I was wondering if it was possible to remove the foam like grip on rods and rewrap with the cork grip tape that you can buy at tackle stores. For instance, I have a 10' ugly stick and im just not a fan of the foam grip/butt; can i remove that and rewrap with the cork tape??? Anyone ever try this before and how would i go about removing it? With a razor??? thanks,
mike

I think that would work. Maybe some sanding to remove the old resin.

Its commonly done. yes use a blade to get most , be careful when you get close to the blank. get it as clean as possible with final scraping , not cutting at the very blank surface. Then clean with Alchohol and apply the cork tape. dress the ends with thread and coat.

ohhh you do have to coat though???

I agree to cut off the old grip with a razor but try not to kick into the blank. Then I would try asetone to remove the exopy and any of the grip. If that doesn,t cut it I would sand and scrape but again try not to get into the blank. I dont think there would be a need to recoat the blank. You may need 2 layers of cork tape to buils it up to the reel seat.

ohhh you do have to coat though???

no, you can use electrician's tape to cover and hold down the ends of the cork tape. you can just cut the cork tape so you have a square end towards the top of the grip.

the epoxy and thread on the ends gives it a more "production" and professional look, plus it looks cleaner. it also protext the ends from wear. the tape is not permanent, so you could put on more cork tape in the future.

and, as already mentioned, just be careful not to scar the blank when you remove the old foam grip if using a razor blade.

I would avoid acetone. denatured alchohol will be strong enough. I do have acetone but use it so sparingly a single can lasts years. the alchohol gets used a lot (on the rod , not down the hatch! :) ) .

You don't coat the whole blank , just the threads , if used , that hold down the ends. Yes you can use tape or even better IMO , shrink wrap but the best look and durability will be had by wrapping the ends with thread and coating. This is only about 1/2 to 1 inch on both ends of the cork tape. In fact , the end that will be under the butt cap can simply be taped down with the black electrical tape then the butt cap pounded on nice and tight.

why do you stay away from acetone?

Acetone is bad for your health. It is also so strong a solvent it can remove paint and gloss coating from the blank. It can also leave stains on the finish if even a drop is there for a second.

what should i use for the coat? epoxy just like what is used for custom rod threads?

I've refurbished a few old rods recently, some of the blanks were very old (even a 20+ year old lamiglas). I find that the best way to remove the old coating after all the old cork, foam, guides and threads have been removed (whether they were varnished as in the old rods or flex-coated) is to put the blank on the wrapper, run it slow-to-moderate speed and use a fine piece of steel wool to sand off the residual flex-coat. When done gently, I've never damaged a blank with this method.

Then I completely re-coat the entire rod with flex-coat (or Aft-coat) which restores the blank to a glossy finish that is very close to original look. Also, by lightly sanding and re-coating the whole rod, it removes any "grooves" left behind in the old flex coat from the original underwraps that would otherwise tend to "guide" the new threads when you re-wrap the blank.

A little alchol can also be helpful in clean up. I haven't had good look with acetone, and I don't like the idea of using strong solvents on a rod blank.

By the way, has anyone tried using gel-coat remover to clean up a rod? I was wondering if that would work safely.

All I wanted to do is remove the foam by the reel seat and the butt.... that can be done all by itself without having to take off the reel seat correct? Man I feel stupid asking this.....

You can remove the old foam and replace with cork tape without removing the reel seat.

My previous post was "overkill." :topic: I really only intended on commenting on how to remove old flex-coat and the use of acetone. I guess I got carried away :)

hahah ok you kinda scared me there..... i had out a pen and paper and was righting down steps 21 and 22 when i was like i don't think i need to do all of this :rotfl: but thanks for all the info im sure someone else could use what you put up there.

mike