I would suggest hacksawing the reel seat in a spiral and then "peeling" it off. Some heat may be required to soften the bonding agent/glue.
Obviously, you would have to remove the bottom handle but, as the taper is relatively steady at this point on most blanks, a new one could be made, reamed and slid on from the bottom of the blank.
I have not tried this myself but did put the same question to a rod builder of considerable experience and that was the answer he gave to me. I'm thinking about doing the same to two rods that I own. One is a badly balanced single hander that I think would make an ideal switch/short spey rod(11ft). So I'll have to strip the whole handle and probably the stripper guide off it.
If I get round to it soon, I'll let you know how I get on.
I've done this too. It helps to clamp the rod in a shop vise by its reel seat or lower grip; you don't have to worry about damaging them. Make a spiral cut with a hacksaw; I hope that neither end of the reel seat is buried under the upper handle. It helps to use two pliers to pull the sawed-through reel seat apart. Carefull; they're sharp.
Thanks, gives me a projrct for the late spring sounds like a plan...
andre
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Fly Fishing Forum
163.8K posts
38.8K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to fly fishing and sporting enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, licenses, tips, tricks, rivers, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!