What is the consensus on the best glue to use for bonding reel seats and grips? I suppose an epoxy but is the liquid types better than the thicker pastes like RodBond and Probond? I would think the liquid types are better for getting a grip to slide down the rod. Maybe you guys use different types for different applications?

Larry I use either ProBond or RodBond for both .I don't have any problems sliding the grips I just make sure that the blank is covered with the glue & I also coat the inside of the grip before sliding it down & once I start the slide I don't stop until i reach my mark on the blank

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

Probond for me all the way!

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Super Tight Lines......Don

Nothing but ProBond for me also

Ron Weber

I prefer Pro-Bond. Will use Rod Bond if I run short of Pro-Bond. Pro-bond mixed easier than Rod-Bond and may be slightly less viscous, so it acts as a better lube.

I have not tried probond. I now use rod bond. At one point I used a liquid, mostly west systems. I think the gel does as well for grips and reel seats yets causes less mess and loss of product. Now I can glue something up, clean the excess as neeeded, and walk away. With the liquid I had to keep checking/wiping for several hours.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Rod Bond

Bill - willierods.com

Rod bond Fan here also

I still use Flex Coat rod building glue for most of my work. I ream the grips to a close tolerance with Batson reamers, paint the blank with the FC epoxy using a small brush and slide the grip and later the foregrip in place. I use the FC glue also for the reel seat. Sometimes on a large rod such as a surf or offshore rod I will use the gel type of glue for gluing the seat. For the grips on large rods I still use the FC glue. I have never had a grip come loose in 34 years of rod building.

For many years, I have been useing Pro-Pox.

This is a great 2-part industrial liquid epoxy with a 30 minute cure time. It comes in 1 lb tubs and is rather inexpensive. It works wonderfully well and with the 30 minute cure time gives me a nice strong ten minutes before it has begun to thicken at all. This gives me plenty of time to do a full butt grip, reel seat and fore grip with individual cork rings or completed grips in a single glue mix.

I personally would never use a paste type epoxy for this type work. No need, and I think a lot of downside.

As you know, there are not a lot of glue manufacturers on the market. Rather there are a few very large glue makers that sell bulk product to re sellers who then repackage the product into smaller containers and put their own name on it.
So, use the epoxy that works for you. One that is convenient for you to obtain, and one that is sold at a price that you can afford to pay.

Be safe

Pro Bond for areas that have gaps or if I need to encapsulate reel seat arbors. For tight fit where there isnt going to be a tremendous amount of torque on that part, 2 part Flex coat 5 minute liquid epoxy.

Buzz

Just curious Roger. What do you see as a downside to using a gel type such as rod bond?

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I've used an Australian two part liquid epoxy called Araldite super strength for over 35 years and haven't had anything ever come close to being loose. I find it flows better into small areas which might answer Russell's comment and works well with eva grips if you coat the blank and the inside of the grip. I've seen that cause a problem on plenty of factory rods where they only coat one surface and when putting the grip on it pushes most of the epoxy down the blank. Also seen a few so called "custom" rods have the reel seats come loose because they try to save a dollar by using the least possible amount which doesn't always work. Recently I made some floor tile cork grips and used a foaming urethane glue and it worked extremely well. I tried to break some grips by twisting them and they had cast acrylic plastic pieces in several spots and they didn't look like breaking and they weren't attached to a blank. Find something that works for you and does what you want. The liquid stuff always needs to be monitored for leakage for a few hours but if that causes a problem then use the paste. You still need to monitor eva grips just in case they shrink and leave gaps. I've never found the clean up to be a major issue, just something you have to watch out for. Surface prep is often the biggest issue so make sure you have a water break free surface on both sides of everything you glue up.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

I prefer Rod Bond since it's less runny than Pro Bond, which makes it a little less messy for me to clean up. As far as sliding grips.....teh epoxy/glue you use does not matter if you chamfer the inside edge of the grip they all work just as well. If you don't do this, at some point you will run into a grip that gets stuck on the way down regardless of the product you use. Both products have a lot of working time (depending on the temps), usually an hour isn't a problem.

A note on the 10 & 15 minute products - this is highly dependant on the temps. In the winter ALL of these products can be worked with for 20-30 minutes, in the summer they have a working time as advertised.

The liquids are fine too, I suggest trying them all and seeing which one works best for you.

I found Quick Bond, which is the quicker setting version of Rod Bond to be the best of all worlds. It lubes parts as you slide them in place and sets in about 15 minutes and cures enough to be handled and worked in about an hour. So if you don't see any leaks or gaps in 15 minutes, you're good. It's a gel just like its big brother Rod Bond but sets WAY quicker. But still not so quick like the 5 minutes types.

I've been using Kardol for years

Another thought provoking subject ...

I tend to use whatever I have on hand at the time and for the most part its what I find at my local stores.

For quite awhile now I've been using low expanding PU (Sicky Ass Glue) for my handles.

Pro-Pox sounds interesting and will look for some info on that product.