Any rod builders? I am gonna try to replace the guides

[jedimaster]

I have a rod that I like the action of and I am thinking about replacing the guides on it as they suck. I wanted to put on the micro guides as its a baitcaster and I wanted to try the micro guides out. How hard is it to remove the old guides and replace them? I have watched a few videos and it looks fairly straight forward. I don't mind so much if I screw up the rod as its useless to me with the crap guides that are on it now. If you have any tips on removing the guides and epoxy it would be appreciated.

[MJL]

Taking guides off is easy...Taking the epoxy residue left over on the blank - Not so easy.

 

Most people take a lighter and lightly flame the guide wrap to soften up the finish. I personally use a heat gun and go back and forth over the guide wrap to avoid cooking the blank in one spot. Take a sharp razor blade and cut into the thread ON TOP OF THE GUIDE FOOT (Very important you do this on top of the guide feet or you may risk cutting into the blank) You can plane across the guide foot with the razor however my preferred method is to cut into the wrap a little, grab a loose thread and unwind - It should unravel the whole wrap. The guide should just fall out or just pull the sticking guide off the blank.

 

To clean up the epoxy residue, I usually take the heat gun to soften it up and take a fingernail to scrap it off. Denatured alcohol (Methyl Hydrate) can used to speed things up a bit...The epoxy solvent that Angling Specialties sells works even better than the alcohol.

 

You'll be good to tie on the guides.

 

Taking guides off unpainted, unfinished blanks is the easiest...Gloss painted blanks are also fairly easy...Matt finished, painted blanks - Not so easy as you often remove or discolour the paint in the process of scraping off the epoxy residue. I normally retie the guides on with a slightly longer guide wrap to cover over the blemishes.

[jedimaster]

Thanks for the info, I'll give her a whirl tonight, I'll try and remember to take a few picture along the way too. I was just going to use some 15 pound power pro for the thread wrapping will that do? or should I usesomething else?

 

Taking guides off is easy...Taking the epoxy residue left over on the blank - Not so easy.

 

Most people take a lighter and lightly flame the guide wrap to soften up the finish. I personally use a heat gun and go back and forth over the guide wrap to avoid cooking the blank in one spot. Take a sharp razor blade and cut into the thread ON TOP OF THE GUIDE FOOT (Very important you do this on top of the guide feet or you may risk cutting into the blank) You can plane across the guide foot with the razor however my preferred method is to cut into the wrap a little, grab a loose thread and unwind - It should unravel the whole wrap. The guide should just fall out or just pull the sticking guide off the blank.

 

To clean up the epoxy residue, I usually take the heat gun to soften it up and take a fingernail to scrap it off. Denatured alcohol (Methyl Hydrate) can used to speed things up a bit...The epoxy solvent that Angling Specialties sells works even better than the alcohol.

 

You'll be good to tie on the guides.

 

Taking guides off unpainted, unfinished blanks is the easiest...Gloss painted blanks are also fairly easy...Matt finished, painted blanks - Not so easy as you often remove or discolour the paint in the process of scraping off the epoxy residue. I normally retie the guides on with a slightly longer guide wrap to cover over the blemishes.

[MJL]

Thanks for the info, I'll give her a whirl tonight, I'll try and remember to take a few picture along the way too. I was just going to use some 15 pound power pro for the thread wrapping will that do? or should I usesomething else?

 

Can't say I've ever used or thought about using powerpro to wrap guides. I've also never heard of people using PowerPro to wrap guides on...

 

I use rod tying thread made by Gudebrod - I get it from Angling Specialties (I live down the street from it)...It's pretty similar to sewing thread (which I've also used a few times in the past)but thicker and a little more round in diameter. Key is to get a thread that isn't covered or sprayed in silicone or oil (some are for some reason)...You'll end up with a screwed up finish if there's even a bit of silicone on it...Silicone and epoxy do not mix. If you're using a thread covered in silicone, the only way I know of to get around it is to use colour preserver over top of the thread...Let dry...Apply your epoxy.

[Spiel]

MJL's advice is solid and pretty much how I do it. However not owning a heat gun I use steam from a boiling kettle (gently, you want to warm the finish, not the rod), and remove finish a little at a time, scraping it with my thumb nail. It's a slow process so don't try to rush it.

 

I wouldn't recommend using power pro, get the proper rod winding thread and be sure not to use to much tension when winding, the thread does have some stretch and too much tension can actually crush the rod causing imminent failure of the blank.

[Garry2Rs]

I was also thinking about having the guides on an old rod replaced with Mini guides. However a rod builder in Texas who has been doing custom made mini guide rods for a few years told me that if I simply put mini's on where the standard guides had been they wouldn't work.

 

He said the proper placement of the mini guides is quite different from standard guides and that if you put them on an old rod, the rod will still show the "scars" from where the old guides have been removed.

[jace]

how many guides are on the rod now and how long is the rod? The problem with just swapping out guides with micros is too much line rub. If it's a higher quality rod with more guides, you might be able to get away with it but it's not going to be optimal. If you look at some of the factory micro rods on the market, you'll see that the guides are quite close together and likely a few more guides than a typical rod.

 

and now for the workaround to make it okay. rewrap it into a spiral wrap with a bumper guide. hehe. no line scrub and it keeps the guides in the same locations. still not optimal as far as loading the blank but you will get to try out micros and a spiral.

 

 

btw. I also say no to powerpro for wrapping. First, I'm not sure the rod finish will be able to penetrate the fibers for a solid hold on the guide. Micro feet are very short to begin with. Second, power pro is covered in that wax so the finish i doubt the finish will stick to it. You're from KW, i think. go down to Natural and grab a spool of proper thread. BTW, sewing thread has silicone lube that will fish-eye the rod finish unless you use "color preserver" so that's out too.

 

whose micro guides are you going with?

[Paully]

Can't say I've ever used or thought about using powerpro to wrap guides. I've also never heard of people using PowerPro to wrap guides on...

 

I use rod tying thread made by Gudebrod - I get it from Angling Specialties (I live down the street from it)...It's pretty similar to sewing thread (which I've also used a few times in the past)but thicker and a little more round in diameter. Key is to get a thread that isn't covered or sprayed in silicone or oil (some are for some reason)...You'll end up with a screwed up finish if there's even a bit of silicone on it...Silicone and epoxy do not mix. If you're using a thread covered in silicone, the only way I know of to get around it is to use colour preserver over top of the thread...Let dry...Apply your epoxy.

 

 

I used power pro 50lb to wrap a guide up then some clear epoxy to keep it in place.. This was only meant to be a temporary fix but is still good till this day.