I have a request to flock a grip on a rod for a friend. It's an older (but good) casting rod and obviusly the grips are pretty worn and dirty! Will it be necessary to do anything other than a coat of coek seal or True oil to seal it for the adhesive??

Mike

It wouldn't hurt to clean/sand it just a bit first, because any grime that might cause the sealer to slough off later would also lose the flock that is on top of it. If you have a lathe, a quick going over with something like 220 grit sandpaper wouldn't take more than a minute or two. Or, scrub it with some soap and water and let dry. Then seal, dry and flock to your heart's content.

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Than's Tom! That's what I was hoping for!!

Mike

Mike - I would sand with 220 and take the OD down approximately 1/32. If there are deep gouges in the cork fill with the minwax liquid wood putty and let dry for at least 48 hours before sanding. I would use the proven U40 Cork Seal and let it dry for at least 24 hours before applying the adhesive. I would suspect the True Oil would be fine in a light coat and well cured but I have not tried it for flocking. I have some flocked grips in service for about six months now and they are doing fine. I have two that are in really tough service that fish three to four days a week and live in the back of a pickup stuck up in rod holders. They have not started to come apart and still look good.

Gon Fishn