Hi,
Until now I've built rods but never restored, today I said I'd rebuild a rod for a friend.
I Cut the handle off, What I found under the handle surprised me, There is an extra sleeve of carbon 9 1/2" long epoxied over the blank. I put the reel seat into boiling water it came off fine. So my question, do I boil the sleeve off too, I assume so, but don't want to waste the blank. This rod has serious sentimental value. The new handle will need this sleeve off to fit properly!
Thanks
Colin...

Not sure if you mean the butt section is doubled up entirely or that the blank has been extended with an oversleeve. The former might conceal a repair

Either way you could cut the butt back the length of the reel seat and epoxy in a snug but thinner peice of scrap blank (or kite spar) that your seat will fit over. Or if the seat has a wood insert, ream it out some more (ditto cork grip if applicable)

Hi,
Thanks for the reply....
There is a complete sleeve of extra carbon starting 1" up from the bottom of the blank, it is the full length of the handle, and most of the reel seat. I don't think it's a repair, but it kinda looks like it to me.
This is a Hardy Fibatube rod.
Regards
Colin

Here's a look..



Regards
Colin

Good advice to leave it there if its still solidly glued in place after the boiling water used to remove the seat.

If you can open out the new seat to fit, that would be my choice just incase there is a broken blank underneath.

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Thanks for that Steve,
I'd kinda came to that conclusion, the more I looked at it. It's still fine after the boil, it only took seconds to release the seat....I only hope I can get a reel seat to fit, it's 14mil at the widest part! Will a reel seat with a wooden insert ream out enough do you think?
Regards
Colin

This is s a fairly standard volume manufacturers' production trick .
Work round it or you may have a nasty surprise and a shortened rod in the butt section !
( Masking tape and regular Araldite usually let you get away with it .)

Best wishes

Steve P

---------- Post added at 12:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 AM ----------

Standard Fuji is 16mm bore - very few wood insert reelseats are that big bored or will take reaming / boring out without collapsing in the process .

Best wishes

Steve P

Thanks Steve....
OK that's what I'll do.
Regards
colin

I have seen that trick a few times Steve.... I think though with this rod of Colin's, that the handle possibly has been built on the larger diameter glass fibre section seperately, then slipped on the main blank and glued in place.

I have seen similar done on another well known brand. In this case, the handles had been pre assembled on cardboard cylinders, and then glued in place.


Regards,
David.

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David,
You could well be right, it looks possible.

This is a headache for me now.... So is it possible someone could make a nice custom Reel seat with a suitable bore? It was the Fuji reel seat I took off, The fella I'm doing it for is looking to get some nice components this time round... Or is it Only the Black plastic Fuji that will fit?
While I'm at this, Where the winding check will go, the handle is gonna have a large diameter bore because I'll need to ream the it out to fit the carbon sleeve. I assume the winding check won't have a snug fit against the thinner blank. Any tips...... I wish I hadn't pulled it to bits now
Regards
Colin