I'm planning on putting a split grip on a popping rod I'm building. I just got my Grizzly Hobby Lathe and have ordered turning madrels from Andy Dear.

What I can't figure out is how to turn or shape the rubberized cork end cap on the butt of the rod. The cork I have is solid (no hole) and I'd like to keep it that way. Do I shape the cork end piece by hand and then glue it to the rest of the grip or what?

I know this is a newbie question but I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this without screwing up a lot of cork.

Thanks

-John

Get a forstner bit as close to the size of the butt of the blank as possible, but larger, and drill a hole in the center half way through the solid ring. Assemble the grip as usual, epoxy the end ring over the end of the blank and clamp the whole grip until it cures. If need be you can shape the end by hand on the rod. Use a flat file, then finish with emery paper down to 400 - 600 grit. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

This is a great question as I battled this for awhile. I use the rubberized cork with no hole also. I glue the rear grip up on the rod and get it flush with the end of the blank. Once dried I glue the cork to the butt of the rod and put the rod and grip with cap into a cork clamp to dry. Once dried, I take the butt end of the rod and carefully sand the OD of the cork butt cap to just about flush with the rear grip by using a 1" by 30" belt sander. Getting used to rotating the rod in your fingers while you apply just the right pressure takes some practice but once you get used to it its a snap... try to get most of the glue seam off with the sander but leave the last little film of it on so you dont over sand the flush seam. Then hand sand it flush with some 150 grit and then some 220. hit it with 400 and your done. Sometimes I will tilt the finished cap on its edge and put a slight 45 degree beveled edge on the end of it too with the sander. Looks great...this takes some steady hands and a nice fluid rotation of the handle to get it right. If you have a combo 1" by 30" belt and a 5" disc sander....you can put a fine grit sanding pad on the disc and a med/coarse on the belt.....then you can do the first step on the belt where you take the ring down to rough OD of the handle. Then do the final shaping edge with the disc.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2006 10:13PM by Jeff Harding.

I had the same dilema with a solid EVA cap ring. I took a piece of antenna tubing that was 1/4" in diameter and "burned" a hole in the middle with my drill press (Tom's suggestion) and saved the plug that was left over. My brother in law tapped a 1/4" thread into one end of my mandrel. I bored out my cork rings, slid them onto the mandel up against a stop collar, and bolted the EVA ring up against the cork held on by the bolt (counterbored the EVA to just fit over the mandrel). Then I turned the cork and EVA to the same size. I reamed the cork to fit my blank, then slid the EVA ring on from the end, glued the plug in place I had left over from the beginning, a little more touch up sanding - worked for me.

You can also make a "jam" chuck to use for shaping it. Assuming the drill you're using on the hobby lathe has a 3/8" chuck, get a piece of 3/8" dowel and cut a piece about 1-1/2" long. What you want is to actually force the grip onto the dowel so that when you put the dowel into the chuck and turn it on, you can shape it without it spinning on the dowel. I've made jam chucks as big as 1-1/2" in diameter for turning wood and they work quite well.

Finish the butt end. Glue the no hole ring on. With a secure stand close to the end turn and shape. I do this on my home made lath

I drill holes in mine and turn it with the rubberized attached to the grip. I much prefer the look and finish I get when I shape the entire grip as one. When installed, the grip extends past the end of the blank about 1/4". My last step for the entire rod is to glue a plug in that hole. I make my own plugs from rubberized cork using a circle template, X-Acto chisel and a 120 grit sanding block. Takes under 2 minutes to make a plug and the glue line is nearly invisible.

..............

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

You can also save all your cork dust and mix with glue to plug the hole.