Hey guys, I've seen this a lot in pictures and have always wondered what the best way to do it was.

I always see people whose decorative wraps go underneath their foregrips therefore hiding the 'lock' and showing more of the fancy wrap.

I have a 7', 10-12lb blank, 3/8 or 7/16" diameter or so where the grip will be. The foregrip is a 2" cork piece.

What will be the best method to slip this cork over top of the wrap?
Should I put a thin coat of epoxy on, then slide it over, and follow up with my second coat?

What's the method used as far as the adhesive getting on the decorative wrap? What can I whipe it off with to prevent it from showing up in my second epoxy coat?

For the record, I use U40 to apply my grips.

Thanks,
Shawn

The way you described is how I've done it in the past. Make sure your first coat of epoxy has completely dried before you slide your foregrip on or else you'll get some cork dust or particles imbedded in your finish.

Do you scuff the finish before putting your second coat on? Or have you found that you haven't needed to scuff it?

I think I asked this question on here one time, and never tried it...and now I can't find the question I asked, lol.

So, if this is a repeat, I apologize. It may have been on another forum.

Thanks again,
Shawn

I do this all the time, cork CAN be a problem if the wrap has a big buildup of finish on it. TEHre are a LTO of things which can go south when doing this, so be prepared to screw up a couple of times before you get it perfect.

1. Make sure all the threads in teh wrap are 100% coated, because sliding a grip on can and will cause threads to get scuffed. ALso, the grip epoxy will be very difficult to remove from threads showing texture through the epoxy. I have had small bits of cork/foam dust embedded in threads, as well as pinholes/fisheyes.
2. YOu will probably have to build up the blank with epoxy so that the OD of the wrap & blank are the same. IF hte OD of the blank is thinner, the cork will not fit tightly unless you build up a bushing with thread, tape or whatever you choose to use.
3. MAke sure you account for any compression of the grip (foam), because you might find that some of the tie off shows in front of the grip when you planed teh wrap to look like it comes out of the grip.
4. REmoving epoxy - I would make sure the finish on teh wrap is 100% cured before doing anything with the grip. This way if you use alcohol to clean up the epoxy glue, there will not be any issues with the finish. DO NOT use strong solvent to clean the epoxy glue.
5. Once everythign is done and you are ready to apply another coat of finish to the wrap, scuff it with whatever you like. Scotchbrite is wha tI use, but if tehre are a lot of lumps and bumps and the thread are fully coated, I will sand with 220 to get teh surface close to parallel.

Excellent info as usual Billy...thanks!

SQ

I've only done mine with EVA or hypalon, so it's definitely easier. But would suggest doing as Billy says and just epoxy the blank where the cork is going to go at the same time that you are putting your first coats of epoxy on the wrap to build it up, maybe even a tad extra where the foregrip will go to make the diameter at that spot in line with the wrap.

With mine I would just do a couple of coats of TM or TM Lite until you are sure all the threads are coated. Then let it cure until it is completely smooth...meaning: Make sure as you run your finger across the finish that it does not feel tacky at all. Next I throw some rod bond on the blank, slide your grip into place, clean with lint paper towels (lint free cloths are even better if you have access) to get the bulk of the rod bond off, then slide on the winding check (if using one), then go back and clean up the wrap with denatured alcohol (I don't dilly dally with this step, try and get the bond and alcohol off quickly). Then I usually let it sit for about 10 minutes before I apply another coat of TM. Then just continue as normal.

It's the way I did it on my first rod and I really don't know any other way... lol. I can't visualize taping my threads to the grip. Also, the ends of my butt wraps usually are so skewed that I'm not even sure if a 2" tie-off would be able to hide it... ;-).

Jeff



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2007 02:49PM by Jeff Shields.

I've done this a total of 1 time, so am not an expert in any way, BUT, I'll offer my two cents anyways.

I was concerned when doing this that mounting grips over finish could cause problems considering finish is not an adhesive and you are gluing the grips to finish. I've never heard of anyone experiencing this BUT take a look at a recent post on the photo board where thread tension broke the bond between the finish and blank.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

I used EVA when doing mine so it was a forgiving but I left plenty of blank exposed below my wrap to provide a good bond. I imagine with cork you could shim the area below the wrap, reem to fit over grip and leave the blank uncovered below the wrap.

Maybe I'm paranoid but it seems having finish under the entire grip would be the same as using Flex Coat for gluing grips.

Scott,that photo was my work!! What happened there was the blank was painted(experiment) and was not done properly.That blank had no seat or grips just a wrap and was sitting in a rod rack for 8 or 9 months.Dont let it scare you.It was a problem created by me by not using the proper primer.It was a learning experience that was well accepted.The paint was an automotive system that offers many options dependiing on the type of surface covered.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Still, you are ultimately relying on the bond between thread finish and the blank for your grips when coating the length of your grips. I've peeled finish off blanks before, it's not that hard to do.

When I have to install a foregrip over a decorative wrap I just continue the "tie-off" wrap right up to the reel seat then back to the wrap, then back to the reel seat, building up that part of the blank with thread until I match the taper of the blank. A couple coats of finish, let it setup good, scuff the area where the grip will be applied, and epoxy it.

Excellent info guys - I will definitely build up the area behind it, either with finish that has been scuffed or with arbors of some sort.

I'll let you all know how it goes in the next few days!

SQ