Hi Guys,

I am hoping someone over here could give me a couple of tips as to how I can solve my problem......

I am try to build my first popping rod......and I usually making my own EVA grips on a lathe. This time the eva grip came out off centre, and therefore its not symmetrical when compared to the reel seat (the eva grip is slightly oval).....is there anyway possible way I can fix this problem?

Please keep in mind, the thin side of the eva is already on the edge of the reel seat, and so it will be super difficult to sand that part down.......:(

Any help would be very helpful.......I have put in a lot of time on this grip, since I had to glue a few sections of different colored eva, and I really dont want to start from scratch......

fmb72

The only way to get a truly concentric part from a lathe is to cut, rather than sand, the item. Sandpaper simply floats over hard spots, while a cutting tool cuts through them.

The only way I know of to correct your problem would be to ream/bore the grip ID so that it is concentric to the outside. Of course this will likely enlarge the bore to the point where it's too large for the blank OD at that point, so you'd have to shim the blank in that location to get the proper fit restored.

I have a strong suspicion that you may be better off starting on another grip.

............

1. Is the grip glued up already?
2. If it is not glued up you can do several things.
A. If the grip stretches to fit over teh blank (which I do not recommend with EVA inlays) the EVA might stetch out and have a larger OD and it might fit flush.
B. Cut the section that fits closest ot teh seat off, maybe about 1-2", and glue up another larger OD piece, which oyu then sand down properly. That will prevent you from redoing the entire grip. I've had to do this on several occasions.

FOr future reference - do not do all your sanding with the grip on a mandrel. LEave teh grip slightly oversize, install it on teh blank, then sand it down on your wrapping lathe (assuming youhave power to do so). Then do a final sand, an dthe parts closest to the seat you hand sand.

I have corrected small differences by doing what Tom suggests.
Open up the ID in the front area and put some good tape (duct tape?) on the side that you want to "push away" from the blank.
That should bring the other side where the OD does not match to a closer fit.
If it is very far off, either a new grip or Billy's advice of a new front section might be next.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Farid another thing you might try is to sand down the sides that are as you say are "oval" and make the grip round..
Start on the top of the "oval side" curve and sand lengtnwise.
I would go back and forth about 5 times then flip the grip 180' and do the other oval side. Continue this sanding and
flipping until you have the top of the "ovalness" about right. Now work down the sides and round it out..
EVA is soft so sanding is easy.

One suggestion when turning the EVA or cork on your lathe is to mount your sandpaper to a backer stick about 1" wide and
use the tool rest during rough sizing. Then once you're close to final size you can free hand with sandpaper.
If you use #60 paper It's almost like using a file.

Steve, one thing that migh tbe causing the oval at one end of hte grip is that it was not tight on the mandrel. YOur method is accurate, provided the grip is tight, and the mandel isn't wobbling as it spins.

Farid,
Look at this an an opportunity:

There is really nothing wrong with an oval grip on a rod.
For gripping, an oval grip can actually give a person a better grip.

Go ahead and put the grip on the rod, lining up the thicker part of the oval vertical.

Then, when you get the handle on the rod, simply clean up the high side interface on the one side of the reel seat and you are good to go. I would suggest that when you put the grip on the rod, but the thicker portion on the underside of the rod, since it will be easier to clean up on the underside of the rod.

Then, in the future, when turning grips, and if you want roung grips, use some of the excellent suggestions that have already been posted above.

Good luck and enjoy.

Roger

p.s.
When you are cleaning up your grip to match your reel seat, put several wraps of masking tape on the reel seat, so that when sanding, you don't mark the reel seat. Just use a block sander and various grades of sandpaper for the final match.
When you start marking the three layers of masking tape, take the tape off and put on two layers of tape.
When you start marking the two layers of tape, take the tape off and put on one layer of tape.

When you start making marks on the one layr of tape, stop sanding and enjoy the finished grip.

Take care
Roger

Guys,

Sorry for the delay in response, I was out of town for a couple of days.

Firstly I would like to thank you all for your help and response. I was able to fix the problem, so the "off centers" is not as bad as it used to be.......in fact it hardly shows.
The reason for the problem was initially caused by the holes that I had bored out in the eva grips. The holes were not centred properly, the longest grip was approx. 40cm long. Over and above this point, I suspect the eva was not tight fully all the way down the mandrel, so Billy your analysis could be correct.

Finally, to try to solve the problem....I put the lathe on slow rpms, got the tool rest properly setup, and finaly used a rigid back plate for the sandpaper. Al these steps were taken to help stop the sand paper from "floating", and more like shaving off the high points only.

All in all it was lessons learnt.....for the next build.

Once again I really appreciate all your help, and advice.....it definately helped me a lot.

Farid Badri