After making several split-grip saltwater trout rods I am looking for suggestions on how to make the rear split grip part of it look better. For the rear split grip I use Mudhole's RSG-23, 2.3 Rear Fighting Butt for Split-Grips (.300 ID). For the butt cap I use Mudhole's CBC-1, 1" Composite Cork Butt Cap (.785 ID). After I rod bond the two together and wipe away the excess with DNA I press the two together again and once again wipe away any tiny bit that seeps up through where the two meet. Then with long strips of painters tape I tape the composite cork to the rod so there is *some* pressure to keep it in place. The only way to describe the end result is, "Eh, Okay." You can easily see the seam, the cork is a little discolored from the wiping with the DNA and the edges don't totally match up. A little overlap here, a little under there. The overall look is just "OK." What can I do here to make it look better? I just keep having the nagging feeling that there are a couple things that I'm missing that make this all look like a 10 of 10 instead of a 5 of ten. Thanks very much.

Charles,

When I put a butt cap on a tenon, I put the bulk of the epoxy on the inside of the butt cap, with maybe a very thin film on the tenon, if there isn't a good friction fit between the cap and tenon. When you push the butt cap into place, the excess epoxy gets pushed to the back of the cap rather than toward the joint. You will need to do very little cleanup this way.

Joe

Assuming the parts are well fitted, you can improve the appearance by doing the wiping of excess epoxy before fully seating the parts. Before bringing the butt cap all the way to the full seated position, stop about 3/16 inch shy and wipe away any epoxy in the open gap. Completely remove anything in there. Then seat as normal and "clamp" with tape until fully set.

If the problem is more than just an epoxy seam, you may have to switch to more closely fitting parts or choose to make your own butt grip with more precise tenon. You can also help things a bit by rounding over the sharp edge of the butt cap before installing it.

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Charles,
Pretty simple.
Use a clamp so that you can get good clamping pressure when assembling things.
With a split grip, use a u shaped board in front of the back of the rear grip to allow you to nicely snug the grip together against the butt of the rod.
After the glue has set up a bit, use DNA and a tooth brush to insure that any glue has been cleaned up.

Then, after completing the glue up, put the rod - without the butt cap in a full length rod lathe, and spin the completed assembly. Tape off any areas not to be touched up. Then use grades of sand paper of appropriate grades to get a perfect match for all parts of the handle.

If you have any questions about the construction or use of a full length rod lathe, just drop me a line:

hflier@comcast.net

Roger

I like the path Roger is taking... but here's my wrinkle on it...

clamp it up - the quick clamp types work great - once pressure applied, wipe off the "ooze" around the seam with DNA. Clean it up good, let it dry. Set up with the butt down to dry. That way if there is any ooze it settles down and hopefully doesn't run out.

Once dry take off the clamp, and get a 1/4 sheet of sandpaper, grab the butt with the sandpaper in hand and smooth it all up twisting the rod and your hand (twisting both helps avoid flat spots).

That little bit will make a big difference in the fit up. Personally I don't lke a rod lathe for this because once the butt cap is on - the rod chuck is going to be clamping the area you want to sand most - so you're going to do that by hand anyway,

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AD

do you turn your own cork or are you stuck using the pre-made sections and caps?

the reason i ask is that i have some special mandrels that let me turn a split grip end section as 1 full piece. I typically set up my butts so that the top ring is a 1/4" ring and it is reamed fairly tight. Basically, i have it so i can just squeeze it over the butt of the rod. The rest of the rings are typically a little more open to leave space for glue. Next i glue all the rings up on a my special mandrel with the last ring being a 1/2" rubberized ring with a 1/4" hole.

My mandrels are special because they all have 3" of 1/4" diameter mandrel on one end before they get to their actual size (3/8, 1/2 etc) This way i can turn the rubberized piece and the reamed pieces as one unit and perfectly on center. When i'm done, i coat the inside of the grip with rod bond and slide it onto the blank. I use the rubberized 1/4" plug to plug the hole in the end. I also bore 1/4" into the rubberized ring to fit the end of the blank so that the blank itself becomes a tennon.

best part is you never have to wipe any glue.

Regards,
-Justin

I also do mine just about the same way Justin does his, I do not like glueing on the blank and then do the shaping.

Even if you make your own parts with a lath, you should always - Dry - fit every thing several times before gluing. This way you can hand sand any areas that don't line up with a small block of wood with sand paper on or even just buy hand till they fit the way you want.

Never assume it will all fit well

Bill - willierods.com

I hollow out the end of the composite butt cap that will abut the cork with a Dremel tool and use the end of the rod as a tenon. Most of the glue will then be on the rod butt and hollow of the butt cork and not the mating surfaces of the composite cap or cork, thus no oozing of the glue.

I turn all my butt knobs from glued cork rings, using rubberized for the end. They will have a 5/16 hole all the way through from my mandrel. Then I carefully drill the hole out to the diameter of the rod blank, or very close to it, stopping just short of going through the butt end of it. This leaves a one piece fabrication with the rod size hole in one end, and 5/16 in the other. I then glue it onto the rod with rod bond after having slid a flexible winding check up the blank. Sliding the knob onto the blank pushes some epoxy out. I then slide the winding check into the epoxy, even it out well so there is no gap, then clean up the epoxy. They look great, no gaps, no epoxy, no problems. Finally I mix some epoxy with rubberized cork "dust" from turning and fill the hole in the butt. It will almost match the last ring and becomes almost invisible.

This photo doesn't show it perfectly, but you can get the idea. The rod is a 8 1/2 foot salmon casting rod. [www.rodbuilding.org]

In addition to some of the great comments posted, here is another little trick that I use some of the time for handles.
I ream out the handle - from the butt end of the handle so that the taper in the handle section will fit the blank. I already have the cork butt cap glued and shaped to the handle as a one piece unit.
After reaming out the end of the handle, I will have a hole that is essentially the same size as the blank.
I then use a tapered piece of cork that will match the butt section of the rod, tightly "cork" the hole in the butt of the rod, and leave a bit of the plug extended from the butt section of the rod.

I glue on the handle, or handle section for a split grip and the tapered plug all at one time.

After the glue has set up, I take the rod with the glued on handle to my disk sander that has the cross vise attached. I clamp the rod into the cross vise on the disk sander. Turn on the sander, and run the cross vise down on the spinning disk sander, until the butt of the rod cleans up.

The cross vise insures that the end of the rod is exactly perpendicular to the rod itself.

In times past, I tried to free hand sand the butt section of the rod, and I would almost always end up with a slight angle on the butt of the rod, or a rounded corner on the butt of the rod.

The cross vise takes care of the sanding issue in conjunction with the disk sander.

Good luck
Roger

I block sand them. Quicker for me. Don't have room for all that fancy tools Wish I had. LOL
Or i take some of the same cork and sand some off, add it in glue and fill the hole. Then a few coats of permagloss and it shines.

Bill - willierods.com