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By George J. Roth

 

Many of you have inquired about modifying your existing rod handle to produce a lighter rod and to enhance two-hand casting.  Perhaps some of you would like to try this yourself.  I will explain the process that I use in performing this task.  Knowing the anatomy of the rod handle and how they are assembled, should help you to perform the procedure to your satisfaction.  If you have any further questions regarding the modification of your handle, please contact me.
 
Below, I will also be adding 2" to the butt section of this AllStar flipping rod as well as splitting the rear grip and removing the foregrip.  The extra threads will also be removed from the reel seat.  Extending the blank requires removing the cork on the butt section as well as the center.  If you were to leave the blank the same length, the cork on the butt section would be measured as it was for the section behind the reel seat.  Then, the cork in the center would be removed.  I hope this will be self-explanatory as we go along.

 

1.   The first thing you want to do is to make measurements of the cork you'd like to leave attached to the rod.  In this case, there is a 2.5" section behind the reel seat that will remain.  All the other cork, marked with an "X", will be removed.

2.  A razor blade is used to cut around the cork handle, as that will insure a clean edge when you remove the remainder of the cork.  It is easier if you can find a glue seam to use as a guide.  Turn the handle slowly until you have cut the cork all the way down to the blank.

3.  A heat gun is used to soften the glue that bonds the cork to the blank.  I then use the pliers to pinch off the cork, being careful not to grasp the blank, which could later result in blank failure.

5.  The butt cap was heated then removed with pliers.  The next chore is to remove the glue remaining on the blank.  The heat gun will soften the glue and facilitate its removal.  A razor blade can be used to scrape the glue then a scotch pad will take care of the remaining adhesive.  If you intend to wrap the blank with thread, you could use some fine grit sandpaper, being careful not to sand into the blank far enough to compromise its structural integrity.

...For comparison, this handle is a Lamiglas flipping stick.  You can tell the difference in the amount of adhesive applied to the blank, when compared to the AllStar above.  The thick layer of glue was more of a challange but it was removed in the same manner as described above.

6.  Once the cork and adhesive have been removed, the blank can be cleaned with denatured alcohol.  We decided to remove the extra threads on this reel seat, as palming the reel would have placed the fingers onto the threads.  They get pretty uncomfortable after a day's fishing.  A reel is placed in the reel seat then locked into position.  The thread burnisher is resting on the position where the threads need to be trimmed.  When palming the reel, your fingers will then contact the blank.

7.  A mark is made on the threads and a piece of masking tape is used as a guide around the reel seat.  A coping saw is used to cut the reel seat threads.  You could use a Dremel with a cutting wheel, but I'd caution against it, initially.  Material can be ground away at an amazing speed...sometimes too much!  I drag the blade slowly towards me, checking often to insure I'm not cutting the blank.  As I cut, I rotate the rod slowly to guard against cutting too deep.  Once the threads have been cut around the reel seat, you will have to cut across the threads in order to remove the ring.  You can do this with the Dremel...just be careful.  Consider placing some sort of material between the ring and the blank, to protect it.

8.  The threads have been trimmed and the foregrip removed to allow contact with the blank.  This will enhance sensitivity. 

9.  This picture shows the relationship of the reel to the reel seat after it was modified.  The threads are flush with the end of the locking nut.

10.  When extending a rod, try to find a spare piece of blank material with the same taper as the main blank.  If the fit is a little loose, use some fiberglass sheetrock tape to provide a snug fit.  When the extension was inserted into the rod, it became snug and marked at the white line.  Don't push hard or you may accidently split the blank.  It is best to wrap the end of the blank with masking tape or thread.  The edges of the tape represent 2 inches on either side of the center line.  The 2" on the left side will result in extending the rod from 7'6" to 7'8".  The 2" on the right hand side is what will be left to provide a secure bond for the extension.

11.  The ends of the blank extension was trimmed with a scroll saw.  You can also use a Dremel with a cutting wheel.  Just remember to wear appropriate eye protection when cutting the blank.

12.  The blank extension has been sanded where it will bond to the inside of the blank.  Clean with alcohol prior to glue up to insure the best bond possible.

13.  I use Rod Bond applied to the inside of the blank and to the outside of the extension.  Do keep in mind that the accumulation of glue inside the blank will effect the distance that the upper section will telescope into the butt section.  Use enough to form an adequate bond but don't go overboard.  If the rod was not telescopic, this would not be an issue.  Insert the extension to the center line and let the glue set up a minimum of 12 hours before you proceed.

14.  I started out to extend the blank 2" and wanted to insure that the joint would not be visible.  The cork rings are 1/2" each, so 5 cork rings will make a rear section 2.5".  You can see that this length will be adequate to cover the joint.  The rubberized cork butt cap is solid.  I use a Brad Point bit to drill about half-way through the ring.  This leaves the end of the butt cap solid but allows the blank extension to provide added support / surface area to glue to.

15.  Before gluing up the back portion of the handle, you'd want to add winding checks if you choose to use them. 

16. The cork rings are then reamed to fit on the blank as snugly as possible.  If you were replacing the cork rings behind the reel seat, the blank taper would become a significant factor.  By reaming them to fit over the butt section, the ring could fit quite loosely farther up the blank.  You can add fiberglass sheetrock tape to act as a shim to make a snug fit.  It would be preferable to see the blank through the mesh, so you know you are bonding the cork to the blank.

17.  It is now time to glue up the rear section.  I sand the blank extension just as I did on the section that was bonded to the inside of the blank.  I use cellophane on each end of the section to prevent the cork from bonding to the clamp.  I use a washer, split in half, to provide equal pressure to the face of the cork ring.  Otherwise, the "U" would compress the ring and deform it.  Push the blank into the butt cap as far as possible.  I use a DeWalt cordless drill with a socket to tighten the clamp down using the nuts on the bottom...it is much faster than twirling the wing nuts by hand!

18.  The handle has been allowed to cure for 24 hours and the center section taped to protect it during the shaping process.  The bastard file is used to shape the cork.

19.  The cork rings are shaped by filing "across" the rings to obtain the desired shape.  I then lightly file "around" the cork, while rotating the handle, to remove the bumps that have developed during the shaping process.  First time?  Just go slow and you should do fine.

20.  Once the handle is shaped, I use sheetrock sanding screen to shape the butt cap.  I place the blank beneath my leg with the handle extending in front of me.  I can adjust the pressure from my leg to secure the rod and prevent it from rotating when desired.  I'd suggest doing this step in an armless chair with a seat cushion.  I use a 1.5" strip that I run back and forth over the end while rotating the blank to prevent flat spots.  The butt cap will take the most sanding and the regular cork will sand very easily.  I progress to finer sandpaper until I finish with either 300 or 600 grit.  When the handle is complete, I then glue the winding checks into place with a 5-minute epoxy.  Clean excess promptly with denatured alcohol.

21.  Because the blank was marred in the process of removing the cork, the section between the split rear grips and in front of the reel seat was wrapped with black thread.  Color preserver was applied to the thread and then it was coated with a couple applications of epoxy finish.

22.  Completed split rear grip.

24.  An overall look at the new "remodeled" handle.