How hard is it? I have an old fiberglass 5wt that I’d like to use, but the reel seat is worn and the rings won’t hold a reel for more than about 2-3 casting strokes. I’d like to replace the seat but I’m not sure how to start, or if it’ll even be worth it.
Any help given is greatly appreciated. I’m at work now, but will try to post pics of the seat later this evening.
Thanks.
First, get the old reel seat off.
The reel seat is probably held on by some sort of glue or epoxy. Hopefully, it’s not too stout.
Boil a pot of water and put the butt end of the rod in a heavy plastic bag.
Dip the bag into the boiling water to weaken the glue. You should be able to pull the reel seat off.
It may take a little time, depending on the glue/epoxy used. Some good gloves will help.
While the glue is still soft on the rod blank, scrape it off the best you can. Use a plastic scraper to prevent damaging the rod blank.
To replace the reel seat:
It’s a lot easier if you find a reel seat with the same dimensions.
Use a two part eopxy to put the new on on…like rod bond or somthing similar.
Be sure to line up where the reel attaches to the rest of the rod.
The inside of the reel seat will likely be larger than the diameter of the blank where it fits.
Build up some arbors with strips of tape on the blank to make the reel seat fit even and snug, then do the epoxy work.
bgreer has a good grasp of what it takes to replace a reel seat. I’ve built a dozen rods over the years, including bamboo. He is absolutley correct to point out that selection of a reel seat that has the same dimensions as the old one will save you a lot of headaches. I have removed seats with a dremel tool by slitting it on both sides following the edge of my bench as a guide. Best wishes
Hi NC,
Question, is the reel seat on your rod just a pair of rings over a cork center, where you just slide the rings together over the feet of the reel, or is it something else? It makes a difference in how you get the old seat off, and for the repacement hardware.
The reason I asked is that from your comments I thought that perhaps it was the double ring type.
Thanks and regards,
Gandolf
Sort of. It’s an end cap and a ring over a cork center. The lower foot of the reel goes in the end cap and the ring slides down over the top foot.
Suggestions on how to fix my problem?
Sounds to me like the cork under the reel seat is compressed. Try steaming the cork before you remove it. May or may not work, but worth a shot in my book.
Brad
Is that as easy as holding the handle over a pot of boiling water? How long do you recommend steaming it?
Until the reel fits properly…It is really that easy. If you have a teakettle that will concentrate the steam, that will make the job go quicker.
Brad
I’ll have to give that a try this evening. Thanks for the tip.
So steaming worked. The ring that holds the reel in place is holding MUCH better.
My new problem is that I have an old Shakespeare Wonderod that needs a new grip as the cork that’s on it have gotten beat up and is coming apart. I can’t get the reel seat off so I can clean the blank to put a new grip on. I’ve had it in a pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes and can’t get it to budge.
Any suggestions?
After boiling, throw it in a bowl of ice cubes and water. The shock from hot to cold will do the trick sometimes. You may have to go through 2-3 hot cold cycles to get it off.
If all else fails, you can use the cutoff wheel on a Dremel tool and slice along the sides length wise and pry it off.
Good luck Grasshopper!!
Brad