On small diameter blanks - ultra lite spinning - using a full rear grip, reel seat, and fore grip - I can sometimes feel the fore grip move some when tightening a reel on the reel seat. If I twist it with a little force I can actually break it free of the blank.

Any tips on assuring a stronger bond on these smaller rods? The reel seat and rear grip are rock solid, just the shorter fore grip is something I'm looking at.

Thanks - Marc

Keep it simple - that's all I can handle!

Take a look at what your left with after the grip is removed. If you have epoxy completely covering the blank and it's solidly attached to the blank, then you don't have a contamination problem so I'd guess that you're starving the glue joint and not having adequate glue to adhere to the grip material.

x10 on John's comment

Hi Marc,
I also agree with John's comment. I would also ask if there is a particular finish on the blanks you are having the issue with. Is is a glossy or matte finish? If you do suspect a the blanks finish is a problem, you may want to rought it a bit before gluing, taking care not to sand all the way through the clearcoat and/or paint into the actual graphite fibers. The other thing I would suggest, that you may already be doing, is to use enough a generous amount of glue and make sure to spin the grip around the blank as you're moving it down into position. This will help distribute glue over the entire surface mating area.

-The Batson TEAM
BatsonEnterprises.com

Marc,
Whenever I do glue ups, I put a very generous amount of glue well up the blank so that the area with the glue is much smaller than the grips or reel seats. Then, starting with the rear grip, I slip it on from the tip and bring it down the length of the rod. When I encounter the glue area, I slide the grip up and down and around the blank to insure that the "Inside of the grip" is well coated with glue.

Then, with additional glue already in place on the final resting place for the grip, I will slide the grip in place. Then I repeat for the reel seat and fore grip. If using 5 minute epoxy, I do this one item at a time.

However, if I am using 30 minute epoxy, I can do all of the grip and reel seat sections in one glue mix due to the slower setting time. But, before the glue starts to set, I remove all of the glue from all of the blank where the grip or reel seat is not located. It is easy to clean the epoxy before it starts to set. Not so easy afterward.

Be safe

I put 2" panters tape With the butt grip in place dry fit I put the tape the leangth of the grip cover the blank ahead of it Then puting glue over the tape and where it sits turn over tape slide in place
Then pulling the tape off takes the glue off also Les to clean

Bill - willierods.com

Granted you'll have a much smaller contact area available for the bond, but if the surface was prepared properly and you indeed have epoxy between the mating surfaces, you should not be able to twist the grip loose.

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

Marc,

My only suggestion would be to make sure you have a break free surface on the blank where epoxying the reel seat / grips. I tape off the area to be glued with masking tape and hit it lightly with a scotch pad. Then do not use any cleaner to remove the dust, just blow it off with air or use a tack free wiping cloth.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Inspection of the failure is key here, if there's full epoxy residue coverage on the blank, the problem is not because he did or did not prep the blank. If the epoxy is stuck to the blank, the failure occurred between the epoxy and the grip material. I'm guessing this is the most likely reason of the failure and it could have happened for a variety of reasons.

The original poster needs a grip prep and/or installation method that will provide a strong bond. There could be a number of problems with what he's doing - squeegeeing off most the epoxy during installation from too tight fitting a grip, having too loose a grip that is not getting adequate epoxy fillage, having an oddly shaped reamed hole, any variety of mixing problems with the epoxy, contamination inside the grip (including loose reamed material not cleaned out)...

Hello Marc,

In addition to the other suggestions, I might ask are you using a razor to lightly chamfer the bore hole of the grip where it slides onto the blank? Doing so creates a beveled edge that helps funnel epoxy into the grip, rather than having it squeegeed down the blank...Just something else to consider..

-chad

Thanks All!

I think I have had too tight of a fit between grip and blank, and pushed the glue ahead of the grip. The fore grip has composite cork on both ends of it, and if too tight I think may really push the glue forward and not let it get under the cork.

Thanks - Marc

Keep it simple - that's all I can handle!

Even EVA can be reamed out for a nice fit Eva The old way it was to put it on Not good Reaming it for a better fit always works better

Bill - willierods.com