If one decides to glue-up and shape cork on a mandrel, how do you get it off the mandrel? Is some type of release agent applied?

Thanks,

-Cary

I use parafin you can get it at the grocery store. This works great. Thanks Dave's Custom Rods

Parafin or paste wax work. When you are ready to remove the glued up cork a twist between the cork and the mandrel are usually sufficient to break it loose

Cary,
I think that you are better off if you can get a mandrel that fits tight but not so tight that you can't pull the cork off after you are through working on it. The problem with anything that you put on the mandrel or the cork as a releasing agent is it will prevent the epoxy from sticking properly when you put the cork on the rod. Something that you might consider putting on the mandrel if it is too tight is PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol). PVA is water soluble and is used as a releasing agent with fiber glass molds. If the cork stuck to the mandrel soaking it in water would release the cork. The problem is it would thn be wet and you would have to wait for it to dry. But the water will wash away all of the PVA.

I can tell you from experience that you cannot get a mandrel that fits the cork so tightly that it won't spin during shaping. If it does you'll never get the cork on it, or you'll split it trying.

You need the epoxy or other glue to 'stick' it to the mandrel, kind of, sort of. Just wipe a paraffin bar up and down the mandrel a few times and then glue up your rings. Give it a quick twist after turning and it'll snap loose and come off. No wax sticks to the inside of the cork and you'll be reaming it a bit anyway.

You'll usually need to ream your cork at least slightly after removal from the arbor. This should give a fresh unadulterated cork surface to glue on the blank.

If I turn cork on a mandrel I turn it on a waxed mandrel that is smaller than my desired ID. That way I can put a reamer in the lathe and ream it out to fit the blank. This gets rid of the wax that is inside the cork and assure I am gluing cork to the rod not waxed cork. I use candle wax. I break the epoxy bond prior to shaping the grip. Especially if I am shaping a cork insert for a fuji seat the cork can get pretty thin and you risk a chance of breaking it. The wax on the mandrel offers enough grip to turn the cork without it slipping.

Cary
I use plumbers teflon tape on my mandrels,that way I do no have to worry about anything that will effect the glueing of the grip.,and you can built it up to make the grip tight on the mandrel.
hope this helps, any other questions e-mail me.
Barry
Dream Weaver Custom Rods

Hi guys,
After manufacturing and selling over 600 mandrels this last year specifically for this purpose, I have to say that I think all of you are worrying about this wwwaaayyyyy too much!!!! First, I have to disagree with Mikes statement that you can't get a mandrel that fits tight enough that the cork wont spin. I turn grips of some sort at least twice a month, and I have yet to use parafin wax on my mandrels, and I have never had a grip spin....ever. The reason being that you ream your rings just tight enough that they slip onto the mandrel with a good tight fit, but not so tight that you jeopardize the integrity of the cork. Once you have enough rings to make the grip, the sheer surface area of the inside of the cork making contact with the mandrel will keep it from spinning....guaranteed. If your grip is spinning while you are shaping, you either reamed the rings out so that the fit is too loose, or you are using too much pressure with the sandpaper while you are shaping the grip. If it were only me that was doing it this way, I would say...hhmmmm maybe there is something to Mike's statement, but I know literelly hundreds of builders who are using my mandrels, and not having any problems with the grip spinning using this method. There is no need to epoxy anything to the mandrel. In fact there are times when I can press fit a piece of wood that has been bored, and turn it with lathe tools on a mandrel without using anything to keep it from spinning other than the "press fit".
When I glue my cork rings on the mandrel, I never use parrafin wax. Not that you can't or shouldn't, it is perfectly ok to use parrafin wax, but I really don't feel that it is necessary, and here is why. When you apply the epoxy to the face of the cork rings, instead of smearing all the way to the hole, stop about 1mm or 2mm shy of the hole. This will keep the epoxy from squeezing out on the the mandrel and gluing the grip to the mandrel. The other option you have is to occasionally turn the mandrel 1/4 turn while the rings are still "setting up" on the mandrel. This will keep any epoxy that did squeeze out from between the rings setting up on the mandrel. The fact is folks that most people use way too much epoxy between their cork rings. If you are gluing the rings directly to the blank, then you will have a lot of squeeze out. But when using a mandrel, you only need a very thin film between each ring, just enough to wet the surface. Go back and read some of Ralph O'Quinn's post and you will see that he reccomends applying the epoxy and then scraping it all back off leaving just a thin film. This is the way to do it, as you will be left with no glue lines at all and the joint between the rings is still stronger than the cork itself.

I have made this offer before, and I'll do it again, anyone wishing to look at the instructions for my mandrels, can email me and I'll be glad to send them to you via email.

Andy Dear
Lamar Reel Seats
www.lamarreelseats.com

And the lawyer for the defense says after his expert witness testifies, I REST MY CASE.