I purchased some of the cork and rubber 1/8" tape Merrick carries awhile back. It is thicker, so I figured I wouldn't have to wrap twice if need be using it.

I've tried using it on a few rods, the last being a Kencor panga blank. They have all been plenty thick enough on the butt to use cork tape, but I've had a heck of a time trying to use this stuff. I'll get it wrapped on and it seems to be fine, except that by the time I get to the reel seat from the butt, the butt is coming off the rod. The tape seperates from itself.

Any ideas? Does the 1/8" thick stuff need to be used strictly for very heavy duty rods? I've probably wasted about 15-20 feet of this stuff trying to figure it out.

Thanks,
Phil

I have not used that same tape but use cork tape frequently.I always secure the ends with blue masking tape,if not it will come undone.I then let it sit a day or 2 in a warm place to let the glue take hold or if I dont have the time will wrap imediatley over the ends with thread to hold it down.Also make a water break free surface to insure the blank is clean and to take the gloss off for a better adhesion.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Fred has given you excellent advice. You're going to have to bind down the ends either with tape or a quick thread wrap. I like to take a scrap piece of wood and roll it on and over the rod butt which itself is on a hard wood table. This pressures the adhesive on the tape and "sets" it. After that, I remove the tape binding each end and make a permanent thread wrap at each location.

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

Phil, I used the very same heavy duty cork tape on a surf rod I built last winter, and the tips above are good ones (I used masking tape on the butt -- underneath the butt cap -- and Size D thread on the other end).

But -- and I only suggest this in case you haven't heard it before -- the very first time I used this rod, I was fishing an estuary after dark, and I slipped climbing a jetty and banged the handle. It was not a big deal -- I wasn't worried about damaging the rod or anything -- but when I got home I saw that I had ripped a gouge the size of a quarter out of the cork tape. The very first trip! I "fixed" it by putting a piece of duct tape over the gouge (the duct tape is still there).

After reading the Rodmaker back issue on surf rods, for the next surf rod I built I used a twine/cord grip, and the results have been a revelation. The stuff looks great, works great, and wears like iron. It's much, much more durable than any cork tape, and for rods that are going to see heavy use/abuse I recommend it highly. It's even a lot cheaper than cork tape, and really gives a great custom look -- you'll never see a cord grip on a factory rod. In fact, I will never build another surf rod with anything but cord, and will be replacing a few cork tape handles with cord this winter (including the one I damaged on its maiden voyage).

If you haven't already, take a look at a cord grip. I think you'll like it. And whatever you do, good luck.

I've been using the cord wrapped sticks for years, I favor the California "Deckhand" type of wraps where we don't add a reel seat but I do add a chunk of heat shrink where the reel seat would be.

Nothing really wrong with cork tape but I much prefer the "Tuna cord" over it. The reason it's called tuna cord is it's actually commercial seine cord used for repairing nets and it can be gotten at places that sell commercial fishing gear.

I decided to get some color this year and used the 300# green braided nylon stuff that's used for halibut leaders in AK, it's a harder lay nylon but it sure gives you a great nonskid surface.

One thing for sure the stuff wears like iron and lasts forever.

How do you secure the cord at the beginning and end of the wrap? It seems too thick to wrap over itself like thread on a guide wrap.

I unravel the end of the cord for a couple of inches and fan it out (I use a fly tyers bodkin) and I put a dab of slow cure epoxy or Marine Goop to help hold it down and wrap over itself.

I finish it off with a couple of half hitches and more epoxy or Goop as the crutch tip hides the hitches well.

I've also done a finish using a half inch wide band of a dark colored E size thread and epoxy.