I am a beginner and would like to make a thinner grip for some small hands. I know she prefers a grip with a dimeter of less than one inch. Is it easy or even possible to sand down a grip that is purchased on line or do i need to begin with building my own handle from cork rings and such.
Thank YOu
Scott

Scott, it is not only possible but actually quite easy to work a pre-formed grip. With a lathe, it's a snap. If all you have is a drill and a long bolt, it is fairly easy too. And if nothing else, there is nothing wrong with spending a little quality time with yourself and block sanding by hand. It's a great way to spend a quiet morning outside with a pot of coffee.

Doing your own from rings is not much more difficult, but you'll just have that much more sanding to do since you won't have a "starting" contour.

Just be careful with the grit you use. Rough is good but it's easy to put too many gouges in the cork. You don't want to wind up with a grip that is too thin by the time you have a smooth finish.

For starters it will be much easier to start with a good grade preformed grip. All the suppliers on the site can send you what you need. There are numerous posts in the archives about shaping and sanding grips. Sounds like this rod is for a lady so be sure and get it right so it will be comfortable for her to fish with. Check on the web for a product called True Oil which is a gun stock finishing product. Using this product correctly can really make a nice grip. After you have done a few of these you may want to step up to the rings if you have the proper equipment to do the fit up, gluing and turning to shape. Good luck!

Gon Fishn

The one thing I would add is that most pre-formed grips are filled with paste or similar to cover flaws. If you sand the grip down, you'll lose the fill and the cork will appear somewhat worse than it did when you first got it. So you'll probably want to re-fill any voids or pits afterwards.

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Tennessee grips are much thinner than fly grips. You can cut off one end to shorten it up.

Scott you can buy a grip from Janns Netcraft model 250734 its only 1" at the thickest point and tapers down to less than 3/4". I have built two rods with this grip and find it excellent for people with small hands...Bob.