Hello Guys,
I'm wondering what methods and tools you guys use to shape cork grips. Do you shape grips on the rod blank, or shape them on some kind of mandrel and then fit them to the blank
Thanks
Ribs

I am tottaly primitive in grip production - I only make fat cigar grips - If I want something else, I buy it. For cigar grips I start with a mill bastard file for roughing down the cork blank, than move to prgressively finer sand paper. Turns out just fine. I did buy a lathe that I am going to attach to an old singer sewing maching treadle so that I can shape grips on it. Cool - off the grid! Alec

I shape them on the blank whenever I can. I think you get a much better fit that way. If you have to ream out a cork grip to get it onto the blank, it's very easy to get spots where it was reamed out too much. This causes soft spots in the completed grip - a terrible thing on a fly rod.

On the rare occasions when I need to turn the grip off the blank, I will use a piece of dowel as a mandrel. I get a piece that is slightly smaller in diameter than the blank and wind some string over the length of it, using the same technique as making a guide wrap. I use the string that is used to bind bamboo rods for this, but some fly line backing would probably work as well. I then put the cork rings on over the string, making sure to twist the rings in the direction that causes the string to tighten, as opposed to the other way around. I also try to keep the adhesive away from the center of the ring where it might get on the string. I use a cork ring clamp to compress the rings after gluing up, whether I'm turning on the blank or using a mandrel.

When turning on the blank, I first install a single cork ring - the one that will be closest to the reel seat. After the adhesive has set on this ring I will then add the other rings. This makes for a solid foundation that will not slide around while you are making the rest of the grip.

After shaping the grip, I cut the end of the string and then just pull it off like line coming off a spinning reel. Once the string has been removed, the cork slides off the mandrel easily.

I used to use an old inexpensive lathe to turn my grips. I had to build a fixture with rollers to hold the other end of the blank. A few years ago I bought a Rodsmith power wrapper and have been using that to shape the grips. I use sand paper to shape the grip, starting with coarse and moving to progressively finer grades. If you go to a hobby shop, they sell packets of sanding film, which is like an ultra-fine sandpaper. I use this for the final sanding to give the cork a baby-butt-smooth finish.

it's very easy to turn on a steel mandrel, just wipe on some paraffin wax. it comes off easy. and if you screw up, you don't have to worry about taking if off the blank, possibly damaging the blank.

gaddis, as for shaping cork grips on a wrapping machine, do you use the same wrapping machine for applying thread finish? shaping cork grips causes a LOT of dust and i would think the dust could get into subsequent thread finish work.

a lot of interesting ways to do things i'd never heard about. this is such an alternative forum ;-)

eric
fresno, ca.