Looking for suggestions on where I can lay my hands on some plastic butt caps/plugs for finishing tubular graphite handle material. I've seen cork options for finishing Tennessee handles, but I'd prefer plastic. Any help would be very appreciated.

-Nick Dazer
Portland, Oregon

Rubber Fuji BRC caps, size 22. Just cut it down so it matches the OD ot the tube. for the 15mm tubing this butt cap it too big, so is teh 19. For the largest tubing, it may be too small.

I was wondering that myself, and was thinking about trying the end caps used in bicycle, or maybe even motorcycle, handlebars. Havent done it yet, just a thought.

I know that such animals exist, because there are production companies making trolling/plug rods with these handles and which are finished with plastic butt caps (WW Grigg and Lamiglas are 2 that come to mind). I just don't know where to get them retail.

We are having the eva butt caps and also the eva pieces that fit at the reel seat made for us. You should be able to order these through any of our regular dealers. Just tell them to contact me about them.

Todd

Regards,
Todd Vivian
Mud Hole Custom Tackle

todd@mudhole.com

I have seen a couple of rods built with those graphite tube style handles accsented with wood rings and butt caps.
They really popped!!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Goto japantackle.com, or search specialty tackle shop, or japanese tackle. japantackle has at the very bottom of the home page some listings under rod building. There is a very nice casting handle kit very similar in appearance to a "matrix" handle, with the very endcaps you are looking for. Levi

I am just finishing a rod with a carbon fiber handle, and I used Corian and turned an endcap for it. I use a hole saw and cut out rings from the sheets of Corian I have and then I take the drill out of the hole saw and cut out just a disk. I found a glue from Woodcraft that is meant for solid surface materials and glue up the pieces on the end of a mandrel and then clamp them till the glue dries. With using a 3-jaw chuck on my lathe, I can pass the mandrel all the way through and have just enough of it sticking out to turn the material. I will use the tailstock for roughing out the endcap, then pull it away to finish it off. Then with sand paper and then micro sanding sheets, it polishes up very nice. Makes for a very durable endcap. Also since the material is dense and a bit heavy, it can be used if you want to try and balance the rod some. You just need to vary the length to control how much weight is being added.

Here is a picture of the butt cap I made

[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2005 11:19AM by Mike Sledden.

I've just been using the Forecast EVABC20 EVA butts. Fast, easy, looks nice and less than a buck a piece.