Anyone have any tips on how to get the circular reel seat recess into a carbon fiber fly rod seat?

My best idea so far is to machine it in before installing the carbon fiber, bring the carbon fiber together outside the recess, stuff it into the recess, but put epoxy only on the first 1/8 inch or so over the edge (1/8 or so toward the center), then cut out the fabric carefully and finish? Better plan? Or known problems with this one? thanks, Mick

Just spitballing here since I have never tried this, but I would think the recess could be turned on a finished grip. Wouldn't liquid adhesive at the junction of the grip and seat provide the necessary finish and luster?

Michael, that's kind of how I did it. I cut the hole for the seat then turned the core to shape and size. I then covered the grip with the CF sleeve and pulled it tight to the mandrel with zip ites as close to the end of the grip as possible. then I slid the grip down until the zip tie was in the recess. then I straightened the sleeve and zip tied it off at the front and finished as usual. tI only applied the finish epoxy to the very back edge of the grip and tied to avoid the recess. After the first coat i pulled the grip and cut the ties and removed any CF that was in the recess with an x-acto knife. then finished everything off.

I form mine when shaping the grip. Then after the core is sealed, apply sleeve and wet coat. I use a zip tie to hold one end of the CF to the mandrel and slide the core with the recess down the mandrel so that the CF is inside the recess. Make sure that the CF is fully open when doing this to avoic any blemishes. Then finish up the other end as usual. After the first wet coat I cut off the zip tie and finish as usual, making sure to get a thin coat of epoxy inside the recess. When the grip is finished I then cut the grip off the mandrel and clean up the recess with a dremel tool and sanding bit that is the exact size as the reel seat this will be inserted. Go slow as only a little bit of removal is necessary, if at all depending on how much epoxy you got in the recess.

Hello Michael -

There are probably several ways to do this. The way I do it is as follows: I turn the grip core with no recess. I size it to be the absolute minimum size that will allow the seat to fit but you can size it however you want. Once I have skinned and finished the grip I let it set for a few days to let the finish set before handling it. During this time I glue up the reel seat and glue it in place on the blank.

Once the grip is ready to be handled, I begin reaming it until it will sit flush against the uplocking portion of the reel seat. You need to be VERY CAREFUL reaming carbon fiber grips as the cut carbon fiber is sharp and will very easily mar your blank. So, I ream the grip until I want to try it, then hit the ID of both the butt bore and tip bore with 400 grit or 600 grit sandpaper to smooth any sharp edges, and try fit it. This generally avoids any marring of the finish but go easy and don't force it. If you try to slide it down the last 1/4" with force like an EVA or cork grip you may scratch up the blank.

Once the grip will snug up against the reel seat, I use a Sharpie marker to outline the portion of the reel seat I will be recessing / inletting. I then use a Dremel tool with a high speed cylindrical metal burr to cut to the inside of that line. It is kind of a feel thing - the foam cuts like butter and the carbon fiber takes some doing. I keep the Dremel on low speed and work in the opposite direction of the rotation of the tool bit to maintain control. I generally get the inlet sized correctly with fairly shallow cuts - really just working on the carbon fiber - until the reel seat will tightly fit into the recess. Then I go back and deepen the hole - and ream the grip as necessary - to get the grip to seat all the way down on the reel seat. This generally results in a very tight, flush fit.

You may find that some of the carbon fiber will 'flare' off the end of the grip when you are cutting the recess. If so, when you are done fitting it turn the grip butt down and move it in a gentle circular motion on some 400 grit sandpaper on a flat surface like your lathe bed, drill press table, or table saw work surface. This will flatten the butt end and give you a very nice, clean fit. If any marker still remains after this, just wipe it away with a gun cleaning patch and some IPA or DNA.

Kind of sounds a lot harder than it is...I will post a few pictures in the gallery to show what the finished product should look like. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Bill

Quick and easy.

[www.rodbuilding.org]




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Riley Rods-Hard Core Grips to Go!-----Carbon Fiber - Composite Grip Store-----Capt Mike's Blog-----No Excuses Fishing Charters

With shoulder [www.rodbuilding.org] or tight to carbon [www.rodbuilding.org]




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Riley Rods-Hard Core Grips to Go!-----Carbon Fiber - Composite Grip Store-----Capt Mike's Blog-----No Excuses Fishing Charters

Mike -

I'll bite - is it a hole saw? What is the OD? Thanks!

Bill

7/8" hole saw with a foam insert. Works great with a majority of the large recessed hoods. A 3/4"" works with most smaller ones.

I slide it on the mandrel while it is secured on the lathe and do the cut out spinning by hand. When you remove the grip from the mandrel the piece left behind comes out easy with an Exacto and/or needlenose.



