Having never worked with EVA, I have gathered the components to build a pair of heavy duty 11'6" wire-line dipsey diver trolling rods which really require EVA grips. The EVA grips I purchased don't slide down the blank anywhere near where they need to be, even with a lot of help. I am of the understanding that very hot water emersion prior to fitting the grips is helpful, but there is still no way these things will fit. My questions to any of you who have experience working with this stuff are; (1) can it be reamed with a flex-coat type pilot drill bit as I would with cork ? (2) Can it be reamed with razor wand type abrasive reamers ? Finally, can it be shaped in the same manner as a cork grip with sand screen, sandpaper, etc..

Thanks in advance to all,

Don Eurillo

Yes - you can ream the insides of the EVA with razor-wand. I've used long wood drill bits as well - but you have to be careful to keep the bit centered. I haven' t tried the pilot bits but I think you'd have a lot of trouble there as the bit wants to take out a large portion of the inside at once and the grip will likely tear or go off-center quickly -- perhaps someone else has tried this and can give you better advice on the pilot bits. Shaping is best done with
open weave sand screen (as is used for drywall finishing) - they have a 220 grit in Home Depot that will give you a very acceptable finish. If you want to have it look "polished' you can use one of those "toss in" dryer sheets which will remove all the dust from the grip and leave it a bit shiny (the perfume will go away in just an hour or so). Rough shaping can be done with regular 60 grit open / coarse sand paper.

Don,
EVA is not usually installed by reaming it out to fit like cork is. The EVA will stretch as it is pushed down the rod however it will not slide down the blank without something to lubricate it. Most people coat the rod from above the point where it is the same diameter as the blank all the way to where the EVA to be with epoxy. The epoxy will lubricate the inside of the EVA and the outside of the blank so that the EVA will slide into place. Then the epoxy residue on the blank is cleaned up with alcohol.
I use a different technique that I feel is a lot easier requiring less force to push the EVA into position and does not create the epoxy mess. I wrap the blank with the double backed tape, that is available from any golf club repair shops, from just above the point where the EVA and the blank are the same diameter to where I want the EVA to be. An activator solution is applied to the tape and the tape becomes very, very slick so that the EVA easily slides into place. The activator solution will evaporate in 24 hours. This is the way golf club grips are applied and they get a lot rougher use than your rod handles.

Great idea Emory!

Ken,
It wasn't my idea. I got it from someone else and now you can have it.
If you try the tape you will not go back to epoxy. It is very slick and the EVA slides on very easy and I do not make near the mess with it as I do with epoxy.