removing guides for a repair

What do you use to remove a guide from a rod? I need to replace a stripping guide on a rod and while I have built a rod I have never had to take finish off before.

Thanks guys-

Phil Landry

Hello,
Take a razor blade and cut into the wraps were they cover the guide foot, that way you don't cut into the blank by accident. You then just go ahead and peel
off the wrap. This can be a pain if the wraps are epoxied.

Jeremy

Phil is right on, cut the old wraps on the top of the guide feet and you can remove the guide, then painstakingly you can remove the rest of the wrap using just a thumbnail. It does help a little to hold the rod under some hot tap water just long enough to heat it up a bit. don't use anything sharp edged like a knife blade to scrape with though, that could spell disaster. Final cleanup with a little acetone will leave it nice and clean ready for your new guide and wrap.

Thanks for the advice guys. Much appreciated.

I've been repairing rods for years and have found that a #1 Xacto Knife to be the best tool for my work. It allows me to work safely with it rather than an iffy razor blade. Start by cutting the thread along the top of the old guide foot to remove the old guide and then you can peel the old thread off. You will likely find that you can grab a thread tag end and unravel the winding from the blank. Once the thread has been removed, use the Xacto knife to gently scape the old epoxy from the blank. Care is needed not to cut into the blank. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol. Scraping the old epoxy will prep the blank for the new guide thus allowing a very nice and smooth new thread wrap. When properly done and finished with epoxy, you should end up with a beautiful repair. Hope this helps!

David Parker
Certified Custom Rod Builder