I've been building fly rods for some time, however I am now going to make my own cork grips. What is the best glue to use to glue the rings together, and where can the glue be purchased. Unstuck in Oklahoma. Thanks

Any good two-part liquid epoxy will work just fine. If you're building the grips on a mandrel and mounting on the rod blank after the shaping operation is complete, you may wish to try Titebond III wood glue. It's totally waterproof and leaves almost no glue line. Easy clean up. The only thing you want to watch for is that you clean your mandrels after removing the grip - the glue residue will cause them to rust if you don't take care of things quickly.

And make sure you use epoxy to mount the grip to the blank - Titebond is not the right adhesive for that task.


...........

A thin film of rod bond on each surface is a fool proof method of glueing cork rings. The only down side is the cure time is relatively slow.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

I have come to REALLY like System Three Epoxy. It is a 1:2 mix between the resin and haedener, but has the pot life and working properties I like. Weldbond also seems to work very well. It has similiar properties to Titebond III


ANdy Dear
Lamar
210-865-3256

can't you use rod bond for both? Gluing rings together and then to the blank?

whatever you do, use a slow set epoxy and don't use 5' epoxy. i would want at least a 30' working time.

Thanks Tom and everyone, I think I will try the titebond as I will be using a mandrel.

Tom:

Of course you can use Rod Bond for both. Be aware of the longer curing times when using it. I have found that when using rod bond or any other epoxy product, you need apply only a small amount to one cork surface. Put the adhesive on the cork and then scrape as much off as you can. When the corks are pressed together, this small amount of epoxy is sufficient to bond the corks together. It also minimizes the lines in the cork.

I have also had some good success with urethane glues, although there is a bit of a problem with the material "growing". I follow the same method of application and then scrape off the excess. Urethane glues are catalyzed by moisture in the air and can also leave nasty stains on the hands. Clean up well, wear rubber gloves and wipe down well with alcohol if you use this stuff. Because of the mess, I have discontinued using this product.

Doug Weber
Weber Rod Works

Weldwood Plastic Resin glue. It leaves no hard rings, cleans up with water, and gives plenty of working time. Any hardware that sells glue will have it.

It works great for me for both purposes

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

On the topic of glue for handles, I have found a very cheap tool that really helps from the craft industry, called glue spreaders. They are just a miniature, all plastic scraper which is flexible. You can scrape the excess glue off of the ring faces really easily while also using them to apply the glue, whichever type is used. They help keep my fingers away from the glue. I buy them from Lee Valley (www.leevalley.com) here in Canada, a place all rod builders should check out as they lots of wonderful tools useful to our trade.

Has anyone ever used Gorilla Glue? Just curious as to how it would work.

Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue by DAP!
when dy it is water resistant, resists fungi, rot, oil, gas and many other solvents. I love it, and it is the only thing that i use to turn all my cork handles. You never see the lines. Use a threaded rod with nuts and washers on both ends to tighten down and squeeze out extra glue, and make sure to pre-fit your cork to the blank before assembly with the glue on the threaded rod. (the glue is easily removed with a rat tale file after you spin the threaded rod out of the cork) The threaded rod works very well while shaping too. Good to do this before you remove the cork from the threaded rod. Everyone that has seen my turned handles, love the feel and the look as they are not like anything else on the market. I found it at a hardware store, not home depot, but a local store.