Rod rebuild Q...

[kjackson]

With the heat, I've been spending time in the basement rather than doing things like trying to reclaim the yard, gardening, working in the garage... So, I've started to refinish my favorite fly rod. It's a 7 ½-foot Orvis glass rod, the first rod I built. It's an oldie and needs some TLC. I just finished stripping the guides off the blank.

However, there are little bands of finish left where the guide windings ended. How can I remove this old rod finish without ruining the painted surface of the blank? Any ideas? Suggestions?. I've been able to lightly scrape some of the guide finish off using the back side of a scalpel blade, but even then, there's still some residue. The finish is really old, given I built the rod when I was 20, so it's pre-epoxy. I don't remember what I used, but it must have been whatever was the usual back in the '70s.

TIA

[BilletHead]

   Keith, can't help but would like to see it sometime. 

[tjm]

Heat gun to soften the epoxy, Popcicle sticks and or plastic picnic knives (use the back edge) to use as scrapers and denatured alcohol as final clean up. Old gift cards might work as scraper. Back side of butter knife might work. I'd be careful with steel implements that have sharp corners even on the blunt edge though, so no utility blades etc. Not too much heat either, pass the heat source over an area and rub with stick, if it isn't soft heat a bit more.  

[fishinwrench]

If it was finished pre-epoxy then the old school "rod varnish" kindly crosses over to the modern day Gorilla Glue- Clear.   

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/tape-glues-and-adhesives/glues-and-epoxy/1787969?store=03753&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3JanBhCPARIsAJpXTx6tWQ20k6LWOdrT3duTXRzVojezdLfew9gLHrtEpx72_3y4uaa2O8YaAlG8EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Scrape the old varnish off with the back of a butter knife....or the handle of a spoon, smooth out with fine steel wool, then wipe down with alcohol. When clean & dry rub the clear Gorilla glue onto the blank with your fingers (very thinly) and let it dry for 48hrs. Once it is dry and hard rub it down with silicone spray.

[kjackson]

Yeah, I imagine I had zero knowledge about epoxy back then. I do know I didn't use it on this rod. I bought everything but the blanks from Bob Ward's shop in downtown Missoula, which leads to a bunch of pleasant memories. After I finished the rod, I took it down to Ward's to show the salesman who led me on the project the finished product. He took it out back in the alley and cast the entire weight-forward line. I don't think I ever matched that. Did catch a boatload of fish in the Clark Fork, though.

After I finished and tested the rod, I built a 6-weight for my fiancé, which she fished until she put a hook in her finger. She married me anyway.

As an aside, I picked up a $15 rod that someone had built that looks to be the same Fullflex blank. It needs to be redone as well...

Pix to follow at some point.

On the clear Gorilla Glue-- I read somewhere about a guy using it to create clear heads on flies. He'd apply the glue and then shape it by wetting his finger. I may have to try that.

[kjackson]

Here are two of the rods-- the one on the right is the one I built back in the dim past. The only tools I had were a rasp file and some sandpaper for the handle. And I remember wrapping the guides by running the Nymo thread through a book to provide tension.  The rod on the left is the $15 buy I made a couple of years ago. It, too, is 7 ½ feet but takes a 6-weight instead of the 5-weight I use on my favorite rod.

I cleaned up the old varnish good enough, I think, for me. I've yet to decide on whether or not I want to remove the hook keeper and re-wrap the ferrule. I pulled the old guides-- they were double-footed, full twist guides that really didn't stand up to the use. I'm thinking I'll use single-foot wire guides.  The rod on the left has single-foot ceramic guides I don't like, and if I get real ambitious, they and the reel seat will be replaced.