I tried search first with no avail. Now that I'am doing more grip shaping and moved to a lathe from doing it on my drill press I was wondering what is the best
speed to set the lathe at. Any difference setting between eva/foam and doing cork. Thanks in advance for any input.

[rodbuilding.org]

Got it. Thanks Mike!

For EVA put it on full blast. [www.youtube.com]

Billy Vivona Wrote:
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> For EVA put it on full blast.
> [www.youtube.com]

Billy, You're a wild man!

Why do the words, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" come to mind after watching that?

Sorry I did not answer the eva/foam part. Copy the below into google and review them. You will come to your own conclusion.

Site:rodbuilding.org lathe speed eva

John E Powell Wrote:
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> Why do the words, "I love the smell of napalm in
> the morning" come to mind after watching that?


LOL. Must be the soap he was using.

You will find the best speed for whatever material that you are working on by a little trial and hopefully not to much error. I usually do both cork and EVA/hypalon at a fast speed. With the synthetic grips you will either have to clean your sanding strips or change them when they become clogged. The yellow sanding paper that Dale Clemens sold was probably one of the best. It was easily cleaned and was able to be reused many times.

When I started making grips I kept hearing about sandpaper clogging, and was told sanding screen is the best for EVA. I found out early on that everything I was being told, was backwards. I found teh sanding screen clogged, and that sandpaper never clogs. I've used teh same 6 pieces of sandpaper for a couple of years, it never clogs, and never wears out. I was selling sanding kits for a while, I might go back to selling them - I use belt sander belts cut into 6" pieces, resin impregnated - for $5 you have a kit that will last as long as you don't lose them.

Cleaning sandpaper = 2 seconds. As the grip spins, put the paper up to it at teh bottom of the paper, and pull it straight down to teh top. Sandpaper now clean.

In addition to Randy's comments, use air if you have it available to clean your lathe as well as the sand paper.

I do the lathe work in a separate building where I have a large air compressor. After finishing, I use the compressor with a blow gun to clean up the sand paper as well as to blow all of the dust off the lathe and the rest of the building and out the door.

Air works many times better than a brush or broom or even vacuum to clean up this type of activity. Sure, I use the broom or vacuum for the bulk of the turnings, and stuff, but the final clean up is always done with high pressure air.

Be safe

Watch the video to see how to keep the area virtually dust free from sanding: [www.youtube.com]

While I am turning grips on the blank, which is the primary way that I do it, I use 1" strips of the good sandpaper and in my right hand hold the flex tube of a small vacuum cleaner. It picks up nearly all the dust particles produced by sanding, and if not it makes cleaning them up off the lathe bed a 10 second job. Billy, I watched your video. I taught that method as I outlined just now, over 30 years ago to 6 different RodCrafter Seminars and I think Dale liked it so much he taught it at at least a dozen more. New Trick?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2013 09:41PM by Randolph Ruwe.

It's common sense that most people don't think about. By the time I started Dick forgot about that method, lol. The purpose of the video is to show people how to sand cleanly...along with showing new grip patterns that people have probably done in wood at some point, but I've never seen done in EVA or on rods. I'm not trying to have a contest to say I did it first, I just want people to know how to do it now. If you're going to give answers, give them in detail. HAd I not posted the video, people wouldn't know - it shouldn't take that for you to give a complete answer then quantify it with an, "I did it 30 years ago".

I explained it clearly enough that even a dinosaur would understand it. 35 years ago a friend of mine demonstrated a tool that he devised to make perfect spiral cuts in EVA, and then cut out contrasting colors in another piece. Then he glued them up and the next day we turned them. A big hit!! I have never seen someone use a wood mortising chisel to turn EVA before. I would prefer to use a correct chisel for that job. Less bumps and much easier to cut with. Like you say, I just want people to get correct instruction especially in a video. A dangerous practice!!

Billy,
Was that you in the video?
I like the tool rest that was used in the video. Any idea where the tool rest came from?

Thanks much

I've never seen anyone use a wood mortising chisel to turn EVA. I think you meant I was using a skew chisel. Once again you make posts with no useful information and I have to try and drag it out of you...what is the correct tool to use. I'd love to use a tool that allows me to go from square to round in less than 1 minute: [www.youtube.com]

ROger, that is my shirt, feet and hands. I don't know who's face was in teh video I couldn't see, lol. That tool rest I got 10 years ago from either woodcraft, grizzly, or PSI. IT is an aluminum rest 12" long, and it was pretty cheap at $25. I do not think it is sold anymore, others have asked and searched but couldn't find it

There are some 12"L tool rests listed on the @#$%& site

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
John in Wethersfield, CT

Billy, I believe that if you used a round nosed wood turning gouge that you would be able to turn your square EVA to a smooth round shape much easier and you might also need to do less sanding. I turn nearly all of my wood inserts for fly rod reel seats, and have more than 50 different varieties of wood. I have made a number of my own turning chisels. I have always used a gouge to turn from square to round. I don't know if you will find this useful or not. I also make all my own tool and file handles.

The problem with using a gouge on EVA is there is no grain to support the EVA, and it tears chunks of the EVA out. I've tried it several times, as well as using the skew chisel properly, but EVA doesn't act like wood when turned. What I do is "peel" the edges off using the leading edge of the skew, which is the wrong way to use the tool but it works for EVA