I had someone tell me that I should use a size larger tube to make room for more glue. This is counter intuitive to me. I aim for a fit with no slop that slides on easily. Am I missing something?

I'm with you Mike! If the top slips on easily but with no slop...there will be enough glue. I hate sloppy fits. I have yet to lose a top.

If a little is good, a lot must better, that seems to be the rule of thumb for glue, duct tape, and explosives. That said, I don't think you are missing much.

The advice about mating surfaces here: [www.rodbuilding.org] applies just as well to tip tops. Thin adhesive joints are best.

The tiptop should ideally be a slip fit, not slop. Obviously, you can't go too small or the darn tiptop simply won't go over the blank tip. So, go as large as you need to, but no more. In the occasional instance where you have a slightly sloppy fit, attempt to put a spiral wrap of 00 or A thread down and adhere over that. You can start such a wrap an eighth or quarter beyond where the top tube stops to serve as a trim wrap at the same time.

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

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
In the
> occasional instance where you have a slightly
> sloppy fit, attempt to put a spiral wrap of 00 or
> A thread down and adhere over that. You can start
> such a wrap an eighth or quarter beyond where the
> top tube stops to serve as a trim wrap at the same
> time.
>
> ..............
I had to do this recently and it worked great.

When two pieces are bonded and by chance the bond fails one expects that one or both of the substrates failed not the epoxy. If the failure shows the epoxy is attached to both pieces then the epoxy failed because it was too thick and/or was weaker than the substrates. If the bond was good, one of the substrates should have been attached to the epoxy.

A general rule is a film thickness of .001 to .006 inches is recommended for a good bond. This may be one reason 1/2 size tubes are available.

I would keep the "slop" to a minimum by 1/2 size increases until the tip just slips on.

Have fun

Are all tip top glues equal? I have 1 rod that has had the tip top re glued about 4 times.....fits on the blank just fine.....maybe I am not getting the glue hot enough, or being quick enough.

Derick,
I will share my method of gluing on rod tips.

I start with a stick of hot melt tip adhesive.

I also have a couple of 6 inch pieces of 1/16th inch diameter piano wire. I chuck each wire in a drill and spin it with the drill while holding the end of the spinning wire against my vertical belt sander to put a fine tip on the end of the wire.

I use an alcohol burner for heat that is filled with 100% denatured alcohol that I buy from the paint store in the paint brush cleaning department.

I have everything ready to go. I also have a hemostat or clamping pair of pliers to hold the hot tip during the tip installation.

I will light the burner and then heat up the end of the sharpened rod. With the rod hot, I scrape the end of the glue stick to get a liberal amount of glue on the rod. Then, while I have the rod rotating my dryer or wrapper, I will reheat the glue on the end of the stick and wipe hot glue on the tip of the rod. Now, I have a layer of glue on the end of the rod.

Then, I will heat up the piano wire with the glue on the end and also heat the tip top that I am going to apply. I poke the sharpened, glue coated rod into the tip, to get a layer of glue on the inside of the rod.

Then, with the rod rotating, I will heat the glue laden tip, and also heat the glue on the end of the rod and quickly push the tip onto the rod tip. I have a clean craft stick ( popsicle stick) handy, and with the glue still warm on the tip top and the rod tip, I will use the stick to wipe off any excess glue. It will wipe clean with the stick. Then, I will stop the rod from turning and do a final alignment on the rod tip, before the glue has cooled. I let the glue cool and triple check the alignment of the tip top.

When I have time, I will put some heat on any glue that is on the craft stick and wipe it off with a single edged razor blade so that the stick is ready to be used for the next tip top installation.

I have never had a tip pull free, since I have switched to using this method.

Summary.
Glue inside the tip top.
Glue on the outside of the rod.

Heat both, slip together and you have a non slip, non loosening tip top on the rod.

Take care

Derick, I like Flex Coats yellow stick tip top glue. It allegedly withstands more heat and I have never had a top fail.

Roger...that is pretty intense! I just slice very thin pieces of flex coat yellow glue stick...put them inside the tip top tube so it is full...heat the tube up with a lighter until the glue begins to almost boil...then slip the top onto the rod tip. I always have overflow squeeze out so I know there's enough glue inside. So many of you all on here are so much further advanced than myself. I am just an old, simple Italiano. My Pa was one that used the term, "if it ain't broke...no need for fixin".