Best/Cleanest way to remove hook keeper?

[buzzed bait]

I have 2 Daiwa Tatula rods that i would really like to remove the hook keeper on, but i'm afraid it would be a sloppy mess.  Is there an easy yet clean way to remove the keeper without mucking up the rod/epoxy?  looks just like the picture below.

thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[kickerfish1]

I would email a certain someone who is handy with these kind of things. He will have some good suggestions

[Ratherbfishing]

Unless you are going to replace it, I'd just get a dremel tool and shave it off smooth.

[buzzed bait]

16 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said:

Unless you are going to replace it, I'd just get a dremel tool and shave it off smooth.

yikes, that sounds like a recipe for disaster with me!!  i'm much better at messing something up than i am at fixing it!!  

[Angry John]

one option would be to use a set of cutters and then use a small file to clean it up.  The hand tool option reduces risk a lot.  If you don't have a file then your girls emery board might work in a pinch.

[buzzed bait]

19 minutes ago, Angry John said:

one option would be to use a set of cutters and then use a small file to clean it up.  The hand tool option reduces risk a lot.  If you don't have a file then your girls emery board might work in a pinch.

good thought and might be a little less risky than the dremel, but i can still see myself screwing something up!  i might have to live with it for a while i suppose.

[Big Bait Fishing]

when you go cut off the hook keeper , tape the surronding area  well with MULTIPLE layers of tape !!

[J Francho]

I'm thinking if you apply a bit of heat, it should slide out from under the wraps, unless they're too tight.  Mike Or Gary might have a better idea on this.  I know they've both stripped rods down.  @.ghoti. @Delaware Valley Tackle

[buzzed bait]

19 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I'm thinking if you apply a bit of heat, it should slide out from under the wraps, unless they're too tight.  Mike Or Gary might have a better idea on this.  I know they've both stripped rods down.  @.ghoti. @Delaware Valley Tackle

thanks, that's a thought too!  mike or gary, if that's the way to go, what kind of heat source might you suggest?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Warm gently with a hair dryer. No hotter than you can handle bare handed. Use a razor on top of the foot to get the threads loose. As you unwind the thread it should peel off most of the epoxy. Warm and scrape remaining epoxy with a plastic tool or thumb nail. If you're careful you can use a razor blade but only perpendicular to the Rod 

[.ghoti.]

Use a sharp exacto knife to cut down through the threar, on the foot of the hook keeper. DO NOT try to cut thread on the blank, only on the foot. Warm it up and peel the thread and epoxy off. Try to leave a few thread at the start of the foot uncut. You can work a free end loose, nd use that to unwind the thread from under the epoxy, moving towards the Tatula decal. Your real problem is going to be the exposed edge of said decal. Hard telling what it's going to look like when you get the wrap and it's epoxy removed. There could very well be an ugly transition from the epoxied Tatula decal and the matte finished area where the D is. If so, you can do a short thread wrap, and epoxy the whole area.

[buzzed bait]

thanks for all the replies!

[DogBone_384]

On 10/21/2016 at 2:28 PM, Big Bait Fishing said:

when you go cut off the hook keeper , tape the surronding area  well with MULTIPLE layers of tape !!

X2

[Tim S.]

I removed the hook keeper from a couple of Phenix UMBX rods.  Gary is exactly right regarding removal. If you need someone close by for removal and/or epoxy work, shoot me a text. I know a guy about an hour from you. He did a new keeper and threadwrap/epoxy on both of my rods and they turned out very nice and the cost was very reasonable.

[buzzed bait]

14 hours ago, Tim S. said:

I removed the hook keeper from a couple of Phenix UMBX rods.  Gary is exactly right regarding removal. If you need someone close by for removal and/or epoxy work, shoot me a text. I know a guy about an hour from you. He did a new keeper and threadwrap/epoxy on both of my rods and they turned out very nice and the cost was very reasonable.

thanks for that Tim!  i think i might try to crimp them down and see if that fixes my issues.  if not, i'll probably ask for his info since i don't think i'd do as well as i'd want to!  everyone here has great suggestions, but none that i'd feel comfortable trying to execute myself.  i just know my limitations on some things and think that a lot of these might be a little over that line! 

[Bass Turd]

How about cutting it off with wire cutters and filing down the leftover metal to the epoxy? That way you change the rod very little by keeping all the wraps the same. 

[MickD]

On 10/21/2016 at 10:24 AM, Ratherbfishing said:

Unless you are going to replace it, I'd just get a dremel tool and shave it off smooth.

Then touch up the exposed wire with a drop of Sally Hensen's fingernail hard finish or epoxy to prevent any corrosion or exposed sharp edges.

[MickD]

DVT, when you say razor blade perpendicular to the blank, don't you mean that the cuts should be made parallel  to the blank?  Along the blank on top  of the keeper?  I still think the lowest risk, less disruptive answer is to carefully use the Dremel and finish with a drop of finish as stated above.  It will not be noticeable unless one is already aware of the past presence of the keeper.  And the decorative wraps will be undisturbed.

Keep in mind a little nick in error will be on the finish, not the blank, and it will disappear with the drop of finish that will cover the metal.