Loose reel seat handle

[old geezer]

I had a rod made several years agao and he is no longer around. My question is how do I go about re glueing or whatever to fix my problem.

The reel turns when casting and alignment problem occurs with the guides.

Step by step would be nice

Thanks for any help

Philip

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Excuse my spelling and Gramma, I hooked mondays and Fridays so I could either hunt or fish.

Philip;
Is the rod seat turning only, not the cork?
I'm only a novice at rod building so may be off base. If only the seat is turning it may have come loose from the butt section and about to come right off! If this were to happen the fix would be easy. It may be that not enough epoxy was used during the build.
Check out Al Campbel's rod building over in Features. The section on assembling the grip may be helpful in understanding how it goes togather and what is on the inside.

[dleo6446]

Philip,
If it is turning enough to impact the alignment then it should be a pretty easy fix.

Reel seats are glued on and it sounds as if the glue has failed. We don't know what glue he used, nor do we know if it is shimed inside with tape or some other filler. But it is loose. It may be loose enough to work with wihtout the use of any type of heat to get it off. Just try twisting lightly back and forth and pulling on it as you twist lightly. do NOT overtwist as that can cause the insert ot break or the rod butt section to break. If it does not come off. Use some heat but only enough to loosen the glue so that it will come off.

After you have removed it. use a drill bit that is about the same size as the hole in the reel seat and by hand clean out as much of the glue as you can, you need a nice and clean as possible surface to get the new glue to hold. Make sure that the hardware is still glued to the insert while you have it off. When you are ready to put it back on you may need to use tape to create a bushing for the reelseat so that it will self center on the rod butt as you put it back on.

Use a 5 minute epoxy, and mix up a batch about the size of a half dollar. Apply the epoxy onto the bushings and/or butt of the rod and put the seat back on making sure that you align the hood and the rails with the stripper guide. Have a cloth or papertowel handy so you can wipe off any glue squeeze out that you have. Let it set for 15 to 20 minutes, and you are ready to go fishing.

[kengore]

I agree with dleo6466's advice, but would add that some heat applied to the reel seat will help loosen the old bond.

A hair dryer or heat gun works well, make sure you leave plenty of time to allow the heat to penetrate, it takes time. I would heat it for 5 minutes, rest it for 15 minutes and repeat. Too much heat, esp. with a high power heat gun could damage the wood.

Some folks have had good results using hot water. Boil a large pot of water, remove it from the stove and immerse the rod handle (wrapped in a plastic bag) and check every 15 minutes.

Just removing the butt cap might let you see what the problem is. The glue might have failed or perhaps some shim material such as masking tape has deteriorated. If it's just the tape failing you might be able to fix it in place by flooding the area with a thin penetrating super glue. Use 5 min. epoxy to replace the butt cap.

I like using 2 ton epoxy (longer working time) mixed with an epoxy filler to the consistancy of tooth paste. The filler makes the epoxy lighter, more flexible and enhances it's gap filling properties.

I try to fill the voids between my 1/2" masking tape shims so the epoxy paste holds the handle or reel seat in place, not the tape.

Mix the epoxy and filler about 50/50 in the corner of a plastic zip-lock bag and snip off the corner for a handy applicator. To fill the voids you will need about a golf ball size amount.

Epoxy filler such as 'Micro-Ballons' can be purchased at a hobby store that sells to the model aircraft crowd.

Use household vinegar to clean up any glue that squeezes out.

[old geezer]

Thanks for the replies and I will take your advise.

I feel better now and will attempt to lossen up reel seat and re apoxy. I am the last guy to do handy work

Philip

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Excuse my spelling and Gramma, I hooked mondays and Fridays so I could either hunt or fish.

[cheffy]

from what I can see it looks like the threads are also loose. It also looks like the spacer is made of Cocobola, a very oily wood. After you grt everything off, check for shims. Many companies use masking tape. I would replace them. While I'm not a big fan of masking tape it may be the easiest way. Wrap in two areas withthe tape until the seat fits snug. You don't want any slop since the glue will not be a good filler. Now coat the tape with epoxy,I like the kind with a longer work time instead of the 5 min. especially coat the sides of the shim.
after that dries recheck the fit and lightly sand if necessary.
Now before reglueing the spacer clean out the
bore of any old glue. If the spacer is cocobola you need to rempve the oils. Swab the inside with acetone or lacking that use fingernail polish remover. let it dry then swab your epoxy into the bore and put the seat on. Wipe mess and if needed tape in place. now glue on the cap and threads. wait 24 hrs then go fishing. There are epoxies made just for this and the best is Rod Bond.
It does have some gap filling properties and is the consistancy of paste. any good catalog that carries rod building supplies will have it. But for a quick repair like this I think you may be better off with just the regular stuff.
If just the threads are loose... Remove them and carfully clean the area with acetone etc. and then reglue with the epoxy. From your picture this may be all it needs.
HTH

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[This message has been edited by cheffy (edited 08 June 2006).]

[old geezer]

Thanks, heated it up pulled it off , cleaned it up, added more tape, hit it with epoxy and its holding nicely.

Yhank to all

Philip

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Excuse my spelling and Gramma, I hooked mondays and Fridays so I could either hunt or fish.