Anyone ever build a rod and it just seems it does not want to be built? I'm in the middle of one right now.
Just little things that are usually routine suddenly become a problem.
I glued up a Aftco gimbal on a trolling rod and I triple checked the alignment with the reel seat until the glue pot was suffiently hardened. Never gave it another thought until a few days ago and sure enough it was off.
The rear grip is a Amtak slick butt. I will use a heat gun to remove the gimbal unless you guys think boiling water will be better. I'm worried I'll heat up the end of the slick butt where it actually melts or softens the epoxy under it and that by doing so I'll make that glue bond brittle. Any ideas?

Just my opinion, but I would say its time to toss it aside for a day or two and get out on on the lake, river, or water you want to fish. Sometimes you just need to clear the mind a bit and remember this is supposed to be fun for us. Works for me. Your not messing up anything we have not all done at one time or another.

The heat that will break an epoxy bond is the same heat that can easily damage a blank or other component parts. If it were me, I'd spiral cut the gimbal off and replace it with a fresh one.

...............

I had the same ting happen. I took some very coarse files and a belt sander and filed/ground the gimbal down until I had exposed the epoxy, or the gimbal was very thin, and then use a MAPP torch on the exposed epoxy so I wouldn't have to heat up the aluminum that much. I used very quick passes since the MAPP is very hot! I put the gimbal end into a metal vise and kept twisting the rod at the reel seat while I heated. I had a bucket of water to dunk the butt end into once the gimal was off. I had around 1/8" fiberglass mesh drywall tape as a shim and the lower wraps were intact and not burnt. I pulled the mesh tape off; the bottom layers were not brittle or affected by the heat. I lucked out!