I tried a search, but for whatever reason, I can't get it to work. If you can see what I'm doing wrong please let me know. I'm sure the words "tip top" have shown up on this page at some point in time!
[c1.staticflickr.com]

One thing that I can do, but is a huge pain in the rear is cleaning the adhesive from the tip top. The tops are left open I'm assuming so an air pocket does not form. This also allows the hot adhesive to flow out onto the frame holding the eye of the guide. Do any of you old-timers have a quick solution to this? Or is tedious clean up just part of the game?

Randy

The link in your message did not work for me.

Here is a good Flex Coat video: [flexcoat.com]

I do it a bit differently by applying heated glue to the blank, GENTLY re-heating the adhesive on the blank, then slide the tip top home.

There is always some adhesive pushed out of the tip top onto the blank. I think it a good thing - don't want to starve the bond for adhesive. If you let the tip top adhesive cool for just a few seconds you can usually peel it off the blank or tip top with a finger nail cleanly and easily.

Hello Randy.

Try "Clean Tip Top".



Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2017 02:18PM by Robert A. Guist.

All right, that's what I figured. It just gums up and can be a pain trying to pick it off with a fingernail or tool. Oh well...it's only once per rod at least!

Randy,
It is really really simple to take care of this issue.

I apply a tip top - using my power wrapper to spin the rod.

I use a small wire, to hold a bit of heat activated tip cement.

I heat up the cement and when soft, while spinning the tip, apply a layer of cement to the tip.

Then, I hold the tip top with a pair of tweezers and heat the tip and the cement and brush the tip against the heated cement on the wire, to put some cement into the tip.

Then, with the cement on the tip hot and the cement in the tip hot, I slip the tip onto the rod and align it.

I keep a couple of craft sticks or popsicle sticks handy for clean up. I keep a razor knife handy and before using the stick, scrap the stick with the knife to insure that the surface of the stick is free of splinters and is smooth. Since I use the same stick over and over again for tip clean up, I also scrape off any tip cement that might happen to be on the stick.

Then, I just put a bit of heat on the tip, and with the wrapper spinning the rod, I pull the craft stick over the blank, next to the tip top, taking any surplus cement with the stick. Since I start with a clean stick, one pull of the stick on the warm tip and cement will pull all of the excess glue off of the tip.

Then, I double check the alignment of the tip to insure that it is still correct.

Finally, I take the razor knife, scrape the craft stick so that it is free of glue and ready for the next tip top.

The entire process takes about one minute from the first heating of the cement to the final clean up of the glue. No solvents, no glue on the fingers or finger or thumbnail, and I have never had a tip come loose using this method.

Notice, that I really put very little glue on the inside of the tip top. Just a touch. But, I do have the tip of the blank well coated. I find that doing it this way, that I almost never get any sort of air lock or air trapped in the tip, as I used to do, when I would only fill the tip with cement and not put any glue on the tip of the blank. Also, when putting just glue on the inside of the tip - I have had a couple of tips come loose.

Hence my reason for changing my application technique.

Good luck

using heat glue you just cut a sliver off the stick and stick it in the barrel of the tip top prep the tip of the blank by roughing up just where the tip top fits and then heat the tip top till the glue is melted and then press it on to the blank and a line it to the spine and let it cool then come back and the out flow should be able to be removed easily
removing it when it is still warm it will be harder to remove just keep in mind it only takes a 2 or 3 min for the out flow to be come hard and be totally cool
take a razor knife and lay it flat on the blank and slid it to the tip and lift the excess glue off and repeat till it is all off the blank and it should come off the tube of the top with a flick of a finger nail

here is a link to a video from Mud hole [youtu.be]

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2017 05:50PM by Matthew Paul.

Get it when it's still warm and not that hard. No way to prevent it 100%, so just take it in stride, peel it off with a fingernail while it's still warm.

I use a cheap "pencil style" electric soldering iron to heat the tip top. The iron lets me keep the heat-melt adhesive from boiling, and if the tip-top needs adjustment holding the pencil point of the soldering iron against the tip-top barrel allows me to carefully limit how hot it gets so I don't compromise the heat-sensitive adhesives which bond together the graphite fibers in the rod blank.

just let it get hard and break it off. It takes abotu 2.4 seconds to clean

As soon as you press the tip/top down and the glue squirts out, take a rag or cloth ( not a paper towel) and squeeze the area where the glue is. The hot melt will adhere to the cloth and will come off clean.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Ha ha thanks...wasn't trying to turn this into rocket surgery...or a debate on putting in the tip top vs. on the blank. The stuff just seems to gum up and just doesn't want to peel away, as Billy would suggest. It's not a huge deal, just seeing if anyone had a "secret."

Ha ha thanks...wasn't trying to turn this into rocket surgery...or a debate on putting in the tip top vs. on the blank. The stuff just seems to gum up and just doesn't want to peel away, as Billy would suggest. It's not a huge deal, just seeing if anyone had a "secret." Something like Dennis' trick :D

Randy, so now you know the secret. Either get it while it's warm or get it while it's not. :-)