There was a post a few days ago about a builder having trouble with his tip tops pushing back off before his hot melt glue was set. I had something happen today that might help anyone else having that same trouble!

I normally install my butt cap at the time I build my handle assy. Then I would wrap the rod and install the tip top. I also had the trouble of my tip tops sometimes pushing back off even though I use five minute epoxy. I had to hold them tight on until the glue was set. Bummer.

Tonite I happened to have left the butt cap off because with it on the rod butt would not fit into my wrapper chuck. I had wrapped the rod and when I installed the top the tip top went right on and didn't try at all to push back off! I figure that by leaving the butt cap off, the air trapped in the tip top gets pushed out the middle of the blank and down out the butt! In fact I'm sure of it! I tried some other blanks for a dry fit and with the butt sealed off the tip top almost always tries to push off. But upcapped, the tip top goes right on. Put the tip top on and cap the butt and when you pull the tip top off a little it gets sucked right back onto the rod tip!

I'm thinking that this little trick may help keep those tip tops and butt caps ON the rod over the long haul!

I learned two things here, first to leave the butt cap off until the tip top has been glued on and two, that if you cap the butt first and then install the tip top, you may have a situation where the compressed air inside the rod blank will always be trying to force the tip top off! Can't say for sure and have no proof, but from now on I'm installing the butt cap AFTER I install the tip top and then I'd putting a small hole in the butt cap for air to escape when I install it.

THis is hte same technique they use to fill some blankswith Heliem. lol.

That may be the case with the rod you're building but won't be the case all the time. I normally build fly rods and light to medium fresh water blanks. The tips on these lighter blanks are not hollow and there's no way that any air could pass through them.

I read a tip on this website several years ago that I found helpful. I wish I could credit the writer but I don't remember who it was. When using the hot melt tip top adhesive, it's best to shave off small slivers and stuff them into the tip top with a toothpick, dubbing neddle or similar object. Pack the tip top until it's almost full. Apply heat to melt the glue and put the tip top in in place and quickly move it back a forth in a sort of twisting fashion just to make sure I've got the adhesive well distributed inside the tube and along the tip. It solves the problem with adhesion and I've never had a problem with air pressure inside the tube wanting to push the tip back off. I think one of the reasons a good number of builders shy away from the hot melt glue is that they don't know to properly apply it to get the best result - I didn't and it's why I had trouble with the tip tops not wanting to stay on. They stay on now! Even when I'm. using expoxy I follow the same type of procedure: I try to get some of the expoxy down in the tube first to ensure that I've got good adhesion the entire length of the tube. Maybe the wet epoxy displaces some air?? Compressed air inside the tube just doesn't seem to happen much to me.

Another way to get hot melt adhesive into a tip top is to heat it and dab it on a flat clean surface, then roll it up under your finger tip until it's long and skinny. You can just drop it in the tube. Repeat as necessary and use a pointed tool to make sure the tip top is full.

Use the same application method as Sam describes above.

Also, you can use a small drill and relieve a hole in the end of the tip top to prevent any air from causing the tip to back off. This was posted here recently and is a good way to prevent air pockets from preventing good adhesion.

Terry

Well I don't figure it will hurt anything so I'm going to stick to it for awhile.

I've used Gorilla Glue on some tip-tops and when the glue expandes it comes out the tip of the tip-top around the tube where the ring supports go into the tube, razor cutting removes it once dry. Although my original instructor cut small slivers , stuck them in the tube & applied heat & install on tip, the thinner the mix the better the stick, with out the "compression " problem. Larry