So...........Finally received some lower grade Portuguese rings to practice with ( Flor grade rings are en route to start building with ) and the drill setup I put together seems to work fine. After studying different grips ( from older bamboo rodmakers to current builders ) I've played around and have turned 6 grips so far and somewhat getting the hang of it and still have plenty of cork left to practice with which I will do in the coming weeks. I've been using Tightbond III and shaping sequence has been 60 grit followed by 120,150,220 and then 320 ( any different suggestions ? ). I'm finding my preferences are for a longer grip ( 6 1/2" - 7" ) with a thicker diameter in either a cigar, HW or Ritz. I realize there are probably plenty of favorite grip shape threads but I am curious as to your preferred shape for weights 5 and under, and why, so I'm asking again. I'm also noticing * modified grip shapes, so for those of you who are turning your own grips and deviating from standard shapes I'm curious as to what you are tweaking and your reasoning behind it. Just trying to get as much input as possible as I learn so thank you for your feedback and time !

Your own hand tells you what's comfortable, but that feel depends on the rod. Thus, smart move to leave preformed grips slightly oversize so you can then fine tune them as you check the feel when installing on a particular blank.

I just glue up rings and turn to shape on the blank, so your set up is much less "crude" and I'm not sure of all the fine tuning options using a mandrel. Later on, though, if a grip just needs a tweak, hand turning will do that.

Yes, turning on the blank is always preferable. Other than that, don’t overthink it. It doesn’t take a lot of practice, just a lot of patience to stop and measure frequently.

If I'm gluing rings to the rod blank for shaping, I use the home brew 'rod lathe' in the photo below. The 'headstock' is a right angle gear motor with a 1/4" shaft. I push a piece of rubber tubing over the shaft. Then I push the rod blank over the rubber tubing. The goal is a tenuous connection that will disconnect if the rod blank gets jammed. Even a wimpy conventional lathe with a chuck will easily shatter a rod blank. A short piece of dowel chucked in a drill would work the same way.

I use a 20" box fan to collect the cork dust. I tape a furnace filter to the fan and place it next to the lathe. When you are done, save some dust to mix with glue as a filler. I use the lathe as a wrapping cradle (after thoroughly vacuuming and wiping away the cork dust). If you can shape your cork outside, all the better.


Tom

Any advice on how to chuck up a grip on the blank itself using a drill? What to use to hook it into the drill and which end, butt reel side or towards tip side?

I secure the other side of the blank (just up from the grip actually) with my hand. Just remember to take off any rings.

Other people have nice contraptions with rubber coated wheels that hold the rod in place. I've never purchased or built one. my hand works fine.

Eliminates a step and various equipment; eliminates full-length reaming; reaming each ring to fit its position on the blank ensures a uniform thin, flexible glue joint without voids or gobs, ensures concentricity to the blank; makes custom shaping to the rod's feel easier as the rod is assembled. Simpler, easier, no special tools needed.

Better? You can't argue with the success of either method. A hobbyist knows how to fix stuff up anyway, so potential slim-chance pitfalls aren't significant but can be considered. Erratic glue joints--thin spots, voids, and lumps--may occur with a full length grip slid on the rod, and the glue used may be stronger than the cork. In use, these work against each other such that the grip may fail from the inside. Oh well, replacing a grip with another already formed on a mandrel is easy enough.

Cosmetics. Before on-the-blank shaping, you can sort the corks, number them for position, and pretty much spot voids or pits that may be appear in sanding to shape. You can sequence them as you wish, ream to fit and slide onto the blank, numbering each as you go. Check again, glue in place. Sand and shape. Worst can happen is this reveals a few spots you don't like. Remove and replace. Takes maybe an hour, if that, start to finish, not much more with a do over. Probably that's the possible pitfall that tips me to favor this method. I don't care if the grip isn't pure and smooth, which means slippery to me. I have poor feel in my gripping hand, so I want the texture of irregularities in the grip. I even turn the rings at key positions, like where they will be under my thumb and index finger, so faults are likely to be exposed. I pick the densest rings for the top and bottom of the grip as these will be most chip resistant.