A friend of mine just gave me a nice Orvis blank. He has already put the grip on the butt section, but that's it. I'd like to replace the grip with a nicer one, though. What's the best way to get the old grip off? Can I soak the butt section in hot water? Any other suggestions?
Thanks!

this is something I am looking at getting into, for my own personal benefit. anyone suggest a good starter kit? i saw one from mudhole for simple hand spun windings- which is all i need. what about a rod turned, for drying the epoxy?

You can try soaking it hot water to try and loosening the epoxy...But that has never worked for me.

With cork,I simply take a pair of pliers and chew off as much as I can without scratching the blank..Once I get down to a little cork and epoxy.I take a heat gun on LOW heat and work it quickly over the area.Being very careful not to heat the graphite too hot.Maybe 5 seconds or so.A hairdryer may work better for you.Then I use a blunt side of flathead screwdriver to lightly scrap to excess cork off,again,being careful not to harm the blank...After that,I use fine grit sandpaper and steelwool to sand it down till I can put on a new grip.
Foam grips work pretty much the same way..Except I make a slit with a razor blade length wise first to open it up,before using the pliers to tear pieces off.
Theres several ways to go about it...Thats just my way..Just take your time and dont rush anything.

SkeeterRonnie-Mudhole would be an excellent start for rodbuilding...Go through the videos in the ''rodbuilidng 101'' section for some visual info.

Rodbuildingtutorials.com & rodbuilding.org have more information than you need.

You dont reeeeally need a drying motor,you can turn by hand if you chose by flipping the rod 180 on a scheduled time frame...But the motor makes it much easier imo.
It takes about 3 hrs for the epoxy to cure enough to stop turning.
After I apply finish,I turn by hand for the first 20 minutes,then move to my drying motor.

Hope that helps,Good luck!

I like to use a utility knife to remove the bulk of the handle, then use low heat to soften the epoxy. I only like to use my finger nails to remove the epoxy to prevent damage to the blank. You can also use denatured alcohol to help clean up any remaining epoxy. Make sure you take your time. The pictures below are of a rod that I refurbished for a customer.



Final result

Joey excellent work on that rebuild,Pictures always help,lol.
Which wrapper are you using?

Walker

Thanks Walker.. I use a Renzetti lathe

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I thought about the project a bit more and decided to only replace the reel seat. I was able to get it off after soaking in hot water for about 5 minutes. My friend who started the project used masking tape to create the bushings that take up the space between the seat and the blank. The hot water caused the tape to give. Fortunately not much of the original epoxy bonded to the blank itself. All I have to do know is epoxy the new seat. Since it is a fly rod blank I won't have to peel off any of the cork grip.

John

Nice!.I hear those are the best lathes to own.