A couple of rod builder friends and I were batting around the subject of what adhesive is the best to use for attaching tip tops. I've used both 5 minute epoxy and regular hot melt tip adhesive with equal success. I have seen a couple of tips come loose on long range trips I've been on; custom rods built for the fishermen and I don't think they knew what had been used. When the tips let go they just re-racked those rods and grabbed another, and I didn't inspect the failed tips for adhesive type, as they weren't mine. Consensus of our discussion leaned toward 5 minute epoxy as best, as it was felt that the hot melt adhesive was too sensitive to the heat of the sun over an extended time. Personally, I use 5 minute epoxy on saltwater rod builds and hot melt on freshwater. Does anyone have a bias toward either product, and if so, why? Thanks in advance for your input.

Sometimes the problem isn't the adhesive - it's poor bonding technique.

I only use hot melt on my tiptops, including big game stuff which was my bread and butter when I was building rods professionally. To my knowledge, no one ever had a tiptop come off or come loose on these rods. One trick that you have to use involved getting the adhesive down inside the tiptop tube. If you just smear it on the rod tip, and then slide the tiptop on, most likely the adhesive just gets pushed down the blank with little, if any, of it getting inside and in-between the mating surfaces.

On very small tiptops this can be a challenge. I generally heat the adhesive and then press the tiptop tube into the softened adhesive, which pre-loads the tiptop tube with hot melt. Then I heat the tiptop tube for a couple seconds and slid it onto the rod blank tip. This way adhesive gets pushed down inside the tiptop tube and all along the rod blank tip.

.............

Tom, no challenge at all getting the hot melt glue into the smallest tip-top. For many years, I have used a glue gun and a sheet of glass. I use the glue gun to lay out stripes of glue onto the glass. The faster I lay out the strips from the gun, the thinner they get. When cooled, I just pull them off the glass. I have all sizes of strips to fit tops from #4 to 24. I just fit the proper size strip into the tube of the tip-top, cut it off with about 1/4" sticking out and then heat the tube just enough to melt the glue and slide it on. This method also gets a little glue into the tip end of the blank and further bonds the tip-top to the blank. In over 40 years of doing this I have only had one top come off of several thousand rods. I use Super Hot Melt Glue. I coil the strips of glue and store in zip lock bags until I need to use them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2014 05:41PM by Randolph Ruwe.

I'm with Tom on this one....I only use the hot melt and have never had a problem AFTER someone on this forum posted a tip on his installation method that I adopted. Cut small slivers of the glue and fill the tube with it. Heat the glue inside the tip top until it's soft and begins to expand and ooze out. Be careful not to burn your fingers. Slide the tube into place and you're done. I've never had one come loose even in the hottest weather. You have plenty of time to reposition before the glue hardens. Even If you need to move it later just and a little heat.

I do the same as Sam & never had a problem. But reading Randolph's method I am going to give it a try, it looks the easiest way to handle the glue strips

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

I use the same method as above. If you go to the Flexcoat website they have a tutorial as well as a small clip to show you how its done.

[www.flexcoat.com]

I haven't had any tips come loose using the following technique.

Heat the glue stick and smear the glue on the tip of the rod.

With the tip hot and the glue stick hot, melt in a bit of glue into the tip top.

Then, heat the tip and the glue on the tip and slip the tip on and off a couple of times. This will insure that both the rod tip is well coated and the inside of the tip top is well coated.

I use a craft stick to wipe off the hot glue from the end of the rod as well as any that might be on the outside of the tip.

No special cutting glue or little slivers or any thing else.

It simply works.

Be safe

Thanks very much guys. When I use the hot melt, I do as Tom suggested and haven't had any trouble. Sounds like Roger's technique is similar to what Tom and I do. I've got some kid's spincast rods I have to repair for a volunteer function I perform, and I'm going to try Randolph's idea. Sounds brilliant. I also think I'll stay with the hot melt for all future applications; I've been able to remove tip tops glued on with 5 minute epoxy using an alcohol torch, but it isn't a ton of fun.

Being cheap and fact that I usually have epoxy around means that's what I use for tip tops. Glue gun with stick is all very well but that's at home. What about when you're in the middle of nowhere? I know you can use matches or lighter with hot melt but not sure about glue stick. Anyway, I've never had a tip top come off with 5 min epoxy. If you can't wait well Loctite now sells 1 min epoxy

David,
When you need to remove hard to remove tips, try the following method which has been published on this forum several times.

Take a heavy rubber band, like a size 64. Obtain 2 paper clips and loop them through the binder.
Loop one of the paper clips through the tip of the rod.

Either hook the other paper clip to a hook on the wall or hold it in your hand.

Then, as you are pulling on the rod and putting tension on the rubber band, heat the tip top.

As soon as the adhesive has softened just enough, the tip will come flying off of the rod.

You heat the tip just enough to soften the adhesive and have the tip off the rod, without overheating anything.

p.s.
Don't have any folks in line with the rod tip and the path of the tip top as it leaves the rod tip. The tip will be hot and the binder will have the tip moving at a good clip. Don't get hit or burned by the tip as it flies off the rod tip.

Be safe

I also use the thermoplastic "Bostick" gun and either plain off-white, or the really strong amber sticks the company makes. I don't use glass to drag out beads. I have a plastic bus-pan filled with cold water, and just shoot the glue into the water. I either coil as is, or slooooowly stretch some of the strands to about 2 feet long, for the thinner diameter tips. If you bring the glue back to room temp, after the cold water bath, it stretches very nicely, if you go slowly. .

Never had a problem with Hot Melt Tip Top glue or 5 min epoxy but I have seen lots of people come in for a tiptop repair and told me that they used hot melt craft glue to fix it them self and I told them that is the reason that it came off in the first place as craft glue will melt in Hi Heat.

Glenn McMurrian

I also Make what I call glue slugs by taking the hot glue gun and running the glue out on a aluminum pie plate the size and thickness that i want.when ready to put tips on I take a glue slug put it into tip apply heat from a little butane torch melt the glue inside tip tube .Put tip on blank 180 degree from its true place and turn to spread glue around the hit it with spray of water to cool.I have used epoxy but you only get one shot a it being right hot glue you can reheat and make adjustments.

David, I agree on the hot melt except I just use a butane lighter. I don't use epoxy especially the fast cure. You only have a minute to mix and then it starts to set up. If you have a number of rod blanks to put tips on, there is very little time to work with the epoxy and no time for adjustments. You also have to be very quick with your clean up with a dry paper towel followed by either DNA or acetone. I may use quick set epoxy one time a year, if that.