Overcooking a blank

[JasonGotaProblem]

Heating up guide wraps to remove them is normal right? How does one avoid going too far? Only do rod work when sober is step one apparently.

I just cooked and ruined a blank. Better a $20 lesson than a $200 lesson but it still hurts, and i wanna never make that mistake again.

[philaroman]

hair dryer on low...  if buzzed, you'll get bored & find something else to do, long before any damage

[oc1]

Heating up guide wraps to remove them is normal right?

Since when?  Won't it get gummy?

[Midway Tommy]

The object is to heat the finish just enough, and only enough, to soften it so you can peel/cut it away easily. Once you get to the thread it will usually just pop right off with the thread. I've never had a problem doing it, but then I never indulge when I'm trying to work on something. The two don't usually mix very well.   

[oldmanjoe]

   Come on over and i learn you how to do both !!!!!!!!

[Jeri]

I try and avoid using any un-necessary heat on any rod work.

Removing guides is best done with a careful sober hand employing a sharp craft knife, cutting along the ridge of the wrapping on top of the foot of the guide. Cut both sides on a two foot guide, then twist to remove guide, and then just peel off the redundant wrapping. Might occasionally need further careful use of a knife to pick up an edge thread and carry on unwinding.

No heat needed. Preferred tool is a Stanley knife - big enough handle and stiff blade. Back of blade then used to scrape away any residual resin on the blank.

[Cor]

I do it precisely as Jeri says.

[Swami805]

I use a heat gun on low to soften the finish then a tiny slice at the end of the wrap.  Grab the end of the thread then un-wind under power. Won't gouge the blank that way

[JasonGotaProblem]

Yeah that was a first and last time doing something non sober. Wasnt hammered but a few beers dulled my wits. I'm not much of a drinker in general anymore in general.

I tend to use a lighter to just barely soften the epoxy. Guess i got carried away. Thankfully it was a random cheap rod that I grabbed on a buzzed whim, not an important project.

So you guys don't use heat at all? Interesting. I guess I was way off.  But that's nothing new.

[philaroman]

I'm sure folks w/ years of experience can use metal,
but read somewhere that newbs like us should use a plastic knife to scrape blanks
disposable white/clear plastic didn't work at all -- just crumbled
non-disposable grey "better plastic" camping utensils worked GREAT
I think I have the old loose 4-pc. version of this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-3-Piece-Sturdy-Polystyrene-Spoon-Fork-and-Knife-Set/49332888

[oc1]

I use a pocket knife to cut off the guide and scrape the blank.  For old rods with varnish I scrape the entire blank. 

[Dominick]

Hey Steve, how come you are using an avatar of my friend Wayne?    Dominick

[oc1]

Because my old avitar was a fifteen-year-old photo and was becoming deceptive.  This captures my debonaire self image.  Besides, I'm more interested in chickens than reels now.

[steelfish]

Jason, how do you know you cooked and ruined the blank?

did the rod felt apart because of the heat?

I do use a lighter to soften the epoxy above the foot of the guides but 90% of the rods I restore are heavy duty/old saltwater glass rods, I will have hard time using the same technique on light and super thin freshwater rods, tho.

[JasonGotaProblem]

Jason, how do you know you cooked and ruined the blank?

did the rod felt apart because of the heat?

I do use a lighter to soften the epoxy above the foot of the guides but 90% of the rods I restore are heavy duty/old saltwater glass rods, I will have hard time using the same technique on light and super thin freshwater rods, tho.

After I removed the wraps I saw there was a noticeable kink to the rod at that location. I already knew it was trouble. I started to bend it a bit and it snapped at that spot immediately. There was no question.

I tried last night with no heat on the identical rod bought as a replacement, and it wasn't any more difficult. My methodology has officially been revised.