The grip I just posted on the photo page was bored out too large for the blank. The epoxy set up and ther eis about a 9" section of the grip that is not tight on teh blank, it feels like the grip is not even touching the blank. Does anyon ehave an idea on how to go abotu fixing this? I'm thinking a syringe and 30 minute liquid epoxy? If anyon ehas done this can you tell me specifically what size needle you used?

This is on a Tuna rod which will see 25#'s of drag. The last thing I want to do is make this grip again, but I do not want the grip falling apart while a fish is being cranked in. It stinks to have to post a botch up hack, but I guess it happens to everyone at some point. It is very frustrating and embarassing though, I will say that

Can you get to the open end or are you having to go through the grip to reach the void?

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HAve to go through the grip. Wha tI did was instal half of the grip on the blank, added a trim ring, then installed the second half of the grip - I can't bore out 14" perfectly so I split the grip into 2 7" pieces. The top of hte grip I put a layer or 2 of thread, and it is secure. The middle/bottom of the grip is where it's loose. So I would have to poke a hole through the grip to get at the void, and shoot the epoxy in that way. Problem????

If you've ever actually tried the syringe and epoxy trick, it's not quite as easy as it sounds. Although, it's a far sight easier on EVA than cork.

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

Billy,

I have done the syringe and 30min thing before, it works just fine to fill the void but I was never happy with it, just never felt "right" in your hand to me, maybe it was just me knowing about it?...... I claimed the rod and started another :-)

DR

Billy,

I use the same method whenever someone comes to me with a loose reel seat. The key is using the right epoxy. I've yet to find anything sold for rod building that works well. I've found that Loctite Professional Slow Cure Epoxy works best because it has a much lower viscosity than other epoxies. It has a 60 minute dry time. I use a syringe made for dispensing medicine to baby's.

The key is that you have to drill a hole at both ends of the void in order to get it properly filled. One hole to shoot the epoxy in and one hole for the air to come out. That way the void will be completely filled and you won't end up with a funny feeling grip. It's actually a simple procedure after you do it a couple of times.

The first time I tried this I used Devcon 5 min epoxy. It didn't go so well and it ruined my syringe. It set up right when I started pushing on the plunger. You should be able to get syringes at your local pharmacy. I can post a picture of the one I use if you'd like.

jeremy

Billy what if you got a peice of copper tubing that is a little bigger than the diameter of the blank. Sharpen the end and then run the tubing up the blank to remove the grip. Then use an arbor and reattach the grip? It's more work than shooting in epoxy but you would know it's fixed and won't fail.

Hi Billy,
Those in between size blanks can be a pain. One thing I used on a rod was two different sized pieces of eva to make up a grip with trim rings. I was surprised how well the ods matched up but sanding would take care of that . Combined with a layer of thread it gets you out of most situations. I've used the syringe and epoxy method to fix a loose steering wheel grip in my car and that worked fine. Biggest problem I found was finding a syringe with a big enough tip and finding something to dilute the epoxy so it would go through the syringe and still be volatile enough to evaporate. Ende up using oil based paint thinner, mineral turpentine, and that worked ok. Good luck on the fix.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

G'Day Billy
My solution was somewhat different in that I sliced the grip along the axis (I couldn't work out how to plug the hole ). I then placed a couple of toothpicks in the slice to keep it open & then used a syringe filled with a 24hr epoxy thinned with Isopropyl Alcohol . After I injected enough epoxy I then used Contact Cement to seal the slit ,let it sit for a couple of days gave it a sand finished up & felt like it was supposed to

Good luck Baz

Pick up a syringe from a veterinarian, pet supply store or farm supply store -- the ones used for large animals have larger needles and will work the best.

if you try the syringe and needle, get a larger gauge needle, like a 18 or 16 or larger (smaller number), and the smallest diameter syringe you can find, like the 3mL ones. The smaller diameter the syringe, the easier it is.
i agree on the lowest viscosity epoxy you can find, 60 minute, and if you can thin it, that will help more...
you are a wizard with the contact cement and the EVA, so i am sure you could find a way to cut the piece off, get the epoxy in there, and cement it back together...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2011 06:58AM by Rick Vohden.

I have a similar problem where I attached an EVA grip to a piece of aluminum tubing. I think you can see the problem here, since the tubing is not tapered, most of the epoxy got pushed off of the tubing while installing the grip. Most of the grip is loose on the tubing. Reading this thread just gave me an idea, I can access to the loose end of the grip, therefore I'm going to try and inject epoxy through a food syringe. This should give me greater capacity and reach.

For something like this on a heavy rod, I would just take a razor blade and slice off the grip.
Sand down a new grip to the right size. Build up the blank if needed so that the new grip fits well on the blank.
Then, be very generous with the epoxy and glue the new grip back on the rod.

Especially with EVA, the talking about it takes longer than the doing. It should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to cut off the old handle, make up the new one and glue it in place.

When you get a big fish on the end of that mighty rod, you don't want to have the grip twisting on you.

The key thing is a decent fit on the handle to the blank, and then a very generous amount of epoxy to glue the handle to the blank.

You can always wipe off excess, as long as it has not cured, but it is tough to make it right, when you did not get enough glue between the grip and the blank.

Sure, you can use things like syringes, etc. But, if you cut off the old blank, and put a new grip back on correctly, you will know that it has been done correctly and won't have to worry about a call back.

Good fishing.
Roger

Billy, with your proficency at inlays, I was wondering if you could cut out a section of grip all the way down to the blank and lift the grip edges with something to allow the application of epoxy. Then, when cured, reinstall the removed peice. My thoughts are maybe epoxy the peice to the blank, then spread the seams to allow contact cement to be applied. Probably would have to do one seam at a time. Another possibility would be to cut it out on a taper and maybe you could apply the epoxy to the blank and CC to the foam at the same time. Naturally, I've never done this, just pondering the possibility.

Roger, the problem is I don't want to ruin a grip that took me 6 hours to make: [www.rodbuilding.org] I totally agree though, if it was a solid grip it would be cut off and a new piece glued on, I can eat the $4.

I have done fixes to chewed up EVA by cutting the damaged section out, and "inlaying" a new piece. That works perfectly (Thanks Royce, Rick and Barry). I didn't even think of that though, I certainly would be able to cut a small 1/4" "trim ring" out of teh grip, get epoxy in the void, then glue a 1/4" trim ring back in there. I can't believe I'm typing this.

I just realized I don't even need a small syringe, I coudl cut a few "plugs or cylanders" out like when I make eyes for fish (using Copper tubing sharpened), get the glue where it needs to go, then glue another plug back in teh hole to close it up. You'd never even notice it.

Thanks a lot part 2, lol. The grips were done for another builder, he has the blank and will be making the fix. I think he is trying the syringe method first, if that doesnt' work I'll take the grip back and try wha tI just posted, and i'll take some photos of the process.

Billy, i see it as a way to add some more bling to the grip. Plug cut it. . the syringe deal is iffy at best . Off shore rod has to be bullet proof.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)