Rod Repair: Stripping a rod, guide replacement.

[crabbait]

A member recently asked how to strip the guides off a rod. There are a variety of methods. One of the most popular is to slice through thread on top the guide feet with a razor blade so that you can peel the whole thread/finish mess off. This is a good technique but it requires care to ensure that you don't slip and slice the blank or the owner. I keep a box of band-aids on the bench to stanch the bleeding. I will demonstrate a different technique here.

The rod that needs the help is a Seastar S6465-6 30-50lb. Seeker and Calstar were one company (Seastar) at one time. According to the markings on the rod it was produced in September, '96.




Here is the problem. There are two adjacent guides in this condition. If you look closely at the left guide foot you can see the large chunk of finish that has chipped off due to impact (recent improvements have made for much more flexible finish epoxies). It probably fell against the side of the rod and the impact popped two of the rings loose from their solder, a very common occurrence:


This rod uses the Calstar teal underwrap which presents a small problem: Calstar owns the color and does not permit thread sales to private rod builders. I have a turquoise colored thread but it is at least two shades off. We need to fix the rod without destroying the underwrap

Here are our tools, along with the wrapper to hold the rod. You can substitute a cut down cardboard box for a rod stand.


With the rod supported in the stand, I press the tip of my pick into the finish. I push at an angle so that the pick will miss the thread and slide along under the finish. I continue to cut a grove in the finish down to the thread all the way around the rod without digging into the thread.


Now I use the S-shaped pick to hook and lift the top layer of thread, first the gold trim, then the black. Here you can see the trim thread pulled loose:


Here I have removed the trim band and have caught the top layer of black thread and started to unwrap it by pulling parallel to the rod while turning the blank. You can see that the thread is starting to unwind from under the finish:


In this picture from the other guide foot you can see how far the thread has unwrapped under the finish, leaving it like a shed snake skin:


Seeker/Calstar rods are triple wrapped (one under/two over). Here the first layer of black is removed:


Continue to pick out the layers of thread and unwind until the preserved underwrap is revealed. There is no need to removed all the finish down to the blank. Scuffing the finish will allow the new finish to bond with no discernible seam. Here all the thread has been removed and the guide foot bed has been leveled with a dremel tool and a small sanding bit. Before the guide was reinstalled, I cleaned the area with denatured alcohol and a toothbrush.

Man, I feel bad even showing a picture of a rod in that condition. Looks like a gum line with all the teeth pulled. Anyway....

I then installed a new guide matching the rest of the existing guides, triple wrapped it as per Seeker/Calstar and replicated the gold trim bands and here it is:


Here is its next door neighbor for comparison:


Myrtle Bee your rod is ready. I will bring it with when I go to Salem on Tuesday.

[Flounder Dave]

WOW!!

What can you do with new materials??

[MYRTLE BEE]

Great, try to make it around lunch time!!

[ron m]

Nice work, true craftsmanship!
ron m

[Good News Tuna]

Thanks for the tutorial Crabby. Could you expand on some of the materials used. What kink of finish do you use? That looks perfect!

[Pilar]

Steve, that is amazing.

[crabbait]

Thanks guys.

The finish I use is either Flexcoat or Threadmaster. That happens to be Threadmaster. Getting it to lay perfectly is a matter of putting on the right amount, quickly getting it fairly level then flaming it with an alcohol burner to release any bubbles. The flame also thins the finish momentarily and allows it to level.

The biggest advice I can give on finish is to mix more than you think you will need, quickly apply it, then leave it alone. If you keep messing with it you will take away its opportunity to level because you are pushing it around. Apply, flame, walk away.

[fyshndad]

Great stuff Steve thanks

I started wrapping my rod that Ryan P is teaching me to build
This gives me some great info and ideas for the next rod

Ryan and I did not do an underwrap
We put silver trim then black
then double wrapped the Main color Orange
Next week I learn to do the finish

[crabbait]

From all I have read and heard, all that is needed is a single layer of size A thread over the guide foot. I don't know how many foot/lbs of pressure it would take to pull a guide off a rod but I know that it would be a lot more than can be put on the guide with a fishing line running through the guides.

The underwrap is ostensibly to protect the blank from the guide foot. Any good rod builder does significant prep work on the guide feet and they do not move as evidenced by the tracks they leave embedded in the epoxy. Underwraps are pretty but add weight. Weight in the form of thread is not very important on a tuna stick but can dramatically effect a high modulus graphite steelhead switch.

All weight on a blank that is not required slows the action of the blank (heavy guides, thick finish, long extra wraps and overwraps/underwraps). Notice that wrap on a flyrod is absolutely minimal and butt decorations tend to be small bands and embedded feathers. Nothing to affect the flow of the blank. For all drift rods and any rod where the angler is concerned with weight and a fast action, avoid unnecessary weight.

Even on tuna rods, weight can be a significant factor. The next two rods that I am building for Pilar are glass/graphite composites that are "grafted" with the bottom third of the rod graphite for weight reduction and the upper two thirds glass for strength. We will be minimizing weight on those rods with Titanium turbo-guides. Too sweet. Watch for it soon on a web site near you...

[fyshndad]

Guess I should have mentioned the rod I am building is more like a boom for the winch

it is a 50 to 80 solid glass

This rod will pull the plug out of the ocean floor if the line doesn't break
It is one stiff heavy rod

The next one will be a live bait TUNA rod and will be made SPECIAL

[StickFish]

Hank, now that you are a rod building pro - you want these rods of yours back to practice what is on this thread?

[fyshndad]

Originally Posted by StickFish

Hank, now that you are a rod building pro - you want these rods of yours back to practice what is on this thread?

PRO????

No pro by any means but yes Ted I think I can now figure this out I will try at least


I have your NO SNAGGING T SHIRT here at the shop
Brad gave it to me at the TA meeting to get to you

Next time you are out this way at lunch time stop in and I will buy

[garyk]

Great pics and directions CB.

On repairs, it never ocurred to me to save the underwrap...I'd just get busy with blade and slice it all.

Less cutting, results in less work....great tip!

[Ryan Pultz]

great stuff Steve

great stuff Steve

Here is a pic of Hanks rod the wraps turned out great next week the finish will be applied rp