I'm building my first trolling rod with flocked grip. I think cork grip must be installed before butt wrapping. Otherwise, it will be loose after pasing through the butt wrap.

If the grip is then installed already flocked, may I wind the masking tape over it to hold butt wrap threads or is it better first wrapping and finishing the butt wrap and then flocking the grip?.



Daniel Rotea
Alicante (Spain)

Daniel,

One thing that I learned the hard way is, do NOT glet the thread finis of liquid type glue NEAR the flocked grip! The flocking will act like a wick and draw the finish right into it and become very hard! [www.rodbuilding.org]

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Italo Busi routinely flocks the grips prior to installation. If you take a look at the pictures he posted on the board you will see that he leaves a taper section on the ends of the foregrip that is wrapped with thread after installation. A metal winding check or colored cork spacer ring separates the flock from the thread finsih. His transitions are immaculate and the rods really looked good. Just think ahead as to how you want to transition from the flock to the butt wrap and things will flow quite well. Like Mike showed in his picture you need to keep the finish away from the flock.

All of my flock work is done prior to installation on the blank and care is required to prevent finish from contacting the flock.

Italo will have some samples in Charlotte at the Flocking Workshop.

As far as using tape to protect the flocked surface it is perfectly acceptable if you wait the proper time to allow the adhesive to properly cure. I use the 3M Tape with moderate adhesive qualities. Using tape to secure butt wrap threads will not damage the flock if you wait.

Gon Fishn



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2006 05:20PM by Bill Stevens.

You can do it either way, but I have to say that i think in your situation you'll be better off flocking it after the rest of the rod is done. The only possible drawback is if you somehow botch the flocking job - now your grip is already glued to the blank and wraps are done and finished.

But, it's so easy to do and to do well. Because the flock only adheres to the area where you have applied adhesive, you can wait until after the rest of the rod is finished and then go back and flock the grip. That you haven't gotten epoxy into the flocking nor hurt anything while doing the butt wrap.

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