2 questions on flocking rod gips. if I get any thin spots after some use can i go back over them and fill them in with more glue and flocking? will the new stuff match the old if it comes from the same batch? how durable should i expect this to be and hold up. appreciate hearing from those of you who have been flocking grips for many years. want some idea how wel they last or if they shed fibers easily over time.

You aren't likely to find any builders who have been "flocking grips for many years." Until I helped Donjer create their specific rod grip flocking kits and wrote the article in RodMaker, few, if any, rod builders were even aware of the process or that you could do this yourself. There were 2 gentlemen that had been using commercial flocking equipment for rod grips for a number of years, but to my knowledge, do-it-yourself grip flocking wasn't something that anyone else was doing. It's a fairly new technique for rod builders and was kicked off by the RodMaker article which only just ran back towards the middle of last year.

So, that means you won't likely find any do-it-yourself flocked grips that have enough time and wear on them for anyone to give you a definitive answer as to how these will actually hold up. I can tell you what I suspect, however, and that is that they'll do fine and wear like iron. This is assuming, of course, that you follow the proper guidelines and do a good job initially. I can put the information out there but I can't control what anyone does with it or whether or not they follow it correctly. If you don't have the article, you can read it in the online library right here.

About the only bad news concerns your question about filling in any thin areas. No, that won't work very well I'm afraid. Trying to patch a worn grip with fresh adhesive and flocking fiber is going to leave you with a very funky looking mess there. The adhesive needs to be right down on the actual surface you're flocking - you'll play heck trying to touch in worn areas here and there. This is one reason why it's so important to get plenty of flock on the grip the first time out. If you're flocking over cork, seal the surface as outlined in the article. Make sure your adhesive is applied fairly thick (but not so thick that it runs or sags). When you flock the grip, continue until you think the entire surface has been well covered. Then flock some more. When you're sure that the surface is well covered, flock some more. You can't add too much as any extra just hits and falls into any container you've fabricated to catch the excess. Better to overdo it than to find the next day that you missed a spot or that you have thin areas. Again, if you don't have the article, go to the online library and read it carefully. Flocking your own grips is easy and fun but if you want good results, you need to get your grip done properly on the first go around.

For what it's worth, I flocked one of my kayak paddle handles about a year and half ago and it's still like new. Lots of use, but you can't tell it. And it's been scrubbed and washed many times.

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I've gotten really good results on the ones I've done. Two rods with my new flocked grips are in action over the past month and so far so good. I can't tell any wear on them yet but I'll reserve judgement on that until the end of this season.

As a fairly new subscriber to Rodmaker I do want to say how pleased I am with the new techniques and ways to do things that are found in the magazine. It seems to be the trendsetter that everyone takes their cue from. Glad something like this is around.

Wait until the volume 8 #3 issue - there's a another new technique in there that's going to set the rod building craft afire.

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