sorry for all the posts guys i am new to this game

hello i am very new to rod building and i have built 2 casting rods now and now i plan on building a worm rod and i really like the split grips on the rods i have seen in the photo gallery especially the ones by Don Jones, but i cannot seem to find out where you can get these cork grips or do you have to make them and if so what do i need and what guidlines should i follow do they make dvds to learn this grip technique

Hi Cody,
Sent you an email.
Click around on the site for a while and check things out. Have fun! You quickly pick things up!

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

Hello Cody

I just finished my first split grip and boy does it attract attention! As far as where to get these grips, most make their own by turning on a lathe/ drill lathe etc. I have seen tapered butt grips (Jan's Netcraft) for use as a fighting butt on fly rods and I suppose you could buy a fore grip and reverse it so the taper faces the butt grip but I think you would be better served by making your own. I just glued up some cork rings on a piece of 1/4" all thread, let it dry and then chucked it into my cordless drill. Worked decent enough. Just be careful so as not to turn the grips out of round. As far as guidelines go as to the length I would make the butt grip large enough in diameter and long enough so that the caster has a solid piece to hold on to while casting. The end of the rear grip/ beginning of the reel seat should be somewhere between 6"-14" from the very butt end of the rod depending on your preference. So for example, if you want a total split grip length of 10" you may have a butt grip of 3", 4" of exposed blank and the another 3" on the rear grip for a total of a 10" split grip. The length is really up to you and what you are comfortable with for you particular fishing application. Welcome aboard!

John

Cody,
I go with Joihn on this. You can search around trying to find suitable pr-fabricated cork handles but they are always going to be a comopromise. You can set yourself up fairly cheaply to turn up corks. John mentioned not turning out or round. The best way I know to turn out of round is to use emory cloth freehand. I made myself what I call turning blocks. These are MDF blocks of wood half inch thick . length around 5inches height 2.5inches. I epoxy my abraisive sheets to them. If you get yourself a steady, easy to lash one up. You can turn pretty round . I use grit 60 for roughing then 120 and 400. Fine finish 1200. Each abrasive is glued to it's own block. To get the abrasive sheet flat I spread the epoxy on with a wall paper scraper very thin and all over the face of the MDF block. I press the sheet down using a couple of old house bricks as a weight. 12 hours later good to go. They don't last for ever but quite a while. A very simple set up is a must if you want to turn cork or EVA. This set up maybe using an electric drill and some steadies is only good for light work with abrasive papers. You can't use it for wood turning with proper gouges. Take a look at some of the set ups in the vendors.

Split grips have their devotees and I like them on beachcasters. I think they are also fine on light rods. Where they can fall down is on rods say for Carp where in a long fight the bare blank in between the grips can press against the forearm, in fact you need it to to brace your arm. This can make your arm darned sore and the rod difficult tp control. So watch out for this. Also the butt end of rods is where they can take a lot of user stick and the bare part of the blank is more vunerable to damage.

Mike O.

Complete information on making split grips was in a past issue of RodMaker Magazine. Written by Rich Forhan, the guy who really popularized their use on freshwater rods, the full details of how to make and utilize them is all there in the article, along with a few other tips and tricks on split grip rods as well.

Fly rod fighting butt corks often make good pre-formed fore and aft casting rod split grips, if you can't find anything expressly sold for that purpose.

...........

I make mine on a lathe. I've always made the cork at the seat 2 1/2 inches (5 half inch cork rings) and the butt is also 2 1/2 inches (4 half inch cork rings and a rubberized disk on the end). I use the rubberized disks from Anglers Workshop part# RC138. I glue the 5 rings together in one clamp and the 4 rings together in another. I use Titebond III on the cork, all other bonding is done with Rod Bond. After both dry they go on the lathe. I started with the Grizzly Hobby lathe, which worked fine but my wife bought me a Jet for Christmas so that's what I use now. Since each grip is only 2 1/2 inches it's very easy reaming them to fit the blank after they are shaped. Depending on the blank size I usually get them close with the flexcoat bits first then I use a reamer. The rubberized disk goes on last. I drill it with a forstner bit 1/4 inch deep to fit over the end of the blank. After it dries, I take it to the belt sander and take it down to the cork then I finish sanding it by hand. If you want a longer handle you just increase the distance between the grips. For me, 6' rod = 8" handle, 6' 6" rod = 8.5" handle, and 7' rod = 9" handle. A flippin stick 7' 6" or 8' would be 9.5". All these measurements are from the back of the reel seat to the end of the butt. Just about every rod I build is used for bass fishing. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cody,
A quick and easy way to do your first split grip is to buy a grip Angler's Workshop CG6R grip, this already has the rubberized cork on the grip, is 6 inches long, and cheaper than buying individual rings. Take a sharp knife and cut the grip at the 5th ring from each end so they are both 2 1/2 inches long, leaving a 1 each center piece. Now just get a 17/64 drill bit in your hand drill, slide the cork fresh cut side toward the drill, and smooth and shape the side you cut with sandpaper till you get what you want. Ream each grip to fit your rod and your done. The preformed grip is much cheaper, and is of good quality cork. Putting the fresh cut side toward the drill takes any minor slop out of your bearing or runout from a drill bit out of the equation. Worked for me many times when I started doing them.