I'm new so thanks in advance for taking the time to read and answer! I'm putting together some rods for a fishing trip for my dad, father-in-law and myself. Just some beginner questions:
1)Is the best way to put a handle together by building it on the rod? (Using individual cork rings)
2)Any advantages to using 5 min epoxy vs. 10 or 12 min?
3)I'm buying parts to make my own lathe, what's the best way to attach the rod to the chuck so I can still get to the butt end?

Again thanks so much for your time, I've tried to do some research but can't get the answers I'm looking for. You've been helpful so far just by reading past posts!! Thanks!

i'm also a beginner, (been doing this for years, but never had much luck on the outcome) but here goes..

1. i've been building the handle on the rod for a while and recently switched to using a steel mandrel. i find that building on the rod, i had a problem with the rod length and trying to keep the rod centred on the rod lathe. also, when i made a mistake , i had to strip the cork off the rod and in most cases, left spots of epoxy and cork behind.. with the mandrel, i find it easier to keep the mandrel level on the rod lathe (i dont have access to woodworking lathes) and if i make a mistake, i can just glue up a new set of cork rings on to the mandrel and do it all over again.. however, i have not tried reaming the grip yet, which would be the next headache.. hate to ream off centre and mess up the completed grip

2. tried using those 5/15 mins epoxy ... its ok if i were just doing up the seat onto the blank etc, but i dont use it to glue up too many rings .. i may be too slow and it always start to set up while i'm not done..

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Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Using the epoxy will cause glue lines to be present between the rings, some like it so dont. Advantage of the longer set epoxy is more work time and time to readjust alignment. Also more time to clean up from the blank. If turning the grips on the blank you have to be careful not to damage the blank where it is in the supports. wrap some masking tape around the are to protect it. Why not buy a premade grip ?

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I tend to agree with Christopher- it's easier to build the grip separately and then install it on the rod. If you've not done grips before, the place where you're likely to mess up is in turning it, not in the glue-up; if you make a mistake either way on the rod, you have to live with it or cut it off and start over. You can make a cork clamp cheaply from 2 pieces of threaded rod and a couple of lumber scraps. Reaming isn't a real big deal, if you take your time. I use a rattail or round coarse file, and rotate the grip every few strokes to keep things centered.

I prefer gluing the cork together with Titebond rather than epoxy; when you're gluing the grip to the rod either epoxy will work, but I suggest rehearsing the installation process dry and making sure you're completely ready to go BEFORE mixing the epoxy and starting the clock - nothing like getting part way through the install and finding a problem you hadn't anticipated that you have to try and solve on the fly with the epoxy starting to set up. Come to think of it, that's a pretty good argument for using the longer cure epoxy!

Everything the guys have told you here is great but I'll add one thing - I assume your "research" has been limited to searching on the internet. I would highly recommend you arm yourself with good information in the form of one of the excellent rod building books or DVDs. The Flex Coat DVD "How We Do It" would give you a real head start on getting that first rod built with good results.


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i've got to come clean.. i started using the mandrel because I read Tom's book..

i wonder if i can chuck the rat tail file into a hand drill and use it to ream the grip... probably the front of the foregrip will be reamed by hand...

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Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Cork is easy to ream. I'd use a regular hand held reamer for that task.

You can save yourself a good deal of work by boring your rings before you glue them up on the mandrel. Take them to size just under what they need to be for the location they will reside in on the blank. That way, once you take them off the mandrel only a small amount of final reaming needs to be done.

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well, i wondered about it.. but i placed an order for the 5/16,3/8 and 7/16 mandrels.. i bought the 1/4 a while back to try out what i read in your book..

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Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Because of the size rods that I build, I bore out the ring holes to 3/8" with a Flexcoat bit and glue them up on a threaded rod (waxed by rubbing a candle over rhe threads to help keep glue from sticking) with Titbond II or III and clamp. You can use wing nuts/washers or a home made "Quik Clamp" [www.rodbuilding.org] If the grip does get stuck on the rod, just put one end in a vise and "unscrew" the grip.
Finish reaming with any cork reamer of rat tail file

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!!

I build everything on a mandrel, most of it is turned on a 1/4". Then I use the flexcoat bits with the tendon to ream. Sometimes I'll ream one end of a grip with 3/8ths and the other end with 7/16ths or what ever sizes to match the blanks taper. I hardly ever do any reaming by hand and I never use winding checks, so you know my cork fits, and fits well.

Yes you can chuck up a rat tail file and use it to ream, I usually chuck one in the lathe for any touching up that is needed. Might be a little more tricky in a non-stationary item like a hand drill.

5-15min epoxy suits me very well. I use it for rings and grips. Rings done correctly, using very little epoxy and clamped as Mike suggested you can make a handle anyone would be proud to look at. The key is preparation. Get everything totally ready before you ever mix the epoxy including your clean up towels/filters or what ever you choose to use. Coffee filters work outstandingly well for me.

I do like the slower epoxy like Rod Bond for reel seats and arbors, so both the fast and slow has a place on my table.

DR

If you use a rat tail file in a hand drill, be sure to rotate it in reverse as the file can easily jamb in the other directions as it is cut on a spiral. I have seen some split a grip doing it incorrectly.