Hey folks just wanted to share my experience with other news so they can learn from me.

I installed a rear grip yesterday and let it cure last night. I used the technique of putting rubber cement on as a lubricant and paste epoxy only where the grip was. I still sanded out the grips a bit with a reamer. When I put it on, it slid on so easily that I kinda dropped to the floor. It was a vastly different experience than using epoxy as a lubricant.

Today I put on the fore grip and reel seat. I used the same technique, but figured since it was higher up on the blank, I didn't need to ream. So I put on the epoxy and rubber cement and....stuck. I guess I eased up too much because of how easily it went on the day before. So I put my weight into it to jam it home and....it slips across the slick garage floor. And again. I finally got it seated on one more push. But sliding across the floor twice scuffed up one of the "legs" on my graphite gimbal. I don't think I damaged anything else. Once it finally seated, it was down there tight, almost overlapping the seat threads. I'm gonna have to sand down and reshape the grip a bit.

So lessons learned:

1. If you use the rubber cement method, still make sure you use enough force to get it down in one fluid motion.
2. Put a gimbal cover or use something grippy under the butt, so it doesn't go sliding.

I'm not convinced I needed to ream it; it slid down pretty far dry. I'll just have to work on my technique. The previous day's install was super SUPER easy. Like no resistance at all. It stopped about the same distance above its final location as today's install. Don't know why the next today's required so much more force.

The epoxy will serve just as well as a lubricant. Just put it up high enough that it gets trapped between the grip and blank surfaces. The FAQs page details this.

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

I can't seem to find this topic in the FAQ list. I'd like to see it. Have to do this soon, and I'm a cork or nothing guy.

Hello Lynn.

#20 in FAQ.

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Randy,
I don't like to force things. So, I ream any grip so that it is a reasonably easy slip fit onto the blank. Coat the blank with epoxy, slide in place, clean off the excess epoxy and you are good to go.

Be safe

Yeah I guess I'd be better off getting a closer fit to begin with. Well it's on nice and tight. It was a 10 incher that I cut down to 9 and rounded off the corner once glued in place. Looks pretty good, but want to get a little more girth off.

Every time I get the wrapper going and put sandpaper to it, it seems to shake and kinda bouces up and down at the grip area. Still getting the hang of the power wrapper. Tips for that thing would be most welcome!

Randy,
When you are using your wrapper to do grip shaping, do you have one of the rod supports right at the end of the grip.

You want your grip supported as close as possible to each end of the grip when shaping it.

Also, do you have good solid rod supports that do not move at all when the grip is spinning? If not - you need to obtain or make some other rod supports that are actually solid.

If the rod supports are rock solid, the grip will not be able to move up and down when shaping.

Also, is your head stock and the head stock end of your mandrel or rod rock solid as well when shaping? If you have any movement in the head stock or in the attachment of the rod or mandrel to the chuck; you will have movement on the grip when shaping.


Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2016 09:11AM by roger wilson.

Roger, thanks for the reply. I have the upgraded chck and it seems really solid. The rod supports, however, seem a little less so. They are the standard ones. I guess I'll have to look at upgrading that in the future.

Assuming that the chuck is tight, the belt ok, etc. and the wrapper doesn't do that if you run it without a rod in it, the wrapper vibrating with the rod in it is from either the grip being out of round or the grip not being centered in the wrapper chuck - kind of like an out of balance tire on a car.

If it's the grip that's out of round you could hand sand the high spot off to get it so that it runs truer in the wrapper.

If it's not centered in the chuck, adjust the chuck or put paper, tape, etc. between the jaw and handle on the low side of the handle to shim it to run true.

That is why I shape all my grips OFF the rod Much easier
Ream for a snug fit - not tight fit Too tight will push the glue out of the grip And get stuck As you noticed
Fit then mark the forward end take it off then then place two inch tape 2" ahead of the end The glue goes on the tape and where it will seat
When on pull the tape off -- less to clean

Bill - willierods.com

Randy,
You only really need to be concerned with one rod support. i.e. the rod support that is at the end of the grip opposite from the head stock chuck.

This is a picture of a rod support that I made several years ago for use with my full length rod lathe.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Although I don't use the full length rod lathe any more in favor of a wood lathe, I will still use this support when working with very long grips to support the center of the grip to prevent whipping.

Any time that I use a rod support like the one shown above, I will put about two wraps of masking tape around the blank to prevent the bare ball bearings from marking the blank.

But these supports are rock solid, since each of the bearings are locked solidly in place on the vertical supports. The base is locked to the base by the base mounting bolt.

The support is made by 3 skate board ball bearings. Two horizontal aluminum bars. Two vertical rods for support. One horizontal metal piece for the base. A drill press and drills for drilling holes and tap to tap out holes to allow the use of wing nuts to secure the horizontal bars on the vertical rods.

Good luck

Thanks Robert, I don't know what I was looking at! Lynn

I noticed you put your gimbal on when you were installing the handel. I usually put those and butt caps on as the last thing I do. Could be the gimbal is a little off center and that could cause the wobble.

Randy,
If you are turning the full length rod on your wrapper to shape the grip, do it without any butt cap, or gimbal.

Rather, take a piece of solid stock and use sand paper with the solid stock spinning in the head stock chuck to taper the solid stock so that the solid stock is a nice fit up the inside of the blank.

This lets you take the perfectly centered piece of solid stock up the end of the rod butt, to insure that the end of the blank is spinning perfectly centered.

By having the end of the grip a bit away from the end of the head stock, this also allows you to do a final shaping on the end of the grip with the rod spinning in the power wrapper.

Be safe

By solid stock - I mean a piece of dowel, a piece of solid graphite or fiberglass material, etc. If the solid stock is not large enough to be a slip fit into the butt of the rod, then build up the solid stock as needed with masking tape until the solid stock is a nice slip fit up the blank until it lodges solidly in place to be able to nicely turn the blank and grip.

Yeah I'll keep that in mind. My next rod is getting an aluminum gimble. I'll put that one on at the end.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 04:40PM by John E Powell.

John, thank you so much, as I was unaware of this. Well now that it is in place, it feels very solid. Should I be worried about the thing in the future cracking or splitting or anything? Or is it good once its in place? Not decorative, just plain black.

I will definitely take this information into advisement as I continue making rods.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 04:39PM by John E Powell.