So, after fishing this season, I'm starting to think that I'd like a longer butt section on a few of my rods. What is the best way to go about this? I'm not sure how much longer I would want them to be but I would guess I would want them to be between 2 and 4 inches longer. Any ideas on where to start (aside from knowing how much longer and which rods...)...? I have no idea how this would be done so if there's a tutorial or three for me to read through, that would be a great start. Thanks in advance!

eva or cork

Bill - willierods.com

Check the online library here for how to extend rod blanks.

..............

For 2 - 4" you can just add to the butt of the rod Clean well for good glue contact
For eva you may want to cut the butt handle off and make a complete new one No line on the handle
Cork
You can just add how much you need Just make the ends streight so no ring line shows

Bill - willierods.com

If you have a cork grip with a butt cap on it, just take a chop saw and chop the grip clean.
Then, use a piece of blank that will fit up inside the existing blank and extend the blank as needed.
Take either cork rings, or a finished grip and cut, trim and or turn to size. Finish as needed. Take the finished extension and epoxy glue and using the protruding piece of blank - insert it into the butt of the rod, and glue up. When you are finishing your extension, you want to take frequent measurements to be sure that your extension will match your existing grip perfectly.

Thus, all that you should need would be a bit of light sanding and you will have the perfect extension.

Be safe

many of the products here can be used too:

[www.mudhole.com]

either from the reel seat back as an original grip or over turned down existing grip material if its firm like cedar etc.
walking cane butt caps fit them or make your own from cedar, composite cork etc.


A few inches of blank extending thru the seat and an arbor of cedar is what i have done on several rods and they held up a few years in inshore applications.

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it!

Bill: I have both, but they're mostly cork.

Tom: I knew I read something about this before, I just couldn't put my finger on where or when! Turns out I had that article/file on my laptop already :-) Thank you!

Roger, Lou and Bill: What I want to do is essentially extend the blank rather than making a whole new grip. I don't have a workshop at my disposal so it'll all be done by hand but with a few power tools. I'm a prosthetic technician by trade so I have the hand skills, but instead of experience with fishing rods with arms and legs. (HA!) How would I go about ensuring that the I.D. and O.D. of the existing blank and the new piece match up well? How close do their tapers need to be to be deemed a good fit?

Lou: When you talk about a cedar arbor, do you mean that you leave the cedar inside of the extension piece to give it a little more strength?

Thanks guys! I really enjoy this board!

Adam Maybe Mudholes Ajust a Butt will help you. Its a telescoping aluminum handle that fits inside or out side the butt section. It also comes in colors. There is a video on their web site explains how it works.

That would be a great option, it looks like a really slick system and would take a fair amount of the hand work out of the job. They are a little overkill for what I'm looking to do though, and a little out of my budget at this point. Who knows though, maybe Santa is paying attention... ;) Thanks!

Adam,
yes to increase the diameter of the blank to match that of the tubing for extending i use often cedar as an arbor.
Its cheap, very light, strong,easy to work and does not rot easily.

Once you fashion it to fit, drill it at right angles like swiss cheese and make it even lighter.
1/4 inch drill bit makes short work of it.

Most those tubes from mudhole adhere well to cedar with many common products used by rod builders.

You could fashion a piece of cedar on a piece of threaded rod or bolt and nuts put into the chuck of a power hand drill.
Add sanding block and youare good to go.

A mil or two at a time until it just slips into the tubing.
Now ream it out a mill or two at a time until it just slips over the blank.

You may want to take a few turns of guide wrapping thread at the tip most part of the blank if its taper is very fast just to take up the space.

make arbor a few inches longer and you have a great support system.

You could use a foam arbor for freshwater but i build mostly for sea lately so i build for strength.
They typically cost a buck or two each.

Adam
Get yourself a couple of books on building rods Good investment
And
You can make a lath from a drill [www.flexcoat.com] made mine years ago It is a wrapper / dryer / lath and works very well

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2014 04:10PM by bill boettcher.

Adam,
As I said earlier, just get a piece of blank that fits up inside the existing blank. If you want, you can just drill a hole through the butt cap on the rod.
Then , use a reamer to insure that the end of the cap and blank is cleaned up.

Then, just use a piece from an old rod, or pick up an old rod from good will or salvation army.

You can use a caliper to measure the id of the butt of the rod.

Then, use the caliper to measure the od of the replacement blank. When you find the matching blank size, go up about 6-8 inches and chop the blank.

Clean off any guides that might be on the blank and try a trial fit of the replacement into the butt of the rod. When you find the point of a tight fit, you can mark that point and then cut off the blank about 3-4 inches above that point towards the smaller end of the replacement blank. Then, do the trial fit again. You should now have a nice fitting extension fitting into the rod. If you find that your replacement tip has too much taper, you can use masking tape to tighten the top portion of the butt extension. Then, go ahead and glue on the cork rings, or part of a grip to the protruding extension, and finish it as needed.

You can put it into a lathe or a hand drill to spin it to get the cork sized correctly. If you do put the hollow blank into a chuck, you will stand a good chance of cracking the blank. So, take a dowel, or pencil and sand it to size first so that it fills the hollow blank, before you put it into the chuck for spinning and sanding the cork.

Be safe

Adam, I'm going to say a few words just to get you thinking. Might influence future builds.

Traditional handle materials lack strength so they need the rod blank under them. Think cork or foam (like EVA/Hypalon). You can't make the handle longer with such materials without making the blank longer (gluing something on to the end of the rod) for the cork/eva to be glued to.

Typically we pay more for a blank with better "sensitivity". But how can a material like cork or foam increase sensitivity when they are made to deaden things? Maybe the better handle material should be metal, or at least the same as the blank?

You "could" buy a length of carbon tubing, turn/sand down your present grip, and glue it over top of it. The carbon tubing woulde be stong enough that you won't need to glue something into the end of your rod. It also won't deaden vibrations like cork/foam will.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Bill: They're on my Christmas wish list, let's hope my little wifey picked up on my hints, aka text messages with the titles and authors I'm looking for.

Roger: Thanks, that sounds like something I can pull off. I hadn't thought of checking the local thrift stores, might find a pawn shop or two as well.

Russ: I absolutely agree. When I get to the point of making my own rods they will definitely be built with rigid grips rather than cork or eva. I could also go the carbon tube route but with aluminum instead.

Adam
You could go to golf town or any other golf store where they replace the shafts and ask for the scrap graphite shafts. These would be excellant for using as your extension piece and any of the extras make great reamers with the abrasive glued to them.

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

Also check out the sales that are going on from the sponsers on the left Santa ( the wife ) can save some money

Bill - willierods.com

If you only want a short distance of 2-4 ", you don't even really need to use a section of blank for the extension. It's at the end of the rod where flex is not a factor. All you're really doing is fabricating an extension that will internally support your rear grip material without adding weight. You could make this really simple and just glue in a section of dowel that you pre-sand to match the inside of your blank's butt. Trim it to the right length, seal it with some epoxy and install the grip material and any kind of butt plate or cap you want from the butt end and you're done. There's no need for a tubular oversleeve on something like this. Keep it simple.

Rolly: That's a great idea! I spoke with a club builder and he said he definitely has what I need.

Bill: I'll email her a few links ;-)

John: Also a good idea, thanks for that!