I've been using a lot of EVA for foam reel seats. I prefer hypalon, but Mudhole doesn't carry pre-formed hypalon.

The problem I've been having is that after I get everything rod-bonded and set in a corner, things are shifting a bit. I just put together a Pac-Bay woven graphite reel seat, got the rod-bond cleaned up, put a reel in it, and c-clamped it together, but the hood had shifted just a hair and is cock-eyed now, leaving a gap between the woven graphite and the beginning of the hood. My foam is doing the same, usually sliding up the blank just a hair.

It's minor details, but they are noticable, and I beleive could make the difference between one builder's rods and another. How do you all get your components to stay in place after rod bonding? And what's the best way to get skeleton and multi-piece reel seats to glue together?

Thanks all.

Phil,
You say your putting a reel in the reel seat after you glue it up and put it in the corner to "set up", maybe the weight of the reel in causing your seat to spin before the rod bond dries?
As far as the foam riding up the blank, when you get your foam in the desired location with glue on it, go ahead and "stroke" the foam a bit in both directions to get it back to its original size. Try not to stretch it out also, or maybe your stretching it out getting it on and need to compress it, either way you need to get it back to the original size. When you push your foam down on the blank it has a tendancy to compress when pushing from the top side and stretch when pulling down from the bottom.
Hope this helps,
Noel

Appreciate the input. I had glued the parts of the reel seat together and let them dry in a c-clamp before I put them on the rod. I figured the reel foot would make sure both hoods were lined up right, but were still a bit off.

I know what you mean about stretching the foam, and have had to do that with hypalon, but this eva is so stiff it doesn't compress much.

Any other ideas?

Don't put a reel in it. That's too much leverage and weight and can certainly cause the seat to move or spin a bit.

When I glue a handle together on the blank, I use a jig that I made to hold everything in place. I don't put much pressure on anything, but it holds it in place.
I just got a couple little scraps of 1" x 2" and on the bottom one, I drilled a hole part way through it large enough for the buttcap to fit in it. The other I drilled a hole large enough for the blank to fit in. I just hammered a couple of nails in each piece of 1" x 2" and wrapped wire around the bottom jig's nails. Long enough to reach the top piece, the wire is then wrapped around the top two nails after sliding it down to the foregrip from the top of the blank. Don't put much pressure on, you just want to hold it together.
Simple and works for me. Look it over good before taping the blank to something so that it stands straight up. If you use Rod Bond, you won't have to look for leaking glue around the reel seat.

Putter

Just my 2 cents and it is not written in stone. First I would put the foam butt grip in place, let it st up over night then next put the reel seat componets in place you may want to clamp them )do not put a reel in reelseat let set over night, After reelseat is dried in place now put for grip on. Question How do you put the grips on to the blank? There is a trick so they do not get distorted.
Good Wraps Bob

I slide everything together and let set with no rotation of parts. Do not mount anything in the reel seat. I do not use a clamp or anything - slide evrything together firmly, clean up and let set.

Lou