Hi,
As mentioned in another post, i was going to try to replace a rod guide as an experiment. I followed the video below on how to remove the rod guide. I did not used any heat on my rod just like in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hswz3I9hcjY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hswz3I9hcjY)
After removing the guide following the instructions above, my rod now looks like this:
https://imgur.com/0Rsfp4G (https://imgur.com/0Rsfp4G)
As you see, it looks a little messy. I am having difficulty removing the remaining residue stuff on the rod. The epoxy, remaining thread seem pretty stuck to the rod blank. Does anyone has any tips/advice on how to remove the remaining stuff off the rod?
Warm it up with a heat gun/hair dryer and carefully scrape the rest off with a razor blade. As long as it's relatively smooth you don't need to sand it since you'll be wrapping over it anyway. Heat makes it soft and much easier to get off so you're less likely to gack the blank with the razor.
Quote from: Swami805 on March 21, 2019, 01:27:37 PM
Warm it up with a heat gun/hair dryer and carefully scrape the rest off with a razor blade. As long as it's relatively smooth you don't need to sand it since you'll be wrapping over it anyway. Heat makes it soft and much easier to get off so you're less likely to gack the blank with the razor.
A hair dryer will do?
Yes, it will take a bit longer. Get it warm enough is it's soft
as a complete novice, I was told to use disposable plastic knives for scraping... less effective than a razor blade, but won't damage the blank if you slip
mask the area around the residue to protect from a slip. heat helps as the Swami says....razor blade works but i prefer a sharp knife for the handle and additional leverage, and your fingers are less likely to slip into the blade under pressure. my 0.02 but I've done hundreds of guides like this so it works for me.
John
Whatever you do use, make sure that you heat up the epoxy and residue. I usually use a razor blade to cut the thread, then try to scrape off any residue with my thumbnail. This usually works pretty good for me. If there's a lumpy mess where the guide was, I'll just sand it down a bit so that the guide will sit flat on the blank where it needs to be.
Quote from: Reel Beaker on March 21, 2019, 01:02:24 PM
Hi,
As mentioned in another post, i was going to try to replace a rod guide as an experiment. I followed the video below on how to remove the rod guide. I did not used any heat on my rod just like in the video.
you will find many different results when taking out guides from rods, sometimes the result is a clean area just like the video, sometimes there are some residues from the epoxy that you can clean up with some heat and your ginger nail, sometimes you need heat and a razorblade and sometimes you dont know what kind of epoxy it was used because seems that there is no way to have a clean area, so you have to use the razor blade with care, with heat and sand paper, just dont go overboard trying to get a smooth like glass surface to install the new guide, as long as the guide sit straigth on the blank is good enough, just to make it worst depending on the guide type, model and size you will or wont need a smooth surface on the blank.... ;D easy peasy, right? :P ::)
I've always used a heat gun or an alcohol torch. Before applying any heat be sure it is not a thin walled blank or if the guide you are cutting off / smoothing out isn't too close to the tip. I've done it in the past, gotten the blank too hot and ruined it. The glass or graphite will get very soft if too hot so your sort of doing what they did when they made the blank but without the mandrel inside. 9 times out of 10 there is no problem.
Hope this helps,
Dave
I heat it with a hair dryer and then shave the high spots with an X-acto knife. After I get the humps off I position the blade perpendicular and scrape it down close without gouging the blank. While it isn't necessary, I finish it off with fine sandpaper the same width as the epoxy area and spin the blank to smooth the area out. That process works good for me and you can't even tell a repair has taken place, but then I only do it on graphite blanks. None of my older fiberglass blanks have epoxy finish on them. I only use one part varnish on vintage fiberglass rods. I try to keep them as original as possible.
We try to avoid using anything as brutal as a heat gun, as there is always the chance of compromising the integrity of the blank. Use a hair dryer - much less aggressive heat, and the back of a craft knife - absolutely no change of damaging the blank. Takes time, but worth the effort.
Quote from: Jeri on March 22, 2019, 08:54:18 AM
We try to avoid using anything as brutal as a heat gun, as there is always the chance of compromising the integrity of the blank. Use a hair dryer - much less aggressive heat, and the back of a craft knife - absolutely no change of damaging the blank. Takes time, but worth the effort.
At times you can't blame the tool, but how you use it...but I see your point. :)
Sal
All you need is a good scraper. Old finish will tend to come off in flakes with a scraper. With sandpaper you cannot tell where the finish ends and the rod blank begins. If you heat it the finish will come off as a sticky gum.
-steve
So i managed to get off most of when i wanted from the guide. But i have trouble wrapping the guide on the rod blank. I am trying to tie a large 2-feet guide on the blank.
