In trying to reduce weight on a spinning rod, I view the foregrip as somewhat useless, other than becoming a valance to dress the end of the rod grip. The lightest way I can think of is to leave a quarter inch space at the end of the grip, and fill with colored epoxy.

What would be a better/alternative way? I am looking for suggestions.

Roy

You can simply use a winding check on the front of the foregrip or like you said, just fill in the gap with tinted epoxy. I use 5 min epoxy for ramps. With the rod turning. I gob the epoxy where the blank and reel seat meet . Raise the tip a little to get the ramp angle that you want. The turning of the rod will give you a nice smooth ramp right to the edge of the seat. You can color the epoxy but I Just wrap right up the ramp and when you get to the top, tape the end out of the way. Put finish on and when it's dry, trim off the loose end flush. Makes a nice looking transition. I use A thread the same as the rest of the wrap.

Cut any excess threads of of the reel seat also to save weight

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!!

Roy,
Take two 1/2 inch thick cork rings. Weigh them.
Then, take the amount of epoxy that you are going to use to make the ramp at the end of the grip - weigh it.

I suspect that you will find that an inch of cork weigh no more than the epoxy that you will use as a ramp.

It is fine to not have a foregrip on a reel seat. However, I doubt that you will really save much weight on a rod by not having a short foregrip.

If you want to save some weight, you can just use a cork or eva spacer of 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so and ramp it down to the blank. Very little weight and it does a nice cosmetic cover for the front of the reel seat. It will certainlyh weigh less than an epoxy ramp.

Roger

Rod come pick this one up -
[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2009 12:40PM by Bill Stevens.

The reason that I use a small ramp on all my spinning rods is not so much about weight as it is about having my finger or thumb resting on the blank (I use seats in the downlocking position) I usually make the ramp so that I can unscrew the hood right over it onto the blank which allows me to also trim the maximum amount of the reel seat threads off reducing the weight even more

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!!

Right on Mike.

Trim the seat down, ramp it and be done. The ramp will make a nice transition for your hands. Where this tiny amount of epoxy vs cork weight is located, it's mute as you need to physically weigh each to see any difference IF ANY at all once you trim the seat.

DR

I'm with DR here. Most of the time my finger is resting on the epoxy ramp. I wet my finger with alcohol and press it into the ramp to get a curve that matches the size of my finger. Makes palming a reel REALLY comfortable.

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I like that idea, Alex!!!!

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!!

Not trying to sound sarcastic, but if you target small fish the no foregrip rod will do. I like a rod with at least a 2 1/2 to 3 inch forgrip. I fish the surf a lot and when I hook a fish that will go 7 lbs. or over I like to put the rod butt up against my belly, grab the rod by the foregrip, and fight the fish. If I am lucky to hook a fish I will not only be fighting the fish but the current and waves and the foregrip really comes in handy.

Mike - To be fair... Chris Davis is the one that turned me on to the alcohol wetted finger approach

I think his inspiration came from rod building while mixing a drink. He ran out of stirring sticks.

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Ellis you will be the only one that fully understands this reply to your post. Considering what is now going on in the bass fishing world with rod weights and no foregrips you and Gerald would probably dissagree at the breakfast table on the matter of foregrip value. You defending your side of the case using the added feature of chomping on the foregrip while wading and changing lures and him wandering down the sensitivity road - at least removing the foregrip would leave more room for one of his optical chevrons or a longer weave for you - Sure would be fun to listen!

Bill, at my age if I tried to fight a red or jack without a foregrip, the fish would break my wrist (lol).

Somehow Ellis even though I am now a no foregrip builder I do relate!!

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Lamiglass is using a piece of heat shrink tube on the front of the reel seat to close it off. It looks a little funny it does the job. I would probably put a glob of epoxy on the front of the reel seat and shrink the tube down, it should create a taper of sorts.