We will break this page down into sections. Virst we will deal with a carp rod handle using eva or Duplon grip. Then we will move onto cork handles on fly rods and match rods. Each has different demands, and needs different techniques.

For gluing we will use two pack epoxy adhesive for most jobs. Araldite  is ok, though the adhesive we use is slightly more liquid. Do not try and use superglues for any rod building.

Building a carp rod handle.

Abbreviated EVA or Duplon grips are usually used on carp rods. They are available in various sizes and you should try and select grips which are a snug fit onto the blank. They have some natural stretch.  Loose grips can be made to fit with a little help, but starting with grips which are snug makes the job much easier. They should not be so tight that you cannot get glue underneath. The critical part of the procedure is gluing the winch fitting in place, as this will take a great deal of twisting torque from the leverage of the reel during casting and handling fish. Use good reel fittings from Fuji. They are not expensive and DPS and NPS fiitings are proven reliable over many years. You will need to use a size 20NPS for big reels, which might otherwise fit in the smaller 18mm DPS fitting. Check your reels before building the handle.

The handle is fitted from the slim end of the butt section, that is from the joint, so the bottom grip can go on first, then the lower handle grip, reel fitting and finally the grip above the handle. However, it is also possible in most cases to fit the bottom grip over the butt at the end of the job. It depends onn the tightness of fit of the grips you have chosen.

TIP If the blank is gloss painted, check the grips are free of dirt or grit inside before sliding them down the blank. Even a small piece of grit inside a tight duplon will make a nasty scratch on your new blank, as you push it down the blank.

Gluing duplon is bit tricky. If you put glue on the blank and slide the grip down onto the glued area, most of the glue is squegeed in front of the duplon, but providing the grips are a snug fit and not very tight, enough adhesive will remain under the grip. But the important point here is do not use too much adhesive or you will end up with a large bead building up at the end of the grip as you slide it down into place. This is very difficult to remove cleanly from duplon, so prevention is the trick. Be sparing with the glue.

Reel fittings very rarely match the size of the blank. You need to adjust the size of the blank to meet the bore diameter of the fitting. You do this using masking tape. You need to bind three or four rings of masking tape onto the blank. They must be tightly bound under tension, so that the fitting just slides over them and sits evenly on all the rings. You need to use plenty of epoxy at this stage.You do not just glue the fitting to the masking tape. For a reliable joint you need to have rings of adhesive that run down the side of the tape from fitting to blank. Apply liberal amount of adhesive to the blank. and up the sides of the tape, and smaller amounts onto the tape surface, then slide the fitting into place. Clean any accumulation off the leading edge with a damp cloth.

Finally, fit the top or front grip, and you have completed the handle.