I have an old rod I had built for a family member who is no longer with us. The rod was an eight foot salmon rod built on a Sila Flex fiberglass blank. I built this around 1964. I used agate guides with nickel silver frames. The reel seat was an ordinary metal frame and hood. The grip was cork. The glue I used was a liquid Rod cement which was a thermal setting glue much like Pliobond. The color preserver was a form of model airplane lacquer and the finish was four coats of rod varnish.

I want to rebuild this rod with more modern components and use it for Pacific salmon fishing out here on the Pacific coast. I have removed the guides and placed them in a dry dark place. I need to remove the reel seat and work grip. I know that the rod glue is soluble in both acetone and Methyl Ethyl Ketone (both of which must used in an open area. Whether the solvents can affect the blank I haven't determined yet and there isn't an easy way to get the solvent into the glue. I know heating will also soften the the glue. I could heat the cork grip in boiling water, but getting to the glue is still problematical. I could also very very carefully shave the cork grip down until the glue is visible. Gentle heating of the reel seat with an alcohol lamp would be sufficient remove the reel seat. I will also have to polish up the nickel silver ferrule since there seems to be some corrosion on both the male and female part of the ferrule.

If any of you have done this work or have an idea on how to proceed, please let me know how you would do it. You can reach me through a post on this forum or send me an e-mail. Just click on my name to get my e-mail address. Thanks for any and all help you can offer me. In removing the thread, I discovered the thread was quite weak.

Mike Blomme

I would bite off the grips with an ordinary pair of pliers down to the blank after spiral cutting off the reel seat with a hacksaw. Some careful scraping and rubbing with denatured alcohol should do the rest..

I would remove the fore grip and save the rear grip if it is good and clean it up with dish soap and a soft brush cut off the seat clean up the blank and install new seat and for grip and wrap it up and finish it to make an old rod new again and fish with some good memories

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

Heat will not help with cork as it is a good insulation material, so you will need to destroy it to get it off. For the reel seat, I have very good luck removing them by, boiling it for 15 minutes and then carefully twisting it off the blank. Using a alcohol lamp can be tricky as it does not cover the entire surface all the time and it may get too hot.

As others have said, use slip joint pliers to remove the rear grip and fore grip.
Use a dremel tool to slice the reel seat into two pieces.

Put on a new rear grip, a new reel seat and a new fore grip.

Tape on the guides and rewrap the guides and coat them.

Good luck

I am not as qualified as previous veterans to answer your reel seat and grip inquiries. However, if your ferrule is beyond salvaging, THE only guy to PROPERLY fabricate a replacement NS ferrule is Jerry’s Custom Tackle. While not inexpensive, you will certainly get what you paid for!!!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

If a comment from a rookie is ok, dont use slip joint or channellock pliers to remove the cork. Both will easily apply too much force when you are gripping and twisting, resulting ina sickening crunch, which tells you the game is over.

Instead, try some round jaw vise grips. it wont matter how hard you grip visegrips; they will not tighten beyond their setpoint. With the added time for unlocking, locking and adjusting, it will take a little longer to do the job, but you wont ever hear that crunch.

I haven't had to remove many cork grips. But when I've had to, I've used a "knob cutter". Google bonsai knob cutter. A sharp and effective tool, you need to work slowly and avoid biting into the blank.