Mouse Food

Easiest way put heat shrink over it.

Thanks. A friend mentioned I can use the shrink wrap but I have a set of four of these and I was hoping I could replace the cork. I know it would probably be a lot more difficult and I don't have a rod lathe to turn it while sanding it uniformly but that's what I'm hoping to do or have done.

To install new cork and do it right you will need to strip the rod and start from scratch.You can do it from the butt end by opening up the cork to get over the wide end of the rod and then adding tape to snug the cork rings as they slide them down towards the reel seat.

Crabman - I feel your pain. You can refer to my three rod "rebuilding" threads for how to make this situation right.




Briefly, slice all of the old rear handle off the blank, sand the exposed blank smooth. Then measure the blank's butt diameter and order in a full-length replacement handle from your choice of the many rod component providers - I usually go with www.mudhole.com. Try to order one that has an internal bore close to the same external diameter as the blank's largest diameter - makes reaming either unnecessary or a minor inconvenience. If the internal diameter is too tight, you can borrow my grip reamer to open it up. No point in buying one for a single job. I'm in south Wantagh, next to Seaford.


If you go with Mudhole, also order the smallest twin-jar set of Pro Paste epoxy (4 oz)


And a butt cap


Cut the new rear grip to length. If needed, ream the internal diameter to fit blank. Build up four or five "arbors" of regular tan masking tape. Do not use the blue masking tape version as the epoxy will not stick to it long-term. Now trial fit the new grip. Next, slather the epoxy (mix thoroughly) onto the arbors and naked blank, slide up the new custom-fitted rear grip and let it sit overnight. After that sand its outer diameter (if needed) to size and fit the new butt cap, attach it with a bit of the Propaste epoxy.

A nice little weekend job. This kind of work helps me get through the long, cold Winter. Good for my rods, better for my head.

DT, thank you. I think I might give it a try from the butt end and if it doesn't work, strip it. Yuck.

Lep, over the top as usual. Thank you for the great write-up. I totally get it and I went on the Mud Hole site for supplies. This will be a winter project after the holidays. I thought I could use my spindle sander sleeve as a reamer but that won't work. Thank you for the reamer offer, I might take you up on it. So, if I have this right, since the cork is being slid up from the butt end, the hole in the cork grip is not tapered. The rod is built up with tape and the butt end hole and the reel seat end hole is the same. Do you dig out the reel seat for the tenon on the cork to slide into? I mic'ed the rod in front of the fore grip for a general idea of thickness and the rod is 15.25mm. or .6". The current rear grip is 12" long x 1.056" OD. The MH grip is 1.1" OD which is perfect. The damage is 9" from the buttt end. I'm guessing you would suggest I have to strip all the cork to the reel seat for continuity and color. Your link to Mud Hole is just what I needed. Thanks. I'm getting itchy already to start. I cannot believe I'm going to chew the cork off one of my babies. These are some old G-Loomis rods that I absolutely love and I enjoy their history.

Your welcomed. Just cut the forward tenion off the new grip and push it up flush with bottom of the reel seat.

Replace the entire grip. It would look like a foogazy half-ass patch job to do it any other way, because the new cork will probably not be a perfect match for the old, thus a partial repair would be obvious.

The inside diameter of the new grip is a constant. Its the tape arbors that will take up the varying differences between the taper of the blank and the grip’s constant inner diameter. Takes a few minutes to set them up properly, but once its done, it’s a cake job to glue it up.

I knew I couldn't wait. That was easy. The rod at the reel seat is .7" and at the butt end .8". That's going to be some really thin cork if the OD is 1.1".

So I build the entire rod with plain masking tape or do I leave spaces between the tape. I'm guessing I have to wrap it completely so there aren't any voids when glued.

I'm thinking I will tape some strips of wood to the outside of the cork grip for support while I'm reaming. I can see why some go to foam grips. Do I just slather up the epoxy on the tape and slide the cork on? Seems like the epoxy will be wiped off by the time the entire 12" of cork is slid on.

After some measuring, the cork will be thicker than I thought when being reamed. I'm ordering out my supplies. Lep, thanks again for the support, It really got me going.

Sorry, I was watching the Knick game w/my son. He’s even more diehard Knicks/Mets than I am, and that takes some doin’.

You’re on the right track. I would make five tape arbors with 1/2” tan masking tape, fitting each to the grip in turn - to moderately snug. Next slather it all up with the epoxy (bare blank and arbors), and then wipe off the excess up top at the base of the reel seat once you complete the grip install.

Have a bunch of paper towels cut up and ready to go, along with a bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol from your local drug store. And don’t forget to tightly wrap the reel seat with blue tape. You don't wanna be picking hardened epoxy paste out of the reel seat threads.

Looks like you can get away with using cork tape.

I prefer foam for the butt of the rod and cork for fore grip just because of wear and tear from rod holders etc

Great project. Good luck

I greatly prefer quality EVA myself, and would always go in that direction (see my previous three rebuilds).

But his intention was that he has a set of four of these and wants to keep them matching perfectly. Thus the pre-formed cork grip suggestion.

Thanks to you both. Yes, I would like to try to stay with cork to match my other rods. So far this has been easy and after Lep's advice, I don't see the replacement of the cork as being a problem. If it doesn't work, I will switch to EVA but right now, I don't want a cork fore grip and EVA butt grip on one rod. Overboard, you are right, the cork does take a beating in the rod holders but my OCD would be on overdrive if I didn't follow up and change all of them over to EVA to match. As I said, that may be in the future. These rods are 30+ years old but in great shape.

Lep, I'm going to make arbors and just ordered a roll of aluminum oxide sandpaper in 1". If needed, I will rip/cut 1" to 1/2". Haven't figured out how I will attach the sandpaper to a dowel. I hoping I can wrap and tape in sections for the one off boring of the cork handle otherwise I will use contact cement. What do you mean by "slather it all up with the epoxy (bare blank and arbors)". Seems I'm going to have to build up the bare blank with masking tape as I approach the reel seat. Is that true and do I tape the blank to uniform thickness from butt end to reel seat and apply the epoxy on to the masking tape? I have to build from .7" to .8" at the reel seat. The butt cap came off perfectly and will be reused. The cork handle and epoxy was ordered from MH and I'm awaiting their arrival.

Enjoy Soto. I'm ambivalent with the decision. That's a lot of money for one guy. Due to my Mom, I grew up a Mets fan and remember my first game at the Polo Grounds. After high school, Thurman Munson drew me to the Dark Side and George Steinbrenner kept me there.

They make self adhesive sand paper but you can use regular sand paper with crazy glue to hold it on.The arbors should be 1/2 to 3/4" masking tape spaced along the length of the butt maybe 5 arbors spaced evenly by eye.

They make self adhesive sand paper but you can use regular sand paper with crazy glue to hold it on.The arbors should be 1/2 to 3/4" masking tape spaced along the length of the butt maybe 5 arbors spaced evenly by eye.

Not to go off track but someone mentioned on one of my trips that there's clear coat to put on the cork to protect it? Anyone know of such a product?

Not to go off track but someone mentioned on one of my trips that there's clear coat to put on the cork to protect it? Anyone know of such a product?

DT. I'm a bit confused with the statement, "masking tape spaced along the length of the butt". Are you showing the rod blank with masking tape and spaces along the blank instead of masking tape wrapped around the entire blank from butt end to reel seat to remove the taper as we approach the reel seat? If that's the case, won't there be voids in the spaces as the cork is slid on? Or is that the arbor with adhesive sandpaper built up until the final fit is reached.