Last Minute Mistake

[GBurgFisher]

This is embarrassing. The only reason I even openly admit to doing something so air-headed is the slight hope that my mistake will someday help others by preventing them from doing the same thing. I finished re-finishing my first rod. I planned on using it for a trip up to New York. It was down to the wire, really down to the wire (the wraps show it, trust me).

The last thing I had to do was glue on the reel seat/grip, which I did Monday morning before I left. I got to the stream on Tuesday and put the rod together, and man did it look nice. I was so pumped. I throw the reel on, and what did I notice? In my haste, I forgot to line up the reel seat with the guides. I even though about the need to do this days before I ended up doing it. It looked ridiculous. I couldn't have planned a better 90 degree angle that was formed by the direction of the guides and the reel seat. It was more or less un-fishable. Bummer.

With that said, anyone know if boiling will break down gorilla glue, because that?s about the only solution I see to this problem at this point in time.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

GBurgFisher,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Unfortunately, I had to replace the reel seat on a friends rod. It was assembled using Gorilla Glue. After a call to the manufacturers of the glue, I found out that the only way to break the bond was to cut it away.

Luckily, I am a cabinet maker with a shop full of sharp tools and made quick work of the reel seat, sanding it down to the blank. A new reel seat was glued back in place (properly lined up with the guides) using epoxy (just in case).

REE

[Photojoe4]

Yeah, I'm afraid that Gorilla Glue is just too dang good at holding stuff together. What sort of reelseat did you put on it?

Regards,
Joe Martin
Salem, OR

[GBurgFisher]

The reel seat was one I actually picked up on ebay so I'm not really sure what kind it is. Its just a standard looking, uplocking, reel seat. It was all put together when I got it. The wooden insert is pinned at the top (the top that is currently settled into the cork). The area for the top of the reel, along with the groove in the wooden insert for the reel, are both off to the side. Looks like I'm going to have to get a little creative with this one. No worries though, I'm kind of laughing about it by now.

[TampaJim]

Next time use Rod Bond instead of the Gorilla glue - you will be better off the next time you 90 degree the seat. However, in this case you might want to consider moving all the guides and the top instead.

[Photojoe4]

Hmm. I was trying to think of a way for you to save at least a portion of your reelseat hardware, but sorry to say, I don't think that's gonna work. Since you can't use the "boiling" method, I'd suggest using a dremel cutoff wheel, and make a shallow cut down the length of the reelseat. Which one of your rods was this? And what type of reelseat would you like for it (what sort of wood for the spacer, etc..)?

Regards,
Joe Martin
Salem, OR

[GBurgFisher]

It was just a standard metal seat with a rosewood insert. Here is what I was thinking... Try and take a cut off wheel and make a new foot space for the top of the reel, then sand down and re-groove the insert. I think that I'll be able to create a fairly smooth transition between the hardware and the insert because the current groove is not that deep. Honestly the tougest part is going to be cutting the metal, but I think i'll be able to pull it off. The rod is one of my Monty's. I think its a rapidan since the only letters I can make out are D followed by /. A is the only letter that goes this way (/) besides M, and the only Monty model that has a D followed by and A or M is the Rapidan. It was really intended to be my practice rod. It was in the worst condition and I just wanted to go through the process once before I set off on some of the others. Rod Bond it is next time!

[MontanaMoose]

TampaJim, what a brilliant and simple solution !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Bear742]

Next time use Rod Bond instead of the Gorilla glue - you will be better off the next time you 90 degree the seat. However, in this case you might want to consider moving all the guides and the top instead.

That would do it if you are not aligned to the spline or if it does not make any difference. On the rods I have done, I generally put the reel seat on first, though.

Mike

[Photojoe4]

Bear, I think your right. You mean the rods spine, not spline, right? (splines are the pieces that are glued together to make up the rod blank) Just moving the guides so they are in line with the reelseat would be MUCH easier if it is still on the spine of the rod, but since you said the reelseat is at 90degrees to the guides, I'd say that's probably not likely.