I built a Tennessee grip bass rod and I'm not happy with the electricians tape. The reel moves around on the grip. So I would
Like to wrap the reel foot onto the cork grip with thread and wrap finish. Any tips or warnings are welcome.

Greg Foy

Greg
Aptos, CA

Understand the electrical tape displeasure!

The is another option:

Twi one inch wraps (one centered on each reel foot) wraps with High Temperatre Duck Tape ( The one used for furnace duct sealing}

Then use XFlock Shrin Wrap with a hot iron to cover each taped segment.

If you decide to try this contact me via email - a couple of installation tricks stabalize the unit.

Greg,

I wrap and finish TN handles on woven carbon tubing, but I would hesitate on the cork. With the little softer materials, I don't know that you will get the finish to adhere well enough to the cork to keep water out over the long term. I've never really tried though, and look forward to hearing about your results if you try. On a personal rod, that may or may not be important to you. If working with cork or EVA, I would probably be calling Mr. Stevens and going 'all in' with his techniques.

If you do decide to try wrapping on the cork, I modified my wrapping jig to make it easier. I hand wrap using V blocks, and I drilled a hole about an inch below and an inch off to the side of the bottom of my V in one support. Then I wrapped a couple guides onto a threaded rod and coated with CP. Install the threaded rod, remove the spool and reel handle and you can wrap the reel feet just like a guide.

To dry the finish, I turn 180 degrees by hand as needed. A rod with a spinning reel mounted isn't going to turn well in many dryer setups. If you put the reel handle back on, you can carefully rest it on a support, stack of books, etc. to keep the reel pointed up, and then just let the reel hang down when you rotate the rod. The technique works well for me.

Joe

Bill, I think you mean the heavy foil duct tape, I have used it in construction and I will try that first. It is pretty stiff and the adhesive is real strong. Joe, I had reservations about doing it on cork because it could compress under the reel foot and get loose.

Greg - I went with Bill's X flock heat shrink idea, but I used filament strapping tape as per Rich Forhan's idea. One wrap of strapping tape on each reel foot, then a section of heat shrink. Very comfortable - just fished it yesterday!

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane

I also use a strip of reinforced packing tape (it has fibers running through itr) on each foot then top it with black tape. This will prevent it from moving. I also flatten the cork where the foot will sit so it almost melts into the grip. The other suggestions will work well also and your reel will not move until you cut it off.

Greg
You can find an article on wrapping reels to graphite Tennessee handles, and the benefits in - Rod Maker mag Volume 10 Issue #4
and follow up article with a bit more instruction and tips to save you some aggravation - in Volume11 Issue #1

The key to all this is to get a "solid" matrix of shrink wrap and tape reinforcement bonded together.

Shrink wrap is elastic - the tape or the fibers in the tape need to be bonded to the shrink wrap.

Take a look at the iron used by the young man in this model airplane video - I had one of these things on a shelf from an earlier obsession!

If anyone knows the jargon it was fast combat and rat race. That yearly Show was called the NATS!

Play with the settings on the Monokote iron to find a temperature that the tape and the XFlock form a material that has no elasticity.

[www.youtube.com]

On the edges of the reel feet insert a square wooden toothpick at the overlap edge to minimize and side rotation under load.

Put these over the Poker Chips and you can go All In for the entire season or until you want to get a new reel!

Bill - a heat gun works too! Go hot, and go fast (and I am not talking about control-line). Probably a good idea to put some protection on the blank - I used a few wraps of blue painters tape.

The x flock is thicker than electricial tape. Shoo Goo under the reel foot will help keep things in place. It will tear up your cork if change reel a lot.

Steve - when I get the next rod dialed in (carbon fiber composite TN handle) I will be wrapping the reel on. I still think of that method as the ultimate.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane

bare cork is - soft - so try coating it with some thing to stiffen it

A 2 K clear thinned out Let dry will make the cork -- surface -- harder

Or even use Exotic Cork which is a little harder

Unless you plan to stay with cork there are a lot of materials that are harder

Bill - willierods.com

I wanted to try out the Tennessee grip for myself, since I hadn't done one yet, so I just used cork and I'll probably use something harder next time. It is pretty comfortable. Meanwhile there are good suggestions here.

Wouldn't it be more simple and much easier just to use a reel seat or one of the skeleton seats? I just don't see what the advantage is with a Tennessee rod but always hear people talk about how to make them work.

Good point Les

Bill - willierods.com

The benefit of a Tennessee handle is it's lighter weight.

A spinning reel seat isn't very comfortable to me. A full wells fly rod grip is, and a Tennessee grip is closer to that than a reel seat.

Greg

When there are simpler ways of doing things, and people (builders) still choose to take the more difficult route . There are in many cases benefits to what they are doing
Some times people choose the more difficult methods out of ignorance, but in cases when competent people (builders) that are aware of the choices still choose the harder route.
There usually are good reasons, even if you do not know or understand them.

Steve a question be Who Dat?

Custom builders who work with fishermen who are sensitive to getting bit understand - hammer hand anglers drop shot with seats!

Internet forums identify players at the table and the cards they have in their hand to play in this wonderful world of custom rod building.

Some stay in the sand box and others play on the outside.

Ya should pick up one of these very comfortable
[www.mudhole.com]

Bill - willierods.com

I took up rodbuilding, because at the time, I couldn't buy a rod with a Tennessee handle in the store. I have found a couple of choices superior to electrical tape. Especially in the summer when the adhesive begins to ooze from between the wraps.

First, I really like the silicon tape you find in the plumber's section of your local hardware. In some instances, it will be called "Tommy Tape", but the generic version in my local hardward store is just as good and more economical. This tape works much like "shrink wrap". However, heat isn't required. It stretches as you wrap it, and, after twenty-four hours, it sets up and becomes bomb-proof. I do find it easier to use ordinary electrical tape to hold the reel in position prior to wrapping the silicon tape.

Second, I also like to use "Pro Wrap", which is available from Bass Pro Shops, or, sometimes, you local tackle shop. This is non-adhesive tape, somewhat similar to bicycle handle bar wraps. The front end of the can be secured to the handle by overwrapping, but you do need something to finish the tag end. I use the silicon tape mentioned above. I really like this because I have fairly large hands and enjoy the more robust grip offered by this product. Again, I first secure the reel to the handle with a couple of strips of electrical tape, and then cover them.

Slainte,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

Don't know how well this sticks to itself but maybe this will work
[www.mudhole.com]

Bill - willierods.com