A friend gave me this old Featherlight because the reel seat twists and won't stay aligned with the line guides.
Is there any way to glue this back to where it will stay stationary?
I got the butt cap off, but the bottom cork handle is glued too secure it would probably be impossible to remove it without destroying it.
You can pickup a replacement piece of cork grip from Jann's Netcraft, Mudhole or even eBay. Since you have the butt cap off split the rear grip with a knife or fine hobby back saw, peel it off, scrape the epoxy off the blank and fit and install the new rear piece of grip with epoxy. Since it is so short it should be easy to refit a new one and slide it in from the rear. Heat from a hairdryer will soften epoxy but the cork will more than likely not let it get hot enough to remove it.
Thanks for the quick answer, Tommy.
This is a 3" rear grip. Jann's Netcraft has 5" rear grips for $7.99. I'll look over their catalog and see if I can find other things I need.
On second thought, I can get a brand new replacement rod for $19.99, or a combo with a throwaway Chinese reel for $23. ::)
Yeah, but those W&M Featherlites are are collector's items and worth saving. Plus, they're a nice little fiber glass fishing rod!
You can pick up a Hong Kong special over here (https://www.ebay.com/sch/Fishing/1492/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=cork+grips&rt=nc) for $3.00 +- if you're not in a big hurry. Just make sure the ID is small enough for the rod dia. OD shouldn'r be that big of deal as you can turn/sand it down if need be.
Since it was probably put on with the old brown glue stick you may be able to heat the reel seat with a hot air gun to reactivate the glue and get it to stick. It's worth a try. Some folks have had success drilling a small hole in the metal and injecting epoxy.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on October 19, 2017, 07:43:27 PM
Some folks have had success drilling a small hole in the metal and injecting epoxy.
-steve
That's what I might try to do, maybe even drill 3 or 4 small holes and use epoxy. If that doesn't work maybe even buy a complete reel seat and handles a tad longer and install it. Doubtful it would affect the action of the rod.
Yeah, I'm thinking maybe drilling some strategically placed holes, squirt in the adhesive, then turn the handle a few times; repeat a couple times; make sure you end with the hoods lined up w/ the guides. Sounds like a nice rod.
Frank
Alot of those old seats were on cork arbors. If that is the case here you will probably mess up a good vintage seat by drilling holes in it and trying to fill the void with epoxy. Just a thought here, if you cut off the cork from the butt and take off the seat you'll be able to either install graphite arbors or try to build the blank up with narrow strips of masking tape. Once the seat is packed full of epoxy and dried you can push on the new cork from the rear. If you cut off 4 rings of cork from the 5" grip you should be fine and dandy with the now 3" grip. Well this is in the perfect world and we all know how that goes. Be very careful, this rod building and repair stuff can be hazardous to your health and mental stability.
Dave
Quote from: festus on October 19, 2017, 09:55:30 PM
Quote from: oc1 on October 19, 2017, 07:43:27 PM
Some folks have had success drilling a small hole in the metal and injecting epoxy.
-steve
That's what I might try to do, maybe even drill 3 or 4 small holes and use epoxy. If that doesn't work maybe even buy a complete reel seat and handles a tad longer and install it. Doubtful it would affect the action of the rod.
If you opt for a longer handle make sure you install an extension glued inside the original blank to support the additional hollow cork at the rear. Otherwise, the amount you add will easily snap off right at the rear of the original blank.