Pretty much decided on doing two foam core grips with colored fiberglass sleeves and have a few questions.

Does color of the foam core matter when colored fiberglass sleeves are used? More specifically, do the colored sleeves have any transparency?

What epoxies have people used? Searching on the net I see many 2:1 ratio epoxies advertised for carborn fiber wetting, some much cheaper than others.

For the outer coating of a fiberglass sleeve, how many additional coats of finish are people using before sanding? I know extra care needs to be done for glass sleeves.

They are not transparent, but if sized too small so that you have to stretch them over the foam core, you will be able to see the foam core through openings in the glass mesh.

Just about any two part epoxy is fine for wetting out and sealing. I use West Systems 105 and 207, but others have used old finish epoxy and gotten perfect results. You do not want to sand into the glass as unlike carbon, it will "fuzz." So add a good sealer coat on top of the glass, even two perhaps, sand that smooth and top off with a urethane. Or, if you're not looking for a smooth surface and want texture, just top off with urethane without any additional sealer coats.

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I want to try this too: is there a way I can experiment with these without spending a ton of money? I want to be able to do it from scratch, pouring my own foam cores and all, but I don't want to have to shell out $100 or $150 for a kit, if I end up not liking them.

I want to try this too: is there a way I can experiment with these without spending a ton of money? I want to be able to do it from scratch, pouring my own foam cores and all, but I don't want to have to shell out $100 or $150 for a kit, if I end up not liking them.

You can probably get in it for about $50, and which would make a dozen or more grips.

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Tom, do you have a recommendation for the plug for a fighting butt after the rod is built? I'm thinking of either cutting a plug out either the foam or rubberized cork, covering the plug in glass and finishing it like the rest of the handle, and epoxying it in the hole.

There is an inexpensive solution called a rubber butt cap plug, it protects the grip without having a lot of presence.

I have used the rubber butt plugs and they work well. I have also inlet buttons into the end and have also capped off the end with wood/cork/eva and mounted like a normal closed of butt end. looking at my cost from my suppliers and these are in the smallest quantities I can get
1 qt epoxy /1 pint hardener -25.00
1 qt of part A & B 8 lb expanding foam- 25.00 I buy both 8 and 4 lb foam and mix them to get 6 lb cores
1.25" CF sleeving-2.75/ft

there are of course other expenditures- mandrel, brushes,top coat finishes, rubber gloves, zip ties or plastic hose clamps etc.