So although my client loves the look, components and weight of the rod....he is unhappy with the length of the handle.
Rod was is a 7'2" that is being used for open water trap casting so I gave him an 11" handle to help with the casting.
He is looking for a 9" handle. I'm going to cut down the butt to accommodate his request, although I told him I would only take 1 1/2" off.

Two questions.

How do I get the epoxy off?
How do I get the finish off?

Thanks

Jon,
Have you asked the client if you can just chop the rod to get the handle length that he wishes to have?

If that were the case, chop the butt and install a new butt cap and you would be ready to go.

Otherwise, you will have to take off the rear grip, the reel seat and fore grip.
If you have butt wraps and a decal, you will likely have to redo that as well.

In this case - the very best option would be to obtain another blank and materials and built another rod. Then, take the current rod and sell it to someone else.

Good luck

you would think that it would give him more control but I guess to each his own
one thing I do when I get a customer that wants a spin or cast rod I give him a rod with a reel o it to hold and measure from the center of the 2 middle fingers out to an inch from their elbow and that usually works best and never has a complaint

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

I'm with your customer Jon, length in front of the rod travels a further distance in the same time, giving increased acceleration and casting distance, rod length behind the hand unless there is a really good reason for it is a waste of good graphite. I can two hand 9 inches just fine, same with 8 inches.

All these things need to be worked out prior to the build. I would not cut 2" off the butt of a new 7' 2" rod for a paying customer. I have too much pride and perfectionist in me. You might have to eat that one and build him a rod on a new blank. Personally, I don't care for a long handle in the colder months with a heavy coat and PFD on.

I use Rod Bond on handles, and I warm it with a heat gun (on low) to warm the epoxy when I need to remove a grip. The grip needs to be sliced off close to the epoxy or it will insulate. When I clean up an area for a guide replacement I use low heat and a Popsicle stick. Slow and steady. Use your thumb nail to pick away at it when you get down to the last of it.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2017 09:21AM by Chuck Mills.

Chuck....I offered a new rod and he turned me down, he said he wanted a 7' rod anyway...LoL
Also we did discuss the handle I let him know how long it would be...he told me he wanted a short "grip" which I gave him, however his idea of a grip was the handle so there was a misunderstanding there.

Sounds like you're all set!

In the past I have used a disc sander to square up a handle so that I can attach a new butt cap. I made a simple jig so that I could keep the rod square to the disc and it worked great. This was on a crappie rod that had a rear grip about 2" longer than I wanted.

If you're dealing with a split grip you have a bit more work. Sometimes you can wrap over the old split area with thread that matches the blank color. That way you can give it a coat of finish and add your decals.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2017 09:55AM by Chuck Mills.

I have built a lot of rods with all cork handles and butts.
As a result, I generally always do a final sand on the butt of the rod to true it up as well as to sand off the center plug that I normally use with these grips.

Although I used a disk sander which worked just fine, now and then, the end of the rod would not be quite square with the rest of the rod.

As a result, I picked up a "cross vise" vise to mount on an unused disk sander that I had in the shop.

Now, I clamp the rod grip into the "cross vise ' with a cushion of paper towel around the grip to avoid leaving marks on the grip, turn on the sander and then advance the "cross vise" into the face of the spinning disk sander to clean up and square up the end of the grip.

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