If I wanted to make a leather handle for a fly rod, hoe do you stack then laminate thin leather disks to a mandrel, then shape them? I would resume some kind of polyurethane would be the laminating agent, and that it would soak into, and stabilize the leather, and that a press would hold everything tight. So if that's true, how would you add colors, or decoration to the handle? I also think a final sealing agent would need to be applied.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

Another handle type that was covered in a RodMaker Magazine article by Raymond Adams. I should probably re-run at some point due to having been a much earlier article. It was in Volume 14 #5.

Raymond suggested punching the rings and gluing them up on a core - this saves a LOT of weight as leather is heavy. The final process of shaping them is much like what you'd do with cork. The final result looks a lot like the old hatchet and knife handles. It's quite attractive and very durable.

There is also the option of doing a leather skinned grip, but there will be a seam to work with and/or hide.

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You might test Titebond lll as the adhesive.