Re-Gluing Rod Seat Help

[Bazoo]

I have this cheap 5'6" Zebco rod that has come apart and I'm looking for some tips.

 

The rod is in good shape and was given to me by an old man at church who said it was his dad's before he got too old to fish. While I have 2 quality casting rods (one thanks to @Dan N), this rod being fiberglass and short serves me when I bank fish up creeks with heavy cover. I can get a dandy roll cast with it. I don't actually fish with it that much, and since it isn't my normal rod, it serves yard practice duty a lot with my boy.

 

It appears the epoxy is still well stuck to the rod blank, but has let go of the seat. I want to repair it, but I do not have any rod building specific supplies and only a little knowledge. Will standard 2 part epoxy from the hardware store suffice?

 

I think I could get away with roughing up the old epoxy instead of trying to remove it. I don't know that I could remove it, as I picked at it a bit and it's solid. I can probably work a piece of sandpaper inside the seat to rough it up though.

 

I still have the butt cap which I removed to see if I had blank through handle construction. I'm thinking I will remove about 3" of the foam from the rear, and add a length of 1" dowel rod to extend the grip about 3" past the rod blank. I want a longer grip portion to brace against my arm, and for aid in casting.

 

I appreciate any suggestions and tips.

 

[MikeK]

I prefer paste epoxy but hardware store PC-7 or PC-11 is too thick to be easy to work with.  Does the reel seat wobble when you push it back into position?  If yes you need some type of arbor to keep it centered as there will be too much space for liquid epoxy to fill.

[Chris Catignani]

Take an old dull knife and scrape as much of the old epoxy off (as you can).

...and yes...hardware epoxy would work fine.

Just be sure to line up the reel seat with the guides 🤣
 

[Bazoo]

I appreciate the replies. The real seat is not snug fitting to the rod. It wasn't centered to begin with, with the epoxy filling the gap at the top and the rod touching the reel seat where the trigger is.

[Chris Catignani]

1 hour ago, Bazoo said:

I appreciate the replies. The real seat is not snug fitting to the rod. It wasn't centered to begin with, with the epoxy filling the gap at the top and the rod touching the reel seat where the trigger is.

Its ok to not be centered...just line it up with the guides.
Rod builders will typically shim up the blank with masking tape or fiberglass drywall tape to the I.D. of the reel seat.

Ideally a foam polyurethane arbor is used while assembling ( before the guides are on).

 

You would put masking tape (something) like this and cover it good with epoxy.

[Bazoo]

10 minutes ago, Chris Catignani said:

Its ok to not be centered...just line it up with the guides.
Rod builders will typically shim up the blank with masking tape or fiberglass drywall tape to the I.D. of the reel seat.

Ideally a foam polyurethane arbor is used while assembling ( before the guides are on).

 

You would put masking tape (something) like this and cover it good with epoxy.

Thank you very much for the information and tips!

[spoonplugger1]

Looks like a full exposed blank reel seat, I'm assuming the notch I see up front by the threads is where that starts. Zebco and Berkeley used that type seat and fore grip late 80's, early 90's. Castmaster used a much nicer, smoother  version for sometime with the regular type tenoned reel foot clamp/nut. Best you can do without a full strip down is to move it forward as best you can, smear a LOT of epoxy in, align everything and center as best you can clean up the exposed center. May I suggest wrapping thread, masking tape or similar to build an arbor to fill the gap in back without having to take things apart. I would try to seperate the foregrip from everything to ensure it don't get glued up too. You can probably use a piece of old rod hlank stuffed in the butt end to extend rear grip. Lots of them at garage sales, etc. for near nothing. The craft stores have colored eva sheets, a great thing to put between the two eva grip sections to make it look like an accent on purpose.

[Bazoo]

I appreciate the suggestions thus far. I haven't done anything yet other than ponder on it. I like the idea of extending the rod blank with an old rod. I have one I may try that with. 

 

Does anyone know how JB weld would do for gluing the seat back? I already have some JB weld and am familiar with it.

 

 

[MickD]

I don't know why it would not work.  Use it generously.  Lots of glued contact area between components.

[Chris Catignani]

4 hours ago, Bazoo said:

I appreciate the suggestions thus far. I haven't done anything yet other than ponder on it. I like the idea of extending the rod blank with an old rod. I have one I may try that with. 

 

Does anyone know how JB weld would do for gluing the seat back? I already have some JB weld and am familiar with it.

 

 

The only problem I can fathom with JB Weld is its set up time: It's fast.
So have everything ready before you start mixing.

[Bazoo]

JB weld setup time is pretty long I thought, maybe like 20 minutes?. It can also be thinned with acetone according to their website. 
 

I make furniture for a living; gluing stuff together has taught me to get ready before I start smearing glue. 
 

I appreciate the advice. I’ll probably give it a go.

[Bazoo]

I did glue the reel seat back on with JB Weld.

 

I first used 60 grit sandpaper to sand the inside of the reel seat. I took tape, and doubled it so it made a small strip of "double sided" tape, and used that to hold a small strip of sandpaper to the rod forward of where the seat goes. Sliding the seat back and forth over that, I was able to scuff up the inside. It didn't feel like any of the original epoxy was stuck inside there.

 

I picked at the existing epoxy that was left on the rod, and it was holding well, so I scuffed it up, as well as the rod where the seat goes. I carefully applied a thin coat of JB Weld to both the rod and the existing epoxy and slid the seat back into place, making sure that the line guide was positioned at 90 degrees.

 

I let it set overnight, and it appears to be firm. I tried breaking it loose with my hands, and it did "crack" a couple times, but hasn't budged. I think the old epoxy cracked in a place or two.

 

I rarely fish with this rod, as this is my going up creeks with heavy cover rod, but I cast it a lot in the yard with my boy. Time will tell I guess if it holds.

 

I've had a lot of experience with JB Weld, and knowing what I know about it, I expect it to hold up over time.

 

[Chris Catignani]

16 hours ago, Bazoo said:

I first used 60 grit sandpaper to sand the inside of the reel seat. I took tape, and doubled it so it made a small strip of "double sided" tape, and used that to hold a small strip of sandpaper to the rod forward of where the seat goes. Sliding the seat back and forth over that, I was able to scuff up the inside. It didn't feel like any of the original epoxy was stuck inside there.

Good idea.

Sanding both parts that get epoxy is key.