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Grips - Fitting

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I turned a grip for a Frankenrod made of scrap cane. The cork was so-so, but when I got it down to dimensions there was a small miracle. Hardly any pits, as pretty as any grip I have ever done. I turn on a mandrel, so off it came, and I did a bit of reaming. It fit the rod perfectly. So perfectly that once I pushed the grip up to the reel seat, IT WOULD NOT COME OFF! No amount of pulling, twisting, tweaking, or rocking would budge the thing. I can not saw it off because it is too pretty to ruin. It is simply stuck and immovable. The only solution I can think of is to just leave it in place and see  how long it lasts before coming loose. Has anyone had this happen, and what was the outcome?  (Jeff Schaeffer)

What have you to lose. If it is a rod for you don't fix it if it ain't broke.  (Don Schneider)

What is the problem?  Isn't the purpose to make it stick tightly to the rod?  Rejoice my friend you have achieved Nirvana with out a crutch.  (Ralph Moon)

If you really can't get it off why not guarantee it stays put by bonding it inside?

I have used sealants that work their way into joints by capillary attraction, primarily for furniture restoration.  In the UK one of the most readily available is the quaintly named "Capn Tolley's Creepin Crack Cure"....I know but it does work.

You just squirt a few drops on the outside of the joint and watch the stuff disappear inside.  Repeat a few times and the job is done.  It is marketed as a sealer but is a very effective glue.  (Gary Marshall)

All, I got Cap't Tolleys at either West Marine or Boat U.S., it is a sealer for leaky boats.  It WORKS for stopping leaks, I sealed my chimney at the cottage with it.  No financial interest, etc.  (Neil Savage)

Try changing its environment, If it's cold outside leave it out for awhile and then try pulling it off. Heat it up and try, something has to work eventually. Got kids? Let them try it. Try something like a ferrule puller so you are not squeezing the cork making it tighter on the shaft.  (Pete Van Schaack)

Look, if you REALLY want to get it off -

(1) Glue on the reel seat
(2) Wrap on the guides
(3) Fit all the ferrules
(4) Varnish all the wraps
(5) Sell the rod to a client you know to be difficult.

It'll come off all right!  (Peter McKean)

I'm curious of the different methods used for fitting grips to swelled butt rods used by various rod makers on the list?  Does anyone do anything different than just reaming the grip out to a larger size to accommodate the swell?  (Wayne Daley)

A straight, hex shaft running back from a swelled butt creates a lot of unneeded weight and bulk. So, I always reduce the area under the grip and reel seat to a dowel shape about 5/16". Under the first two corks, I taper the hex down to this size, but the first cork will need to be fitted - the rest of them are just reamed to slide in place.  (Bill Harms)

How do I fit the grip onto the rod?  Do I need a reamer/file? What do I need and where do I get it?  (Evan ???)

Buy a few different sized round files.

Slide it from the ferrule end. Work carefully as you do not want to take out too much cork. Once you get it almost there, don't force it, the glue will help as a lubricant to get it the last little bit.

Remember to put the rings on the reel seat,  if it has a cork check, make sure it's in place.   (Pete Van Schaack)

Reamer's are made specifically for opening premade grips to the required diameter. Just about all the rod building suppliers sell them. Just ream the sucker out and slide it on the shaft. Of course you could buy the individual cork rounds, ream out each one, glue them on, and turn down the grip to the exact configuration you desire.  (Larry Puckett)

I use a medium rattail file and roll the cork grip back and forth on a flat surface while filing the inside until it will fit snugly over the butt section.  (David Gerich)

I got an old graphite rod and cut it to size.   get some gritty sand and super glue it to the section.  works good, is cheep and lasts a long time.  (Terry Kirkpatrick)

If you start with cork rings, glue them onto the shaft using something like Duco cement or Elmer’s waterproof wood glue and shape them on the rod. It is best to devise a clamp to hold them tight against the reel seat. Which is usually but not always installed first.

If you have a pre-shaped manufactured cork grip, them you will have to carefully enlarge the hole  in the center of it to fit the rod. You can use a rattail file, but Netcraft in Maumee, Ohio sells "cork reamers". A cork reamer is a wooden or fiber glass rod with abrasive grit glued on to it. They also sell just the grit. I made some tapered reamers out of some ten inch pieces fiberglass rod blank. I coated them with epoxy a few inches up from the narrow end and rolled them in the grit. They work quite well.  (Don Sargent)

"Which is usually but not always installed first.[] "

The last thing I do when building a rod is mount the reelseat.  It is much easier to turn grips, wrap guides, dip varnish, etc.... before the reelseat is mounted, IMHO.  (Scott Grady)

Glad there is someone else that does that. I put a reel in the seat to line up the seat with the guides when the seat is glued on. The seat is the very last thing I glue on a varnished rod.

We all just do what works for us.  (Tony Spezio)