Overcooking a blank

[steelfish]

I normally dont use heat on the guides near to the tip because the same reason.

heat, craft knife and buzz is not good mix, we tend to use more the " what if..."

[Jeri]

There are only three applications of work on rod blanks using heat of any sort, bearing in mind we predominantly work on heavier surf rods, so going down in size of blank/rod makes these even more sensitive.

1. Gently apply heat around a tip guide with a small gas lighter to soften glue to replace, only enough heat to allow the resin to loosen and then pliers to remove guide.

2. To shrink, heat shrink onto blank handles, low setting on heat gun, or higher settings on a hair dryer. Rotating blank as it heats and shrinks, so no one spot gets anywhere near excessive heat.

3.  bursting bubbles in fresh applied thread resin, again minimal to just pop the air bubble, never enough to get resin flowing.

Any other applications basically require steady sober hand, with sharp tools.

[Cor]

Perhaps Jeri will comment to this.
I used to not worry too much about using heat on a blank as "Graphite gets heated during manufacture"  nothing extreme obviously.

To replace a tip guide I would just use a small flame or sometimes heat gun and heat it up to soften the hot melt glue, it was never a problem.  

Then one day I replaced a tip on an imported New Zealand blank, the whole tip just bent and fell of like a piece of PVC that you heated up.   It broke 1/2 inch above the tip.

I then took it that different manufacturers use different resins on their blanks and some are more effected by heat then others.....would that be correct?

Since then I have been more careful.

[oc1]

They are heat-cured on a mandrel.

[steelfish]

........... the whole tip just bent and fell of like a piece of PVC that you heated up.   It broke 1/2 inch above the tip.

been there done that

[Jeri]

Perhaps Jeri will comment to this.
I used to not worry too much about using heat on a blank as "Graphite gets heated during manufacture"  nothing extreme obviously.

To replace a tip guide I would just use a small flame or sometimes heat gun and heat it up to soften the hot melt glue, it was never a problem.  

Then one day I replaced a tip on an imported New Zealand blank, the whole tip just bent and fell of like a piece of PVC that you heated up.   It broke 1/2 inch above the tip.

I then took it that different manufacturers use different resins on their blanks and some are more effected by heat then others.....would that be correct?

Since then I have been more careful.

Seen that on one of the two NZ blanks that I have come across. Different pre-preg companies use different resins and different weights per square metre, the choice becomes almost endless. Different resins will have different melting points. The same NZ blank I found that on, I experienced that they were also prone to being very brittle, almost as if too high a carbon strength in the build of the blank. Have also found the same problem in one or two of the blanks/rods coming into southern Africa from China, exceptionally sensitive to too much heat.

[DougK]

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.

+1

this is what I've always done, worked on every wrap I've tried over forty years now.
Epoxy is a bugger though, can understand the temptation to heat that a bit. Citristrip has worked the one time I tried it, seemed to soften the epoxy enough to make it easier to peel.

The police in Grand Junction CO had to rescue a couple drunks in a Wal-mart raft, from an island in the Colorado river running 30 000cfs and 50 degree water.
The newspaper story said, "Police advise that boaters should be prepared and sober".
Prepared and sober is how I try to approach my rodbuilding too ;-)

[ReelFishingProblems]

Some of the most epic stories come from having just enough knowledge, just enough booze, and winging the rest of it. They're not typically success stories in my experience, but epic none the less. You just have to tell the story the right way.

Jason your story sounds like it fits this category. "There I was, a razor sharp blade in my good hand, a bottle of Brugal Leyenda in the other. I set the knife down in place for my blow torch, next thing I know, the whole thing explodes right in front of me. Looks like I found a quicker way to finish the job"

The story sounds a lot cooler if you don't know what it is you were actually trying to accomplish.

P.S. I'm gonna stop heating the epoxy on the guides before I remove them. Thanks for the lesson!

Nick

[oldmanjoe]

  Well i think this may help from overheating the epoxy , better yet if you can find the cardboard book matches ....
        My best friend just showed up again ......

[JasonGotaProblem]

Silver lining to this story. I kept the bottom piece of this 2 piece rod. I put it to use in conjunction with a throwaway reel when my son complained that his kite wasn't flying high enough with the supplied string and arbor.

So if someone tells you to stop being a hoarder, share this story.

[boon]

When I was a kid I used to go out with a surf rod and clip several plastic bags to the line and then "fight" the wind. Was good fun, other people using the park clearly thought I was nuts though.

[steelfish]

Haha nice move

I did the same with my youngest kid, but she only used the reel but told her next time will be with a handle and reel seat just as you did it

[JasonGotaProblem]

That one guide is all you need

[Gfish]

Rod/reel work = sober, fishing = optional, but more fun high.

[oldmanjoe]

Silver lining to this story. I kept the bottom piece of this 2 piece rod. I put it to use in conjunction with a throwaway reel when my son complained that his kite wasn't flying high enough with the supplied string and arbor.

So if someone tells you to stop being a hoarder, share this story.

When the wind blows in the right direction ,he can fish the local pond from the house ..