This is likely a very unusual situation. Those of your who saw my last Topic know that I am turning a couple handles with the cork on the blank.

Well...I put my first one on the lathe tonight and it actually went pretty well, I have the contour for the most part how I want it and only need to work on getting the butt cap put in flush. The problem started when I started to take the metal mandel out of the rod blank. As I was trying to spin it out, my lathe didn't have enough power and I ended up having to "muscle" it off. Long story short, a clump of tape I used to build up the mandrel got stuck inside the blank about 6" in. Has anyone encountered this problem? If so, how would I go about getting it out? Any help is much appreciated! This is my first real high end build I've done and I would hate to have that blemish there.

Nate,

Could you reach it with a bent coat hanger and work it out? Just a thought!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

I can try that. The challenge I will face is that it pretty much fills the full inner diameter of the blank...

Will leaving it in affect the sensitivity or integrity of the blank?

You may be able to hook it with a crochet needle. If you don't have one they are inexpensive.

If it's inside the blank, why are we worried about it?
Out of sight - Out of mind.
If it must come out I think you either have to force a long wire, with a hook on the end, passed this wad of tape, and drag it out , or use something with a screw thread to dig into it and pull it like a wine cork.
Perhaps an extra long patio deck screw?

threaded rod nearly same size as hole, longer than the grip, feed it through completely. repeat if necessary

I cannot see how it will affect anything if left in. But fishing around for it won't affect anything either as long as you limit yourself to the gentle methods already suggested.

If it fills the blank and you can't really grab it with a hook type tool, you will need something like a screw thread to screw into and through the tape, then you should be able to pull it out. If not, repeated attempts should break it up into smaller parts that a hook might then be able to extricate the parts.

I would try a pointy screw with deep threads like a drywall screw. Cut the head off and tape it very tightly to one end of a coat hanger. On the other end, tape a straightened out single hook with a substantial barb.

Between the screw and hook's barb, you should be able to get it out.

The coat hanger should work just bend a small hook on the end with a needle nose plyers

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks everyone for the tips. I was able to get it out this morning thankfully!

You might have turned the arbor the wrong way when taking it out of the blank
I always mark the direction to turn out so as not to Rub the edge of the tape and lift it Then it rolls and gets stuck

Bill - willierods.com

Bill - that's a great tip, thank you! I will pay closer attention to that on my next one.

Any time
I had one get stuck real bad Was a time to get it out

Bill - willierods.com

In your earlier post, you stated that the tape was stuck in the "blank."

I assume that you meant to say that the tape was stuck in the "grip" and would interfere with the grip going on to the blank?

Glad that it worked out for you.

Bill has a good point about always putting the tape on in the same direction. Then, whenever turning the mandrel separate from the grip, be sure that the mandrel is turned in the direction to slick down the tape, rather than cause it to unwind.

When it comes to removing threaded rod or a mandrel, I use my 1/2 inch variable speed drill. It will have plenty of power to remove any thing from a grip.

By the way, I have had the same issue when drilling out preformed grips for the right size. With some grips it is possible that residue builds up the grip and makes it very difficult to remove or get around. So, patience is the key to any of this work.

Good luck

Roger,

The op wrapped tape around a mandrel then inserted the taped mandrel in his blank. He's turning cork grips on the blank, not directly on a mandrel.

John - thans for clarifying.

Roger - I was turning it down on the blank, I wish it had only been in the cork as that would have been easier to shove out! This was a scare I don't want to experience again, I almost lost a small screw inside the butt as well and thought for a second I was going to have to cut the blank down 6"...

For people looking to get into turning custom handles, please use my experience as a lesson, using top quality cork and a SCV blank is not a good way to learn! Stupid newbie error...

Nate,
If the tape was inside the blank and if you did not have to do any more turning with the blank, there is really no reason to remove the tape.

But, of course, if you still had to do more rod turning, then the tape needed to come out.

When I used to turn on the blank, I generally tried to use solid fiberglass rods to fit inside the blanks. Then, I would chuck the rod into the drill chuck and while spinning it with the drill would taper the fiberglass rod to fit the inside of the blank.

But of course for the large blanks, I would also use tape to build up the diameter of the rod for blank turning.

Glad that it is all working out.

Nate Nelson Wrote:
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> Thanks everyone for the tips. I was able to get
> it out this morning thankfully!


Care to share what worked for you?

Mike - it ended up being pretty redneck. I had a piece of fiberglass ice rod blank that I taped tightly to a wood screw. I inserted into the butt of the blank and twisted until it loosened the tape from the sides. Once it was loose I used a coat hanger to loosen it up more and than tapped it on the ground, it eventually came it cleanly but it took a while and I actually had a screw come off inside the blank I had to back out with a screwdriver....I thought the blank was a goner when that happened.

I will be much more careful next time and will be using different tape, likely the blue painters tape as an arbor on the mandrel.

if the section of rod is open on both ends plug one end largest dia. plug with a cork an fill with DA let set then fish it out with a hooked coat hanger , if not open on both ends fill with DA
let set am then fish it out .

William Sidney
AK