I watched Tom do the demo on grip flocking in Charlotte. The finished grip was beautiful and very classy. My only concern was that it might not hold up over the long haul. Tom said that if you do it right the stuff would wear like iron. Not that I didn't believe it, but I just completed my own durability test.

I flocked a full wells fly rod grip. Did it just like he said and then let it set up for 5 days now. This afternoon I took it outside and kicked it around in the yard. Got it super dirty and nasty. Then I took it back inside and under running tap water I scrubbed the bejeezus out of it with a stiff toothbrush and some formula 409. Let it dry and it looks like new. I didn't see any of the flock come off and I was amazed that even raking it with a thumbnail did not dislodge any. I'm pretty confident now that this stuff will take the abuse of fishing over several seasons.

For me the keys to success where those Tom brought up about sealing the grip correctly to start with and how to correctly apply the flock at the right angle. A great demo and something I will use for the rest of my rod building career. The stuff will take punishment with little or no ill effects. I'm a believer.

I have two here that will soon undergo a stern "brushing" to better determine what amount of use and abuse they can take. But properly done, I think they'll end up being the very most durable grips you can put on a rod. I've been playing with these for several years now and have yet to have any problems.

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