Hello everyone,

I have a question about how much of the surface area of the blank that is covered by the grips and seat needs to be water break free. Does 100% of the area need to be in this condition, or is it sufficient if I have a complete ring of a portion of the area in a water break free state?

I am assembling a rod on a MHX blank that is colored white, and I have spent a solid hour getting about a 1/2 inch wide ring near the butt end to be water break free. Does that seem right?

I want to do things correctly and to the standard a "professional" uses, and am just want to make sure I'm clear on what is expected and how long that takes.

Thank you for your input.

Best,
Gib

Gib,
About three strokes with a scotch bright pad will give a break free surface for gluing a reel seat. i.e. about 10 seconds per grip is about the right amount of time to spend on this task.

Many folks do nothing more than wiping down the blank to be sure that it is free of dirt and oil before gluing on a reel seat and have no issues. Your choice.

Good luck

The process only takes a minute or so. Clean, scour, and apply adhesive.

You do want the entire area that you plan to adhere to be in the WBF condition. Again, this only takes a minute or so, if that long.

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

Gib

I don't know if there is a standard for surface preparation because different materials may require unique preparation.

For guidance one can rely on;

The adhesive manufactures recommendation.
Personal experience
Tribal knowledge (information passed down over time}

All processes have one thing in common and we have read it in many posts- "the surface must be clean and oil free".

I solvent clean the parts to remove any oils then use 320 grit paper or Scotch -Brite to dull or scuff the finish and dry wipe with a clean cloth.
After cleaning I apply the adhesive and assemble the parts as soon as possible.

Over time you will develop your own technique.

John

[www.smooth-on.com]

I'll stick with Tom's recommendation. Since I have I have had no reel seat security problems. It is common sense that if you prep 0 % of the area, it is in doubt. If you prep 100% of the area, it's pretty well as good as you can do. Anything in between is in between.

Gib,

I think Tom has it right, me I use one rule when I'am useing any kind of glue" 1Dull the shine., 2 clean the dull and let it dry and all will be fine".
It works for me, I have not had any troubles with glue ups in 15yrs. I have been doing rods.