Hardy Altex Handle knob problem

[OldTackle]

Hello friends,

I know, it had been a while you heard from me, but finally my family duties allow me a little spare time now and then and I got out to wet a line again.
But here is what happened. I paired my MKIV with my Hardy Altex after tench and managed two along with one eel and a few perch. Great scenery and really relaxing but one thing bothered me: the reel-in behavior of my altex.
It seems that there is some dirt on the axle and I tried already with some WD40 and some nice thin engineering oil but no help. I fear I have to dig deeper.
So my question to the Hardy Altex pro`s in here: is there any chance to take the handle knob apart? I can see it's riveted. Has anyone taken one apart and rejoined it afterwards? I can build pretty much everything that is to European metric standards, but I fear there are hidden english threads?
Any hints or ideas most welcome, since it is such a beautiful pair and I enjoy it so much.

Chris

[Wallys-Cast]

I removed the turned over top of the rivet with a small drill bit. The knob then came off easily. To replace it, I drilled the tip of the rivet to make it hollow so it could be expanded and rolled over again. The knob itself will need shortening by a few mm to allow the rivet to be reused of course.
Sounds more complicated than it really is.

Wal.

[OldTackle]

Hi Wal and thank you for the reply.
You drilled the rivet? How did you do that? Isn't it firmly attached to the handle? Otherwise I would have thought about drilling a thread for a small screw. Is there a way to remove the rivet completely?

Chris