Hi,

It's time to replace my reamers they have copped and absolute flogging over the last couple of months, usually I wrap engineers abrasive tape around an blank and they last a good while but I'm tossing up using the abrassive grit sold by mudhole epoxied onto the scrap blank the only thing I'm worried about is grit not holding well in the epoxy, I'm a little parranoid about epoxy heating up and releasing even a couple of grains left enbedded in the grip could result in some nice scratches on the blanks? Anyone use this stuff? Should I stick to the tried and true?

Cheers

Mark Newcombe
Old Bar NSW
Australia
markscustomfishing.com
American Tackle Pro-Staff

Mark, I have been using the grit for about 30 years and never had so much as one scratch on a rod blank due to loosing grit in a handle. Thoroughly sand the scrap blank, apply a good, even coat of epoxy, then after spreading a good layer of grit on either wax paper or tin foil, roll the blank until evenly coated with the grit. Make sure there are no areas where the grit has built up to be a little hill or mountain that will distort the even reaming of your grip. Let it dry and then brush off any loose grit. simple as that.

I have had the opposite experience then Randolph! Twice I have had pieces of the grit imbed themselves into the cork and then scratch an expensive blank! I now only use the abrasive strips glued to the reamer.

Stick with the abrasive strips. Just added insurance

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!!

Recently had rubberized cork and burl eat the strips off of two reamers.

No grit will be on my reamers.

I severly scratched two blanks when a bit was imbeded in the cork grip.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Thanks guys that is exactly what worried me Phil guess ill stick with the abrasive tape.

Cheers

Mark Newcombe
Old Bar NSW
Australia
markscustomfishing.com
American Tackle Pro-Staff

Sounds like you guys didn't prepare the reamers properly. Been building rods for over 40 years and never had the problems you describe. did you make the reamers yourselves? Or bought something someone else made?

Another very good option is to use a machine shop made metal reamer.

They will never wear out, and will last virtually forever.

It is especially nice is you have a good friend in a machine shop where you can get the reamers made for a reasonable cost.

Be safe
Roger

Heat from friction when power reaming can remove grit from belt made reamers too. Usually off the edges of the strip. For that I have a bottle brush with the bristles trimmed down to stiffen them. Blow the grip out then vigorously clean with the brush. No debris inside, ever since I used it.

Nice idea Ted I'm all over that one.

Mark

I use grit coated home-made reamers. I make sure to pull a tubing brush through the reamed grip numerous times to clear out any grit pieces left behind in the grip. You can buy different sized tubing brushes at just about any food service supply store. Never scratched a blank!

Rog

I do something a bit different than what has been mentioned here. I use different sizes of rat tail files. Cut the handle portion back to the round part of the file, then chuck it in you lathe or drill press. I use my lathe for this. Works really good and they don't wear out.

Jerry

Hi all ;

I just got some grit from Mud Hole to replace the old sanding tape on my reamer. I have never done this before now. So what is the best way to remove the old tape from the reamer blank, I used contact cement to hold the tape to the rod blank. I like the rod blank and want to keep it . Also need to try to salvage a old rod reel seat, I don't have a drill press to drill out the old rod blank, Any help would be appreciated so much. I was told it can't be done ,are they right? I don't want to try to use a reamer .

Thank you all;

Richard curry Maysville GA.

What is life without fishing ?

Richard,
To take the tape off your reamer, just use a heat gun to heat the tape and soften the adhesive. The tape will come right off. Then, use mineral spirits to remove any adhesive residue. Then, use DNA to remove any mineral spirit residue.

To remove the old reel seat just take a band saw, chop saw, hack saw, dremel or other tool to cut the blank off just in front of and just behind the reel seat. Now you will just have to remove the blank from the inside of the reel seat.

Put on a leather glove to hold the reel seat and to avoid hand damage in case you happen to drill through the reel seat. Then grab a variable speed drill and a bunch of different size drill bits. Start with a smaller drill bit, drilling out from each end of the reel seat. Go to larger and larger drill bits until all of the blank has been removed from the reel seat.
Go ahead and clean up the reel seat and use as desired.

Roger

As far as the reel seat goes, If you have a vice and a hand drill, I would pad the vice jaws, put in the reel seat until just tight enough to hold it, then drill out the blank with successively larger dia. bits. Care must be taken to not deform the reel seat. You didn't say if it was wood or metal or what?

I could use some help here and maybe the "machine shop made metal reamer" is the answer if this old guy can figure out where to get them. I use the rat tailed files on some of my grips as as work with a lot of wood but I can't find any for grips much larger than fly rod grips, the files are to small in diameter for anything larger, any suggestions???? Thanks.

Find a friendly machine shop and have them make one or more for you.

Roger

You should be able to drill the wood out as large as you can and then glue in several graphite arbors and ream them to fit the blank
makes the handle lighter and is easier to ream to fit the blank

Bill - willierods.com

The sort of reamer you're referring to is for accurately sizing bores previously drilled undersized. They're steeply tapered and not suitable for the sort of grip and handle boring folks are talking about here.

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