Hi guys I have a problem I would like some help with. I put a cork handle together on a mandrel, got it all sanded down nice and ready to ream to fit the rod. While I was reaming the cork handle cracked in two. I started with the smallest reamer I had and was working my way up and I was on the last sized reamer when it cracked. I had another handle that I messed up earlier so I figured I would try again on this one before I did the actual handle for the rod. I went slow and I still cracked it but not as bad. Now I am a little nervous about reaming the next one. I know that its not the cork rings separating where I glued them together. Is there a better option for reaming out the handles? I have heard about the reverse drill bits but how do you glue it to the cork on the end where the rod taper is smaller? I cant glue the rings to the rod itself then sand and shape them as my power wrapper is in my basement in the same room and I am drying rods. Any tips would be great. Thanks Justin

I bought several different size medium coarse tapered round files and I run them in my drill in reverse and go in and out as I am reaming the cork handles when using prefab handle components never has a crack or split out just got to go easy and clear the file from time to time start out close to size and go up a little more till you get the size you need and best is to work from back to front or bottom of handle to top as it will help you keep a closer tolerance to the blank taper. easy does it don't rush it or force it
good luck

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Hi Justin,

Regarding using the pilot bits: I use the largest bit, that is still smaller than the thinnest section of blank where the cork will be glued to. Then I finish with a tapered reamer, to make sure the grip fits the taper of the blank.

This way you remove the most amount of cork, before using the reamers for the final fit.

I hope that makes sense!

I won't do a grip without using pilot bits, and if you do over ream, you can wrap a thread arbor on the rod to fill the gap before you glue the grip on.

Take care,

Chris

Are you pulling the reamer out on a very regular pace to let the cork dust out? Also maybe apply less inward pressure. Last do you let the cork spin 90 degrees with the reamer every so often to help insure it does not travel off center?

Get the dream reamers and chuck them in a drill. go slow, get the bored cork bits out of grip every sow often, and let the reamer cool down, and you wont have an issue.

DG

Justin

Have you checked the direction your drill is turning? Don't know about your reamers, but the sandpaper is spiral wrapped on mine such that if the drill is in reverse some really bad things happen.

As you progress from the smallest to the larger reamers the amount of torque increases significantly. Again, my reamers might be different, but I can quickly ream using the smallest reamer with little effort and need only rotate the grip occasionally to keep things centered. But for all the larger reamers I have to really slow down, stop frequently, blow the cork dust out of the grip, and let things cool. I generally do not move the grip more than a third of the length of the larger reamers without stopping to clean and cool.

The good thing is if the grip snapped in a irregular break you can probably install it on a rod and not really be able to notice it, if you use a grip clamp and minimal glue with a good cleanup afterwards, the eye doesn't see
irregularities as well as clean, straight breaks, your mind is seeing natural textures like that all the time.

with rat tale files go in reverse on the drill an keep the hole in the handle clean [ take all the filing's out of the hole as soon as you can ] don't let them build up , an make sure the drill is in reverse to help take the filing's out as they are generated in the handle , , there could be a different reason for the failure the wall of the cork handle is to thin real thin , cork is soft an will not support much when the wall is thin ,
all the above people as said the same thing just a little different, go slow, reverse the drill , keep the hole cleaned out as you go, don't let the work get to hot , I do have a question for you ? you do hold the handle in your hand when doing this ? I hope I made sense

William Sidney
AK

I'm not clear if you are using a hand drill or not to ream. If so, many reamers with the spiral wrapped sand paper must be run in reverse or they screw into the grip and cause breakage. If that is not the problem, it may be that you are too aggressive and need to go slowly clearing the residue out often.

The Dream Reamers work really well if used properly.

I've had this concern, and my solution was very different from those offered thus far. After removing the handle from the mandrel, and before I started reaming, I wrapped the handle with duct tape. Use just enough to give the handle a bit of structural stability. Then remove the tape once its ready for the blank. Even if you have a hair line fracture in the handle, the tape will prevent it from getting worse, and once it is glued to the blank, you shouldn't have any issues with it. Slainte!

