So i am gearing up to start turning all my own cork handles and butts. I have been trying to find info on how to do the fighting butt. if the end cap has no hole how do I turn this to get it to size and shape plus hollow out the inside to slip up on the tenyon of the rest of the butt grrip. Thank you

Keith Langford

I've not made any of my own cork grips, but when I need to turn an EVA butt cap down to match its OD with the actual butt grip's OD, I just slip the cap on the grip and turn it as an assembly. I don't have a lathe so I use my power wrapper and one of the rod stands. I chuck the mandrel up in the wrapper and let the end of the mandrel stick past the rod stand enough to slip the butt onto. Its worked beautifully thus far.

As far as boring a hole for the tenon to slip into, and I have yet to do it ... but I would think either a lathe, or you could try one of the pilot or reverse pilot bits that Mud Hole offers. I think they're made by Flex Coat. Surely someone that has done it will offer suggestions, but that's what I would try.

There cork rings without hole available. Glue one to the rings you will use that have holes. and grip them in your chuck to turn to shape.

Keith
What kind of a rod?
Herb

Herb, its going to be for a spinning rod, it will be 2 3/4 long with cap, 1/2 no hole cap, 3- 1/2 rings and 1- 1/4 burl ring all with 1/4 hole

Just watched Flex Coat video, I got it now. Simple enough. Thanks for all the replies.

Keith,
I used to try various complicated things to do the thing you want to do.

However, I make life simple. I just glue up my cork rings and bore the grip to shape on a mandrel. I make the grip one ring linger than I expect so that the last ring can extend past the end of the rod and be the butt cap.

After getting it all finished, I take a solid cork ring with no hole and use a plug cutter to form a matching plug for the end of the rod.

I put a slight taper on the plug so that it fits nice and tight into the end of the rod. Then, I simply use epoxy to glue the plug into the end of the rod forming the butt cap.

I have a cross vise bolted to the end of my disk sander that is aligned at 90 degrees to the sanding disk. This allows me to clamp the cross vise, turn on the sander and then sand the plug off square to the end of the grip with no visible seams on the end of the rod.

Take care

Note if you do make your own [ easy ] do use a rubberized ring on the last ring , will hold up a lot better than regular cork ring

William Sidney
AK

Bill,

For many years, and I still do, from time to time, make rod butts from rubber chair leg caps.

I use a horizontal disk sander setup with a chuck on the motor shaft, I chuck in a piece of fiberglass solid stock and then build up a mandrel from masking tape to be the size of the interior of the rubber cap..

Then, with the cap spinning at 3600 rpm, I use coarse, then fine sand paper and files to smooth and shape the cap to match the size of the finished grip. I use a razor knife to cut the cap to size, and after having turned a tenon into the last cork ring on the rear grip and with the rear grip glued in place, glue on the rubber butt cap. Rock solid and holds up to all sorts of use and abuse.

Take care

I always use tape to build up the diameter of the mandrel then slip firmly the cork on. They have little cork plugs to to put in the hole at the center of the cork at the butt. A lot of times it's hard to find different types of cork without a hole, so this works fine. To do butts I will extend the mandrel from the chuck slightly longer than the butt piece. I will build up the end of the mandrel with tape and slip the butt piece on with the glued plug and shape. I use calipers to measure thickness and always leave it a little too thick so I can finish sand down to where it will be flush. I use a drill with a flat tip bit to ream the the butt and then a Dremel tool with a cutting bit to ream to a square fit. The tape saves a lot of time. This is how I do it and have been doing it for 20 years but I am sure there are other ways.

I glue up about 4 inches of rubberized cork with no holes. I turn about an inch of the end to the outside diameter of the grip I am making. I cut this inch section off and chuck into the jaws. I then chuck a Forstner bit the size I have turned my tenon to into my tail-stock drill chuck. This will get it close. Takes some sanding and practice. You could do the same with the cork instead of rubberized cork if you can find the same cork you are turning without holes.I am sure there is more ways to skin a cat.

Ream the inside to fit the butt end of your blank, then glue the end on the butt cork and then turn and sand the whole butt , install when done.

I'm in the same boat, creating my first grips. Saw the flexcoat vid as well. But what i'm going to do is just ream the butt plug hole slightly bigger and stick a coin or other personal cap.

Do what Mr Gross said.... Works like a charm!