is awful. I built it 14 years ago and info about rod building wasn't exactly easy to come by back then. So I'm thinking of stripping the guides, seat, cork, and finish off and starting over. It's a 6ft Croix SCII medium light fast action blank (a sweet walleye rod) and I want to convert it into a 7ft finesse bass rod. I've built several rods since this rod but I've never repaired or rebuilt one and I would like to try my hand at a total rebuild. So here's my plan and my questions will follow.

1. Strip it down.

2. I want to extend the blank another 8 to 12 inches

4. paint the blank

3. replace the cork, seat, and possibly the guides

Now the questions

1. I read in a previous post that you should boil the handle to loosen up the epoxy, after you remove the handle what do you use to clean the residue left behind? I was thinking of using citristrip to remove the epoxy and finish will this work?

2. I have a few old store bought blanks laying around so I'm thinking of just cutting the butt section off of one and using that as my extension. I'm thinking of just placing the cut section into the blank I'm rebuilding. Do you just use the same epoxy on the extension that you use to anchor the reel seat?

3. Do I need to strip the factory rod finish off the blank before I paint it?

I'm sure I'll have many more questions going forward but this should get me going in the right direction. Thanks guys.

[CAMAN]

I've rebuilt a couple rods and never needed to use any type of stripper to remove the components. For the cork I just took a pliers and ripped/peeled as much of it as I could, then took a hobby knife and carefully cut the remaining large chunks off and used 180 and 220 grit sanding sponges (3M makes a great one) to remove the rest and smooth it out. It worked great. I don't think using any type of chemical on a rod is a good idea, you never know how it will react with the blank.

To remove the guides, I used a sharp utility knife and scraped/cut away the epoxy and threads on the top side of the guide foot. I was then able to peel the epoxy and thread away from the blank. I also used the 220 sanding sponge to clean away and smooth out the remaining epoxy.

Removing the reel seat is a little more tricky. If the seat isn't in direct contact with the blank I have taken a Dremel tool with an abrasive cutoff wheel and carefully cut along the length on two sides. I was then able to pry the two pieces from the blank using a couple screwdrivers and pliers.

If the reel seat is in direct contact with the blank, you may never be able to remove it without great risk of damaging the blank.

I can't help you with the painting part as I have never painted any of my blanks strictly to keep the weight down.

And incase you didn't know, extending the length of the blank that much will slow the action tremendously and will probably make it feel pretty spongy. But yes, you should be able to take another rod that fits snug into the butt of the current blank and use some 5-10 minute epoxy to fasten it. You will want around 3-4 inches of the extension protruding into the blank.

[upnorth]

Extending the blank will actually make it faster, the speed of the blank is determined by the percentage of the blank that flexes easily, adding a foot to the butt will decrease that percentage.

Adding a section to the butt like you suggested will work, just make sure it fits fairly well into the butt of the rod. Epoxy it in place with the same stuff you use for handles etc, the 30 minute epoxy from the hardware store will work fine.

Removing the handle etc can be be a pain. But fortunately the seat will more than likely be on some sort of arbors and will break down during boiling.

I have painted a few blanks, it would be best to CAREFULLY sand off the old paint. This will result in a better paint job and keep the weight down. Just watch so you don't sand down into the graphite, to it yes, into it no. You will want enough paint to cover, but not so much it adds too much weight. Heck you could sand it and just make sure you last sanding is with really fine sandpaper or steel wool and let it go without paint.

Removing the guides, if you are going to sand and repaint, remove the guides and the excess epoxy will be removed during the sand and repaint process.

[Dark Cloud]

I have also used and old carbon arrow to extend a rod. I wanted about 6 more inches so I took a 12 inch piece of arrow and built it up with some drywall tape, then epoxied it in place. Has held up to heavy used for a few years now...

[broodwich]

Thanks guys. I'll try to remember to take some pics while I go and I'll post them when I finish the rod. Keep an eye on this board cause I'm sure once I start I'll have many more questions.