hey paul taking the for grip off was very easy , i cut the cork off put a reel in cranked it down tight and marked the threads were i wanted to cut them , took the reel out and cut the threads off using a small hacksaw . i spun the rod while cutting to avoid cutting the blank. once i had it scored through pretty good all the way around i took a pair of pliers and twisted the top threads and it broke off clean, then i slid that 1/2 off thread up to just under the bottom guide and cut it with a pair of dikes , i was surprised how easy the whole thing was
Bill