My questions has to do with cork rings for a grip. I have only ever done two rods with cork grips. I reamed each ring then glued and compressed them on my blank. Once settled I then put in lathe and sanded until all cleaned up. I have been reading about glueing cork rings together and then putting them on a manrel with wax and turning them. To me this seems like it would take much more time to accomplish the same effect. Is this a better way? Do they look better? Are you saving time?

Turning is faster than sanding simply because you remove more material in a shorter length of time. But, if you're talking about then moving the turned grip over to the rod, that depends on several factors.

If you pre-bore your rings to fit a mandrel that closely approximates the OD of your blank where the grip will reside, then very little time is lost in turning on a mandrel and then moving the grip over to the rod. You only have to do a very minimal amount of reaming. (And, with the new pilot bits, reaming isn't what it used to be - you only need to do final touch up reaming nowadays.)

Nothing wrong with mounting rings directly on the blank. But most wood lathes aren't long enough to accept a full rod section and if you make a mistake and the rings are already mounted on the blank, well...

You just have to look at the pros and cons of both and decide which suits you better.

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

I actually put the rod blank back into my power wrapper and used extra supports and then sanded it right there. Are the mandrels threaded or round bar? Wax helps the cork from not sticking to the mandrel?It just seems to me like you would need many more tools to accomplish the same thing. I guess maybe I just need to try both ways and see whatfits best for me.

The big thing you accomplish by turning is keeping the grip concentric. That is to say that some cork rings aren't bored exactly in the center. If you use sanding as your only weapon, you run the risk of the grip being slightly off center. If you at least start the turning process with lathe tools, you have a better chance of getting things centered and then keeping them there.

Now, with that said...I generally only use a Stanley SurForm and sandpaper. And yes...sometimes the grips can be slightly off center. I turn on a mandrel mounted in a Grizzley hobby lathe, use boring bits in the drill, and quickly ream to the final fit on the blank.

Jay

i'm confused. turning? sanding? i sand while the grip turns.... :-)

i buy cork rings with quarter inch holes in the center. i glue one by one each ring to the next one on a mandrel from andy dear. the mandrel has had paraffin wax applied to it first. when all cork rings are glued, i put it into a clamp i've made.

once dry, the grip comes off and gets reamed. it is very fast to ream it despite dealing with slightly different butt diameters for different fly rods. all pretty much 3, 4 and 5wt rods though. ten minutes?

i then turn the grip by sanding with sandpaper while the mandrel and grip are spinning from a cordless drill i use. carefully braced and "eyed" to diminish going off-center.

i'm quite comfortable with my steps. i hear some glue the rings directly to the blank one by one and then"turn" the grip on the actual blank, even bamboo blanks. this scares me. especially if it's a lathe. i'll eventually screw up. when i do, i don't want to mess up the blank too. but that's just me.

i've never reamed each individual cork ring and THEN glued them together. i'd have to ream it again, to insure glue that squeezed out inside the handle is removed before installation on a blank.

eric
fresno, ca.

I glue the rings together on a threaded rod. Then fit closely to a mandrel for the blank. Shape, if I like it I then seal it and make it ready for the blank. ream to fit the blank. just the way i do it.
Don't like to fit them on the blank just in case some thing happens and I have to take it all off. ???
Plus I don't like the fact that the turner may make marks on the blank

Hey, Bill,

Glad to see you posting! Where have you been??

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!!

You probably save a little time by sanding/turning the grip on the blank, but not much.

I use a lathe separate from my wrapping and finishing area for dust abatement, mostly so I use mandrels that are close to the size of my blank. Process for me looks like this;

Select the mandrel size closest to the blank OD.
Drill rings with a step drill on the lathe to just fit the mandrel
Glue and clamp rings on the mandrel until cured
Mount the mandrel with glued rings to the lathe, turn to desired shape
Remove and assemble entire grip and reel seat

A wood lathe will complete the job more quickly and does a better job ensuring the grip is concentric around the hole. You do save one gluing step by assembling the rings on the blank. Other than that, I think results can be satisfactory either way. It's your own preference.

Terry

Hi Mike
How ya been. Been here just have not said any thing ??

I have a power wrapper and used to turn grips on it before I got a lathe. It will work just fine and you have the grips already on the rod. However if you make a mistake you have to peel it off the rod. No big deal to do, since I have the lathe and the mandrels and I also do wood, I find it easy and more convenient to use the lathe. The custom power wrap machine is made to lathe cork and will work fine.

If you are turning cork on a lathe what type of tool would you use? Cork is somewhat soft and I would think a wood turning tool would gouge or take to much material off or even grab and take chunks of cork out.
I'm considering a lathe......I've always wanted to make my own cork grips.