Bob Sirois 
ezOP
(3/20/01 7:44 am)
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Step#5, glue-clamp the reel seet & foregrip.
Take the rod out of the clamp and put it back on the supports, with the butt on the drill stock center. Run some reinforced tape down/up the butt to secure it. Now turn the rod until the spline you marked early on is on top and make a mark on the cork ring closest to the reel seat.  This is important, because you want the reel seet aligned properly; casting on top as shown or below for a spinning rod.
With the reel seat temporarily in position, take a piece of masking tape and place it at the forward end of the reel seat. Slide the reel seat up the blank out of the way. Using your calipers determine the reel seat ID and keep that handy. Place small pieces of masking tape where the reel seat will go, allowing 1/4 inch if possible between pieces of tape. Do this first with small pieces of tape, so you get the spacing right between the rings. Then at each one start building up rings of tape (use your drill to spin the rod to make this task quick & easy), so the rings are slighty larger than the real seat ID.  Then slide the reel seat down and start checking the fit. You shouldn't need to push hard, but it shouldn't slip on without any effort. If the first ring is too large, just peel off a small amount of tape. Continue doing this until the reel seat fits snuggly and leave it in position.
Now remove the rod from the supports (if power reaming) and start reaming out the cork foregrip, just as was done for the butt section. Remember to check the fit frequently as you get close, you don't want to remove too much cork and end up with a loose fit. If this happens by the way, you would have to build up tape rings like we did above, although it would probably only take a turn or two of tape. Once the foregrip is in position, take a measurement of the forward end of the foregrip and then remove it and the reel seat. Put the rod back on the supports and secure with the tape. Using the 40 grit paper, spin the rod with the drill and roughen up the blank where the foregrip will be. Make sure you stop a good half to one inch in from the end, because the cork will compress when clamped and you don't want that roughen blank exposed. If you have a decorative butt wrapped planned, this isn't all that critical however.
Mix up an ample supply of 2 part epoxy glue and using a disposable brush, put a generous coating inside the foregrip and reel seat. Turn the drill on constant and at the slowest possible speed. Use the brush and coat the tape rings, between them and the blank where the foregrip will be. At this point remove the tape that secures the rod, remove it from the supports and place the butt on the floor. Slide the reel seat down and into position, then follow with the foregrip. Soak a rag with acetone and remove all the epoxy from the blank, cork and reel seat. Place the rod back in the clamping jig and start to tighten the nuts. Before you tighten them too far, make sure the reel seat is still lined up with the spline mark you placed on the adjacent cork ring.
Let this sit overnight and then we can start the sanding and shaping process.
Tight Lines
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