Hi everyone, This is my first post. Im only on my 5th build but learned a lot here so thanks to Tom and everyone who shared advice in the hundreds of posts that helped me along the way. They all turned out better than expected and I’ve loved the process.

I’ve been trying to figure out how important laminating epoxy is to structural integrity of the urethane foam cores sold for carbon fiber grips.

After reading they were originally made for flocked grips, I’ve been thinking it might be a good core for other grip materials besides carbon fiber, like smaller diameter cord or even shrink tube. The next few rods I’m building are on surf blanks with small diameter butt sections but as someone with xxl hands I prefer a much larger and longer grips for the kind of plug and jig fishing I do. I thought about using EVA and cork tape but really don’t like the spongy feel of it. I figure a urethane core would save some weight and increase sensitivity.

I’m assuming I would need to seal the foam before wrapping cord but is it necessary to use a laminating epoxy with urethane foam?
Are there any alternatives for sealants epoxy or finishes if I wanted to try cord over foam?

I finished my last cord grip with a few light coats of a quality marine spar varnish and love the results after 3 years of hard abuse.

Thanks for any advice, Jake

There is no epoxy used with the urethane foam. It is it's own process - a two-part system. If you want to put cord over it, there is not necessarily any reason to put epoxy on the core, other than to hold the cord in place. Generally, however, I find that if you put on a very heavy, wet coat of the varnish, PG, etc., that you are using to protect the cord, it will tend to seep down and lock the cord to the foam core anyway.

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Thanks Tom. I was surprised how easy it was to ream and turn down the cfx core. Guess I just got nervous about it protecting it with a coating and sealing it from water. I’ll try a thin epoxy coat under one grip and varnish on the other to see if I find any difference in how they hold up.

How did this turn out?

I love it. Ended up going down to #10 braided seiners twine with 29mm grip diameter.

Only note is that I wrapped the cord too tight on the first attempt and it cut into the foam. Second attempt with less tension after a thin coat of epoxy was perfect.

I've probably only fished it 20 times but confident it will hold up. Like the feel a lot more than EVA and shrink tube and find it just as hard as carbon fiber but a little more forgiving on wet hands in the surf.