PondBoss Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 I have been wanting to make my own rods, but have a couple of extras laying around and thought maybe I'd try to practice on them first before buying all the stuff to make one from scratch. I have a 7ft Berkley Lightning rod that I'd like to remove some of the cork from the handle and turn into a split grip to loose a bit of handle weight and expose the blank to add a bit of sensitivity.(at least thats what I think it would do) Is there anyway to do this? How could I just strip a rod down to the blank and start from scratch? Quote
Super User Alpster Posted May 7, 2011 Super User Posted May 7, 2011 I have been wanting to make my own rods, but have a couple of extras laying around and thought maybe I'd try to practice on them first before buying all the stuff to make one from scratch. I have a 7ft Berkley Lightning rod that I'd like to remove some of the cork from the handle and turn into a split grip to loose a bit of handle weight and expose the blank to add a bit of sensitivity.(at least thats what I think it would do) Is there anyway to do this? How could I just strip a rod down to the blank and start from scratch? You would be better off getting a cheap kit from Mudhole.com and start from scratch. I have built 100s of rods and only rebuilt a couple. There are so many ways to permanently damage the blank when removing grips & guides. The epoxies are amazingly strong and permanent. They were never meant to be removed. JMHE Ronnie Quote
Super User .RM. Posted May 7, 2011 Super User Posted May 7, 2011 I have to agree with Ronnie. It would serve you better to get into a kit, from MudHole, Cabela's, etc. Also before you make that purchase, get a copy of Rod-Building Guide by Tom Kirkman. Read it end to end, then make your decision on whether or not you want to get into the art of custom rod building...... Tight Wraps All! Quote
dulouz Posted May 8, 2011 Posted May 8, 2011 I have a friend who builds rods and he put new guides on one of my rods, and has done it for other people. It is a great way to breathe new life into a rod. As for the handle, I wanted to do the same and he told me no. Quote
PondBoss Posted May 8, 2011 Author Posted May 8, 2011 Thanks for the answers guys. I think I'm starting to realize that it's just less expensive when you factor in convenience to buy off the rack. Quote
Super User Jigfishn10 Posted May 8, 2011 Super User Posted May 8, 2011 I've rebuilt a few rods and Aplster is correct in saying that you can damage the rod blank if you're not careful. I would not be discouraged though, because you sound like you want to learn this. I would suggest using a rod you don't use or care for anymore and experiment/practice on removing and installing guides on it, then try splitting the grip on it. If you don't have a rod that you can do that to, then you can pick one up for around $10 at Wally World and use that as the ginnea pig. Just a thought. 1 Quote
PondBoss Posted May 9, 2011 Author Posted May 9, 2011 How would I take the components off? eg... guides etc. Quote
BobP Posted May 11, 2011 Posted May 11, 2011 Stripping a rod down is a few hours of work. To remove the guides, run a single edged razor blade under the epoxy on top of the guide feet, cutting the threads. Lift out the guide and use your thumb nail to peel off the epoxy and thread around the blank. You'll end up with some residual epoxy at the ends of the wrap. Shave it off carefully with the razor blade. You can soften the epoxy with a hair dryer to make things a little easier. Finally, hold a flame under the tip top while pulling on it gently with some needle nose pliers. When the glue melts, it will pull off the rod tip. If you're happy with the guide spacing, you don't need to shave the epoxy down to the raw blank because the new guide and wrap will cover the areas. If you want to move the guides, be aware that the old positions of the guides will be noticeable because removing the guides will also strip any finish on the blank. If you are just putting on a new reel seat and handle, it's not necessary to remove all the guides; just the ones that the reel seat won't fit over. Use a Dremel cut off wheel to cut through the graphite reel seat along its length. Careful not to hit the blank underneath! When it's cut through, use a flat blade screw driver to force the halves of the seat apart and remove it. Again, heat will soften the epoxy and make things easier. I just use a sharp knife to shave the cork off the grip down to the epoxy holding it, then heat and the razor blade to shave off the epoxy. If you are going to replace a full cork handle with a split grip, pay attention to the section that will exposed with the new grip. You'll need to coat that with some rod epoxy when you're finishing the rod again. None of this is hard to do. It just takes moderate care not to damage the rod blank while you do it. BTW, replacing a full grip with a spit grip will usually make the rod more tip heavy than it was before. Be sure that's OK for the presentations you plan to use the rod for before you start! JMHO, I would never go to the trouble of stripping and rebuilding a rod just to get a split grip for "looks". Quote
von Posted May 25, 2011 Posted May 25, 2011 http://www.rodbuildingtutorials.com/Grip%20&%20Handle%20Tutorials/Split%20Your%20Grip.pdf Quote
PondBoss Posted May 27, 2011 Author Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks Von that is exactly what I needed. Awesome! Quote
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