[trout champ]

I just got a used Sage DS2. I was wondering if there was anyway to take of the reel seat and cork and put new ones on? Is this something I could do or can they do it at the fly shop? Any adverse affects of remodeling my new rod?

Thanks
Randy

[fyshstykr]

You could do it, but your gonna have to re do the whole bottom half of the rod.
Is there something wrong with the 'Butt Section' or do you just want something different?

[wtex50]

Replacing the reel seat is easier than replacing the cork... but if there is nothing wrong with either other than dirt...I'm sorry but I don't see the point. If your cork is worn a bit....clean it with warm water and a drop or two of dish detergent - Dawn, Joy etc.. and rub gently, rinse thoroughly and let dry. If the cork is a bit rough feeling....use some really fine grit sand paper GENTLY to smooth it out. If your cork has lost a small chunk or two...it is no big deal...but you can get cork filler....usually at a rod repair company...check on the net. One final thought - some do this and some don't. I usually do this on my vintage bamboo...to preserve the cork as best I can....but I don't normally do this on my graphites....You can rub the cork down with some Birchwood Casy Tru-Oil Gun Stock Finish. It helps prevent dirt from sticking to the cork. It will darken the cork slightly. If you are determined to replace both reel seat and stock on a good rod....and you are not sure what to do...I would suggest letting a pro do it.

[FrankB2]

I replaced the reel seat and grip on a 7'6" St. Croix Pro Graphite without
removing the stripper guide. St. Croix used the same hardware on the PG
regardless of the rod size, and it was way too big. The difference in the blank's diameter at the top and bottom of the grip was less than 1/8", and I
simply reamed the handle until I was able to slide it on. The extra epoxy might
have added .001oz of weight to the rod, but its weight is within .2oz of my
7'6" St. Croix Imperial 4wt. The Imperial has a much smaller factory grip, however.

Boil water in a sauce pan, and lower the reel seat in for a minute. That
should be long enough to loosen the reel seat so that it will slide off. The
cork can be carefully cut away until it's close to the blank, and then some
judicious scraping/sanding will remove the remainder. In the case above, I left the winding check in place, reamed out the cork until it slide in place,
removed it and added epoxy before sliding it on for good. The reel seat
is pretty straight forward, but might require spacers if it's I.D. is too large.
Tight wraps of masking tape at the top and bottom of the reel seat are
usually recommended. Leave space in between the wraps of tape so that the
reel seat is glued to the blank, and not just the tape.

I owned a Sage DS2 about 6 years ago. The reel seat performed poorly, and
the grip was too small for my hands. I sold it for just about what I paid, but
should have replaced the hardware. It was a nice casting rod......

[FrankB2]

Originally Posted by trout champ

Is this something I could do ......
Thanks
Randy

I just re-read that portion. If you're handy with that sort of work, it's not
a big deal. However, if you duct tape holes in walls......

[trout champ]

The cork is missing several chunks and the reel seat is just really dirty. I was just wondering if it would be something worth fixing or not. I've been looking on the web and I think some polish and maybe filler will work.

And I can fix anything with a roll of duct tape.

Randy

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Randy,

You can make your own filler by sanding down some grip cork using a course grit.

The directions that FrankB2 gave you will get er done. Mudhole has all the stuff you need for the job.

Frank

[trout champ]

Frank,

Thanks a million , awsome as always.

Randy