Edit to add: I just remembered that the last time I did this I used some Saran Wrap underneath the duct tape to keep it [the duct tape] from sticking to the cork.

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2017 12:18PM by Hunter Armstrong.

In addition to the other comments.
Often, a person purchases a pre made grip with a 1/4 inch hole in the center with an integral butt cap.

With the integral butt cap, one can not go all of the way through the grip for reaming, without making a hole in the butt cap.

As an aid, when working with such grips with an integral butt cap, I use an air compressor and a blow gun with a 10 inch piece of pipe on the end. The pipe is typically about 1/8th of an inch or so in diameter, so will fit nicely down the hole in the grip.

I power ream, power drill and or power finish. So, when enlarging the hold in a grip with an integral butt cap, I start using a circular file used in reverse. By running the file in reverse, the file will want to back out of the hole. So, you will need to force the file into the hole, enlarging the hole as you go. But, I stop frequently, grab the blow gun, insert the pipe end into the hole and activate the blow gun. The 120 psi air blows any and all of the cork or other material out of the hole. By working the blow gun pipe to the bottom of the hole, the air blows the loose material - not force it further into the hole.

Then, back to reaming. When I have the hole at the end of the grip, the correct size to slip over the butt of the rod, I will use an aircraft extension bit to drill out the rest of the grip down to the butt cap, without going through the butt cap.
Again, I stop every few seconds to blow out the excess dust and dirt.

Finally, I will use masking tape to build up the size of the blank so that the blank is a constant diameter from the butt of the blank, to the location of the front of the rear grip.

The combination of air pressure with a blow gun pipe to move out the loose filings, the circular files of various diameters and the use of an aircraft extension bit of various sizes - handle reaming is something that only takes a couple of minutes per grip.

By the way, if I build up a grip using cork rings, I will measure the smallest diameter of the blank onto which the grip will fit. Then, I pre ream or pre drill each of the cork rings to match the smallest diameter where the grip will fit on the blank.
By doing the pre reaming or pre drilling before gluing up the cork, it saves a lot of work and effort after the handle is glued up. I use a drill press and jig to drill perfectly centered holes in the cork rings before gluing up.

If I am going to predrill a cork ring before glue up, I will use a brad point drill bit:

[www.diynetwork.com]

Since the brad point on the drill point does not touch any cork due to the 1/4 inch hole already in the cork, one needs to use a jig to hold the cork ring in place when using a drill press to drill out the center of the cork.
Although the brad point does not do anything, the cutting edges on the edge of the front sides of the drill bit do an excellent job in cutting the cork cleanly.

Good luck

[www.rodbuilding.org]
Here is a link to a picture of the crack.

Thanks for the tips guys, I think I had my drill in forward and not reverse, I was going slow but I did feel it torque a couple times I bet that's when it broke. I am going to try these tips on the next handle. I have on still clamped up yet. Thanks Justin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2017 07:20PM by Justin Carlson.

Justin,

Bend your grip to open the split up a little more, and put glue in and clamp it back together. Looks like you used burl of some kind. Glue it back together and you won't even see the crack, unless you use some crazy colored glue...

Take care,

Chris

Chris this was on a grip that I sanded down to far and wont fit the butt cap so I practiced on this one but I think I might try to glue it together and use it on one of my personal rods.

I thought I would give an update on my broken handle. I finished reaming it to so it would fit the blank( It was easier since it wans in two 3 inch pieces) then I put it back on the mandrel and put it back in my drill press. I have one of those vertical attachments for my drill press. I then took a razor blade to it while it what spinning and cut out the broken part. Then I replaced the broken area with three new rings all ready reamed to size and glued it together and clamped it tightly. I let it sit more than 24 hours and then I went back in and started to shape the new section to match the old. To my amazement it went very well and now it looks as good as new. Ill add a few pictures to show what I did.

Justin,
Good plan.

I have done the same thing to grips being built in the past, when I have had a bad ring in the mix, or I turned down a ring or two - too far for my liking. The razor blade works to cut the bad ring out of the grip, or you can use a lathe parting tool as well.

Take care