Hey all,

I'm repairing the butt-end of a 2pc rod (slightly larger than .5") and bought some EVA foam that has a .5" ID. This section of the rod has a large guide on the upper-part that I would prefer not to remove and there's nothing wrong with it, so the grips would be going on from the butt-end AFAIK. The problem is with getting them to slip over since the ID is slightly less. I don't have a reamer or anything like that and prefer to not have to go out and buy one if I don't have to. I've heard applying some heat (perhaps from a hair dryer) and adding some sort of lubricant to the rod will help and allow for the EVA to 'stretch' a bit so that it can slide over more easily?

Any tips on how to correctly do this otherwise for a repair perspective?

BTW: I've read the FAQ, and it addresses installing EVA Foam more from the perspective/with the assumption that you're installing it from the top-down rather than the bottom up.

Thanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2019 11:48PM by Jeremy Lee.

A. Get a scrap piece of rod blank with a slightly larger butt than the blank you're working with. Reverse it and start the grip down on that, then put the scrap blank butt over the actual rod blank butt and push the grip from it onto the rod butt. This way you are pushing from a larger area to a smaller area.

or-

B. Ream the EVA to fit over the rod butt. Shim the remaining rod tape with cord or thread so you have a straight section rather than a taper. Push on from butt.

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

Sorry for the duplicate!

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2019 09:24AM by Ron Schneider.

If you are able, use a short (5-6")section of wood dowel slightly larger OD than the OD of the blank.
Trim it down on one end to go up into the butt of the rod a couple of inches,
then sand the very butt end and taper to just under the ID of the EVA.
Then use whatever glue works for you on the ID of the EVA and rod blank.
I like to use a little alcohol to lube the blank and to pour a little into the open end of the EVA.
If using epoxy to glue the grip, the alcohol will dissipate and should not affect the epoxy cure.
Heat may also help.
The biggest issue we have run into going from the butt end of a blank is the opening (ID) at the butt end.
Anything you do to close that off will help ease the grip up onto the larger OD of the blank.
Hope this helps you and anybody else having difficulty installing EVA.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Thanks guys! I ended up just forcing the fore-grip (which is the more stubborn piece as far as I can tell) down with pressure, a paper towel and rubber jar opener grip, and a bit of lubrication from some 91% isopropyl alcohol - took some elbow grease and lots of twisting but I was able to get it down! I figure I can just do the same thing for the rear grip. I have about 3-4" of the repair blank sticking out the end of the butt so that helped with easing it on a bit and added some leverage too.

Here's the progress:
[photos.app.goo.gl]

I was wondering too regarding the length of everything, since the rear-grip I added ends up extending out past the butt as can be seen in the pics... should I still saw/cut the repair blank off at the butt flush or should I actually cut the repair blank leaving extra blank sticking out so it would be long enough to go into the butt cap (that smaller section that sticks out past the butt cap roughly measures around 13/32" or 7/16")?

Or, should I just cut the EVA Foam down 13/32" (or 7/16") from the top so that the bottom portion meets exactly flush with the actual butt of the rod?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2019 11:58AM by Jeremy Lee.

Just an idea, get a OLD blank section that fits over the butt an install the grip on it , build the but on the section , then epoxy the section on the blank it might work I never tried it but sounds good , remember to dry fit every thing first ,

William Sidney
AK

Just an idea, get a OLD blank section that fits over the butt an install the grip on it , build the but on the section , then epoxy the section on the blank it might work I never tried it but sounds good , remember to dry fit every thing first ,

William Sidney
AK

Bill Sidney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just an idea, get a OLD blank section that fits
> over the butt an install the grip on it , build
> the but on the section , then epoxy the section on
> the blank it might work I never tried it but
> sounds good , remember to dry fit every thing
> first ,


Thanks for the suggestion - I don't think I have an old blank section that fits over the current butt but I've already epoxied in the repair blank that fits *inside*. In another thread I had inquired about this and it was suggested that I install the repair blank inside, than cut off any excess flush to the butt of the original rod. I'm just wondering if it's OK to leave that small bit of overhang though to account for the rear-grip being slightly long. The butt cap isn't going to arrive until tomorrow so I'll have some time to think about this. I've already got the fore grip in place as well for the dry fit, just need to pull it back and put some rod bond on to secure it. I think it's going to be a bit messy but I'll try to clean it up as good as I can.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2019 12:55PM by Jeremy Lee.

I dislike working hard.
So, I will use tape to build up the blank so that the upper part of the blank is the same size as the butt section of the blank. I will leave 1/8ith inch gaps in the tape bands to allow epoxy to flow directly to the blank and then have a constant glue joint for the length of the grip.
Then, I will take my reamer and ream out the eva grip so that it is a slip fit from the butt of the rod over the blank. Give a generous coat of epoxy on the inside of the grip and the blank and slip it on the rod. Clean off the excess and you are done.

No forcing, no slip sliding away. Just prep, apply glue, slip on, clean up and you are done.

Good luck

Thanks Roger. I think I get what you're saying. At this point, I don't have a reamer and haven't really looking into DIYing one. I was able to force the fore grip on with a jar opener and paper towel, and it wasn't *too* bad so figure I can do the same with the rear grip. Although, being how tight it is on the blank, I wonder if too much epoxy will get pushed out once I apply it to the blank and slide the grip over. I guess it would help to apply epoxy on the inside too - I'll have to try to find a smaller popsicle stick or piece of dowel to do that maybe.

What are your thoughts on where to cut the repair blank btw? Should I do it flush to the butt and then cut the EVA foam down to size? Or is it okay to and should I cut the repair blank to where there's some overhang so I don't have to cut the EVA foam as well? [photos.app.goo.gl]