.....

Riley Rods-Hard Core Grips to Go!-----Carbon Fiber - Composite Grip Store-----Capt Mike's Blog-----No Excuses Fishing Charters

Mine is similar to Mikes method. I put a spade bit that I have sized for particular reel seats in the headstock of the lathe. Put a drill chuck in the tailstock. Mount the grip on the mandrel and put in drill chuck and slide the tailstock up till the mandrel center is snug over the point of the spade bit. Make sure everything is tight and secure. Turn on lathe. This causes bit to turn but mandrel does not. Gently bring grip to bit and cut recess to desired depth. Nice thing about this method is that it provides a nice clean bore and flat bottom in one operation not many. I can also have a number of bits for relatively low cost and if I need a special size, easy I buy the next bigger fractional size bit and grind it to what I need. I think right now I have 10 different bits from.690-.935 that I use. This is also how I inlet my butt grips for buttons or plugs.

Mine is similar to Mikes method. I put a spade bit that I have sized for particular reel seats in the headstock of the lathe. Put a drill chuck in the tailstock. Mount the grip on the mandrel and put in drill chuck and slide the tailstock up till the mandrel center is snug over the point of the spade bit. Make sure everything is tight and secure. Turn on lathe. This causes bit to turn but mandrel does not. Gently bring grip to bit and cut recess to desired depth. Nice thing about this method is that it provides a nice clean bore and flat bottom in one operation not many. I can also have a number of bits for relatively low cost and if I need a special size, easy I buy the next bigger fractional size bit and grind it to what I need. I think right now I have 10 different bits from.690-.935 that I use. This is also how I inlet my butt grips for buttons or plugs.

Dick, are you removing the outer 'spurs' of the spade bit? If I am thinking about my spade bits correctly, the spurs cut quite a bit deeper than the blades. So there is an outer 'channel' cut that is deeper than the flat bottom recess. The way I am sizing my grips, they will not tolerate that length of channel cut. Are you grinding them off or just shaping your grips such that you have room to spare?

Would love to see a picture of the bit mod if you have it...probably answer my questions.

Mike, any particular hole saw you like or place you get them? Thanks!

Bill

Bill,
here are some photo links that show what I do. Yes the bits do have wings but are quite short in length, but they also provide the sharp cutting edge needed.
spade bit-wings are just over 1/32"
[www.rodbuilding.org]
lathe setup
[www.rodbuilding.org]
cutting
[www.rodbuilding.org]
finished inlet
[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2013 01:42PM by Dick Ross.

Very nice...I've got it. Thank you!

Thanks. for all the great ideas! I especially like the last one, . . . if I only had a lathe.

Make one out of a Drill Poor Mans Lath -- But works well if done right

I have drilled the holes for the resess with a hole saw
I replaced the center drill with a threaded shaft Taped several sections so it fit the handle well ( Remember Tape Rotation ) Depending on size One size I had to file the outside of the saw because it mad the hole Just A Little Bit To Large

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2013 05:26PM by bill boettcher.

I make a lot of carbon fiber grips and here is the process that works well for me. It is also very fast.

After turning the foam on a mandrel, I remove it and put it onto a teflon tape wrapped all thread rod of the same diameter. I then apply the fiber and epoxy, zip tying the fiber down on both ends. After cured, I remove the ties and turn the end clean still on the all thread. I then replace the grip back on the mandrel, but not in the lathe, thus the mandrel will slide within the grip. I then use an appropriate size Forstner bit ( 13/16 or 7/8") in a hand drill and then puttting the drill tip into the 60 degree recess in the mandrel to keep the bit centered as I drill the recess, the mandrel is pushed deeper in to the grip until I have the correct depth. This method gives me well epoxied ends and a very clean sharp recess.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2013 10:17PM by Phil Erickson.

OK guys, got it done. I cut the recess before doing the wet layup of the carbon fiber fabric, did the wet layup tying the fabric with a cabler tie, and everything was fine. Then I cut the fabric, and cut it short, so I couldn't tuck it into the recess or glue it to the face of the rear of the grip. OOPS! Then I carefully cut it again at the outer diameter of the grip so I had a clean face of the rear of the grip with only the foam on the rear face. This gave a very nice, sharp corner to the grip assembly, but the rear face was foam. I painted it black, then epoxied over it, and with the flange of the reel seat against the rear of the grip, and that being black, you can't even tell the fabric doesn't go around the corner. There is only about an eighth of an inch of grip showing, and it's glossy black. It looks very nice.

Serendipity, one of my most effective strategies.

I'll post a pic when I get it mounted on the blank. thanks for all the great ideas on how to do this. I can't believe how light that 7 inch grip is!