From videos i have watched, mainly these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Q3fVNmXCs&t=185s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Q3fVNmXCs&t=185s)
I heard you need to "dress the guide" How much do i need to file off the guide foot? Do rod thread come in different sizes? I just grabbed one off a shelf from a tackle store. I tried to tie the guide before filing the guide but was unable to cover parts of the guide foot. I removed the guide and started to file the guide foot. Is this why i need to "dress the guide"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOtKuuhgf9A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOtKuuhgf9A)
Followed this video for basic whipping of the rod guide. Unfortunately, my first loop is always loose. Why? Is it possible to get a tight first loop if there is no knot holding the thread? I am not using any rod stands during whipping as this is my first time replacing a guide.
File the guide foot down to make a smooth transition from the blank to the guide, might need to bend the foot a little too so the tip of the foot is flush so the thread can climb up it. Not sure on your 2nd question but guessing you're having a hard time starting the wrap? You can cut "V's" in a cardboard box for a makeshift rod stand, that might help.
If your first turn of thread is loose, don't worry about it. The first one pretty much always is. Just make sure that you leave a tag end that is long enough that you can get a decent grip on it with your fingers. Make 4-5 turns, covering your tag end, then pull on the tag end to tighten it all up. If you still have gaps in your thread at this point, use your burnishing tool (or whatever you're using) to push the threads together so your gaps are gone. Try pulling on that tag end again to tighten up again and trim your tag end.
Having something to help keep tension on your thread is very helpful as well. When I started, I used a thread bobbin which not only kept the thread under consistent tension when turning, but if you have that cardboard box with the "V's" cut in it to hold the blank like Sheridan suggested, gravity will keep tension on that thread. Just let the bobbin hang and it'll keep your wrap from unraveling. Definitely easier than trying to grow an extra hand in my opinion....
If using a cardboard box with Vs to hold the rod, or it laying across your knees, the old timers ran the thread between two books to keep tension on the thread. Sometimes I'll hold the tag end with a piece of masking tape if my fingers aren't nimble and working correctly. :) Then, like Fishy247 says, after 5 or 6 wraps, before going up over guide foot, I'll use my thumbnail to close any gaps and pull the tag tight & cut it off. It's fairly simple after that.
Just finished wrapping a side of a 2-feet guide.
Below are some pics:
https://imgur.com/uOUKbts (https://imgur.com/uOUKbts)
https://imgur.com/DqvoQJl (https://imgur.com/DqvoQJl)
Some wraps seem to be a little loose and not closely packed enough.
Decent for a 1st attempt i guess. Was exhausting trying to tie everything with just hands and 2 plastic boxes as supports, without a stand.
Can only hope for better workmanship as time goes by.
I've seen worse on first attempts. If you support the rod in Vs cut in the sides of a cardboard box and have a little tension on the thread it will allow you to control the rod better. You can close the spaces with your thumbnail as you work along the guide foot. Keep your thread at a slight, but not too much, angle toward the portion you've already wrapped. That will help keep the wraps tighter together. You can burnish the whole wrap later to smooth it out even more. Also, if you are having trouble seeing what you are doing get a $2 pair of magnified reading glasses and if you start to wrap over one of your wraps, like you've done a couple of times, back it off a turn or two and re wrap. Over wraps aren't terrible but they create humps when you try to put on the finish.
In case you didn't know, burnishing is simply using a tool(or fingernail) to move your wrapped threads around once they are on the rod. They sell burnishing tools for cheap online, but you can make it work with different things. When I was first introduced to wrapping, my buddy told me to use a nail! I've used 16d nails, pens, pen caps, shoot, even a Phillips head screwdriver! Whatever you do decide to use, make sure that it's clean. Any sort of contaminant on that tool will be transferred to your thread. Denatured alcohol cleans it up nicely. Any oils will really mess up your final finish.
Quote from: Fishy247 on March 26, 2019, 04:23:34 PM
..........my buddy told me to use a nail! I've used 16d nails, pens, pen caps, shoot, even a Phillips head screwdriver! Whatever you do decide to use, make sure that it's clean. Any sort of contaminant on that tool will be transferred to your thread. Denatured alcohol cleans it up nicely. Any oils will really mess up your final finish.
thats why is better to spend $2 on a proper burnishing tool than mess a 45hrs work :o :o
I have several videos I have done on rod building and guide wrapping including one on making a cardboard box wrapping jig in this playlist you may find useful: Fishing Rod Building - DIY Rod Building Jigs - Rod Customizing: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX7a8aD_4rEmd_Fl_J4RfNRsUZ3fe6fby