Watch Mud Hole Live for all the rod building tips and tricks for reaming and installing fishing grips, plus check out a demo for DIY custom carbon fiber grips!
Demos
- Reaming & Modifying WINN Grips - 5:54
- How to Ream Closed In Fighting Butts - 19:57
- Using Reverse Pilot Bits - 35:06
- Creating Custom CFX Carbon Fiber Handles - 44:41
From materials and colors, to shapes and styles - We offer a wide variety of fishing grips, so tune in to learn the pros and cons of each grip and see exclusive demos on reaming, removing tenons, gluing grips, and shaping your own DiY carbon fiber grips.
Handle Kits: https://www.mudhole.com/kits-bundles/component-specialty-kits/Rod-Handle-Kits
How to Shape your Own DIY Carbon Fiber Grips
Known for its feather-light feel, carbon fiber grips bring serious comfort and performance to your custom fishing rods. Plus, shaping the grip’s core and applying the carbon fiber sleeve is an easy upgrade you can complete in no time.
Tools & Supplies:
Grip Making Kit: https://www.mudhole.com/CRB-Grip-Making-Kit-with-Steel-Mandrels
CFX Carbon Fiber DIY Grips Kit: https://www.mudhole.com/CFX-Custom-Carbon-Fiber-Grip-Kit
Step 1: Mount Vibra Core on Mandrel
Start by prepping the mandrel with some mandrel wax and then sliding the Vibra Core onto the center of the mandrel. Next, size the core to your grip length and cut this piece from the full length core. To cut the core to your desired length, slowly introduce a box cutter to the core as it spins on your lathe or rod dryer. Gradually applying the razor helps cut the core without touching the mandrel. If cut into smaller lengths, the core won’t grip the 3/8” mandrel as well so add a couple tape wraps to the arbor the mandrel and snuggly fit the core.
Step 2: Shape Core to Your Liking
With the Vibra Core secure on the mandrel, fold the sand paper in half 3-4 times or until you have created a firm corner.
Note: It takes less pressure to shape these cores than it does cork, so temper sanding accordingly.
Use this firm corner to take off more material and form the grip. Working the corner back and forth in area you want to remove material, you can form a taper or shape a full wells, half wells, or well, just about any grip you want! Then, follow up with a single sand paper sheet to smooth out the surface of the core.
Step 3: Apply Epoxy Layer to Core
Next, arbor up the mandrel to fit in the RDS Rod Dryer and mix up the laminating epoxy. The ratio for this laminating epoxy is 5:1 Resin to Hardener and mix it up until clear. Then, with the core spin rotating in the dryer, begin adding a generous layer of epoxy to the outside. Don’t forget to add some to the sides for a sleek edge on the finished grip.
Step 4: Position Carbon Fiber Over Core
Trim carbon fiber sleeve to be 2-3 inches longer than the core on each side. This helps give you some wiggle room in case of any errors. As you become more experienced, you can use less of the sleeve to save more material for other grips. With the sleeve sized to fit, loosen it up to slide over the core. The sleeve behaves a lot like a finger trap, so slowly push the two ends together and the diameter of the carbon sleeve will increase to fit over the vibra core. Since some epoxy will penetrate the carbon fiber, use latex or nitril gloves before fitting the carbon sleeve to the core.
Step 5: Smooth Out Carbon Fiber and Lock Clamps
For this step, stand the mandrel and core up vertically. Then, slide the sleeve down over the core with a few excess inches over each edge. Start from the center and smooth out the carbon fiber sleeve over the core. This will tighten the sleeve over the core to ensure a smooth, snug fit. Once you’ve worked towards the edge, spin the mandrel and compress the carbon sleeve flush over the grip’s edge. With the sleeve over the grip, add a hose clamp to each side to further tighten the carbon fibers over the grip.
Step 6: Cure and Install Your Carbon Fiber Grips
The grip doesn’t need to rotate to finish, but keep it elevated for the best results. Leave the carbon fiber grip to cure for a few hours and then you can just trim off excess carbon fiber and install it on your fishing rod!
Read more here: https://blog.mudhole.com/build-diy-carbon-fiber-fishing-grips/
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