This is my first rod and I'm at a quandry. I glued on the reel seat and insert and I'm ready for the handle. In L.A. Garcia's book he says to ream the bore hole out till it slides easly to 8" above its resting place then epoxy the blank and push it down to its resting place. I also read somewhere else that you should ream the bore hole out so it slides to 11/2" above its final resting place.
I'm afraid if I follow Garia's directions there is a chance the cork will crack. Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

Joe

Question? Joe are you installing cork or eva grips and are you trying to install the butt or fore grip?

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

Not sure what eva grips are. I was going to put it on the blank and slide it down to the insert.

joe i usually ream out just a hair bigger then the rod keep checking so you dont get too much though that way the epoxy dont all run down with the cork by this means you will get epoxy throughout the lenght of the cork

Joe,

I assume your talking fly rods here. Since your seat is glued on, slowly ream your grip, and check fit it to the blank. As you ream it out, the grip should get closer and closer to your reel seat. Its done when you can get your grip all they way down to where your insert/cap is. The fit should be kinda snug, but you should not have to force it to go all the way. It should slide right into place, but not be real tight ... or wobble from being too loose.

Barret

Thanks Barret that helps.

Joe, you are wise to question this. If it's a cork handle, I think that 8" above its final position is too far away, and I would also be concerned about cracking the cork. I'd ream it so it's within an inch or two at the most. The rod bonding epoxy will act as a lubricant, and the handle will slide down the remaining inch or two. A little snug is all you need.
Have fun.

Joe, you are wise to question this. If it's a cork handle, I think that 8" above its final position is too far away, and I would also be concerned about cracking the cork. I'd ream it so it's within an inch or two at the most. The rod bonding epoxy will act as a lubricant, and the handle will slide down the remaining inch or two. A little snug is all you need.
Have fun.

Cork won't stretch like EVA or Hypalon. 8 inches is nowhere near close enough. An inch is about right.

Be very careful as you ream your grip. The tendency is to over-ream the rear of the grip bore which leads to a sloppy fit there at the back end. Should that happen, make very sure you shim the blank where the rear of the grip is going to reside, using a layer or two of D thread. Work slowly and check your progress often as cork cuts/reams very fast and very easily.

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Wait a minute . . . . is the proper procedure to install the reel seat first? I always thought it was easier to have that section of the blank spinning in the rod holder to keep it level when applying finish than to have the reel seat attached . . . ? What are the benefits for installing the reel seat first? Thanks.