Happy Friday!

I need to make a plug for the hole left in the butt end of a spinning grip. The grip and the plug will be of regular burl cork.

What technique do you use to make the plug fit well and leave no gaps?

I have done this once before and it came out perfect, can't even tell there is a plug, but feel i just got lucky!

I cut the plug a little oversize, then forced it into the opening. After letting the glue cure, sanded it flush. How do you guys do it?

Thanks, have a great weekend

Carrington

I use a plug cutter to make the plug for wooden grips but a piece of tubing of the proper size that is sharpened and used as a punch may work better in burl cork.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

depnding on the size you need, if you have an old metal bodied writing pen unscew and use the lower half. to punch out your plug with

I get better results by making a plug,and make it a bit over sized, than mixing cork dust and glue. Make you a plug cutter. You will like the results better.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

Home Depot carries cork plugs in various sizes. Just glue it in the butt, let it dry, cut the excess and lightly sand. It helps if you pull your rear grip 1/8" beyond the butt of the rod so you can't see the blank between the plug and the bottom of the grip. OR you could buy a butt plug and it will cover the blank also.

I drill the butt end out with a flex coat bit to either 5/8" or 3/4" and then using a plug cutter of the correct size cut a plug to fit.

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

Thanks for the replies, appreciate it. I'm going to get some tubing and make a cutter.

Thanks

Carrington

Wait a minute,,,Have I been doing this wrong all along ??? If I'm building a cork grip the butt ring is the last thing that goes on, everything else is on , dried , and finished. I never open up the hole my butt cap. If the rings come with a 1/4 in hole then the butt ring gets a 1/4 in plug. I don't ream that ring out. I will open the hole up only half a ring thickness and fit it over the 1/4 in of blank that is sticking out beyond the grip. I will turn the OD of that ring with the rest of the grip, but it is not glued to the rest of the grip. It will be plugged and glued on last. Am I doing it the hard way ??

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

Jay, not sure what the "right way" is!

I have only been building 3-4 yrs, but i always build the grip whole and mount it on the blank. Usually i use a coin or something similar to inlet in the end of the grip. Your way seems like a good way, as you only have to plug the 1/4" hole in the cork ring and not the larger hole i created by reaming the cork to fit the blank. Maybe we will get more replies on how others finish out the grips.

Carrington

Jay,
If you're doing it wrong then so am I. I hope there's someone out there to set us straight.

If I'm building a casting rod I use a little bungee cord to hold the butt ring in place while it dries, using Rod bond on the butt ring. I hook each end of the bungee on the trigger, clean up the Rod Bond, make sure it's lined up and let her set. If it's a Spinning rod I mount a reel and hook the bungee on the stem of the reel. I don't like using the cork clamp any more than I have to. And the butt plugs are no bigger than the original hole in the cork ring. And it's always a smooth hole which makes plugging it neater.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

I have always used cartridge casings to cut my plugs...They work great and are free at the range.

Derek L. McMaster
Rohnert Park, CA

Born to Fish, FORCED to Work

I take a circle template and put it up to the hole. I find the circle that is two sizes larger than the hole. My template is in 64ths. Then I draw that circle on a rubberized cork disk. With a chisel blade in a large X-acto knife I chunk out an 8 or 10 sided plug. With a block of wood with 80 grit sandpaper double back taped to it I sand the plug round, sanding right up to the line. With the chisel I score a line around the plug that will seat against the blank when inserted. The from the side of the plug that goes inside the blank, I remove some more material so it will fit inside the blank. Finally I Rod Bond that in place.

It almost takes longer to type that description than to actually make the plug. Its quick and simple and I can do it in just a minute or two.



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

You can also create a plug with dust and titebond glue or epoxy (rod bond or your favorite).

Create a pile of dust by sanding the cork that matches your end ring, burl, rubberized, etc. Make more than you need, you can always use it later. I do this by mounting a ring on a mandrel and turning it under 150 grit sandpaper and catch the pile on a sheet of paper.

Mix the dust with Titebond III or elmers wood glue in a very thick paste. Use just a little glue and a lot of dust. Plug the hole with a wad of tape coated in epoxy. Pack the hole with the paste mixture and make the end a little rounded. When cured, just sand off flush with the butt ring and you are done. No cutting needed.

Just another way to finish. If I have a big hole on the end, I'll turn a plug out of either a rubberized ring or burl to match the end ring. I use a bastard file on an angle to make the plug and ensure the top of the plug is larger than the hole. Glue in the plug and finish the 1/4" hole as in the above. Looks great.

Terry

I buy tiny cork bobbers from Reinke Brothers , a tackle making store that carries EVERYTHING,, there are several sizes in the cork bobbers, all tapered, works out well.