Obviously, I am new to this business but I have the bug which leads me to my question.
I have several rods (custom built on good blanks) where the reel seats and handles need to be replaced/reworked. I am sure they were epoxied in place- is it practical to go down this road or am I asking for a lot of trouble?
BTW- this is a great board!
Thanks for your patience.

Clay, I'm new to this also, but as a hobbiest for the moment. Grip and reelseat replacement is normally better done from the tip due to the taper of the rod. This would mean removing and replacing the old guides also. It is possible to replace the handle from the back, but you'll have to make sure all of the components are large enough to fit over the butt ( this doesn't work very well for cork ring grips). I've rebuilt several older rods like this to save money on blanks while I was learning. The question is " Is the blank worth more than my time to strip it down?" When I'm sitting watching TV, I know what the answer is. Most grips can be cut off with an Xacto knife. To remove the reelseat, I use a Dremel tool with a cutting wheel to cut a slot down each side of the seat being careful not to cut the blank. Heating with a blow dryer can also help soften the epoxy. Pry the reelseat away from the blank and then cut away the remaing epoxy. Keep any sanding very light so as not to decrease the integrity of the blank.

large surf rods- all two piece.