# foam grips



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

got a few ideas about making my own foam grips but had a few questions to go along with it. 

1. can you use the play mats for kids the ones that are different colors that lock together? they are made from Eva 

2. after you cut them into squares and glue the colors together how Would you get them round? would a lathe work and how would you turn it round with a wood tool or turn it round with sand paper?

3. if all this worked what size hole to drill in the middle for the rod blank?

4. what glue to use that i can find locally at a box store?

thanks for the help.


----------



## cfulbright (Jun 24, 2009)

I can help with a few of these.

1. Not sure what there made of, but it is worth a try, almost anything will work as long as it holds up to being handled and water.

2 and 3...Yes a wood lathe works great, and yes a wood tool to rough it in then 50, 150, 300, 600 grit sandpaper to the shape you want. You need to drill the hole FIRST, it needs to fit your size mandrel, because it is foam I don't think the typical wood squeeze chuck will work. Because it is on the mandrel, it automatically makes it round. We typically sand the insides with a "reamer" to make it fit a rod blank.(if this is for a gig, or pole that is all one size, you can make a reamer with a dowel rod and abrasive sand paper tape like http://www.mudhole.com/Rod-Building/Reamers-and-Abrasives/Reamer-Abrasive-25ft-Roll But remember eva expands so you don't have to ream it all the way to size, look up videos on installing eva)

4. To put the pieces together use Dap Weldwood contact cement.


----------



## cfulbright (Jun 24, 2009)

*For your viewing pleasure.*






Reamer 





and it does look like those tiles are EVA.


----------



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

cfulbright said:


> I can help with a few of these.
> 
> 1. Not sure what there made of, but it is worth a try, almost anything will work as long as it holds up to being handled and water.
> 
> ...


im not going to use them for the gigging lights i was going to make some rod handles for some old rods i have that are worn out. just wanted to play and give me something else to add to my to do list. those foam block the kids play with are the same type of foam and its cheap for a bag of block or the matts and they come in all different colors. i did not even think about the mandel thanks for the help.


----------



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

yea i did some research on the foam blocks and matts eairler they are made from eva and they have alot more colors than you can buy as rod blanks.


----------



## kneekap (Nov 13, 2012)

Like the man said: it's easier to use a mandrel on a lathe to shape and smooth. Then ream to fit to the rod.


----------



## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

kneekap said:


> Like the man said: it's easier to use a mandrel on a lathe to shape and smooth. Then ream to fit to the rod.


 Yessir...and I recommend using drywall sanding screen to get your rough shaping chores done and then use progressively finer emery cloth to put a finish sanding on them. I've tried using wood lathe tools to shape eva and hypalon and the results weren't pretty. See the link.... this little hobby lathe is within most anyone's budget and there have been many, many fine grips made using one.
http://grizzly9-px.rtrk.ca/products/Hobby-Lathe-Disc-Sander/H2669
just use your own vari-speed drill. You can use piano wire to make perfect cuts once you have your shaping/sanding done.


----------



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

thanks for the help i will give it a shot for sure when i can get some free time. i have a small lathe with speed settings and all the tools for doing wood and acryilc i think it should be no problem getting it done.


----------



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

tried some lamation of foam from walmart the craft kind and it did not bond like i wanted is there some other glue to use besides the dap weldwood that would bond that foam together. would pvc glue work


----------



## VooDoo (Jan 30, 2013)

The weldwood cement is the best thing to use for foam. The key is to apply thin coats to both pieces & let dry for 10-15 minutes before putting together. Will work on all types of foam including & the craft stuff.


----------



## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

VooDoo said:


> The weldwood cement is the best thing to use for foam. The key is to apply thin coats to both pieces & let dry for 10-15 minutes before putting together. Will work on all types of foam including & the craft stuff.


...x2....DAP Weldwood Contact cement is the stuff. Proper application is key in a good result. As VooDoo mentioned, put a thin coat on BOTH pieces that will be joined together. Total coverage is very important. After a few minutes the adhesive will "skin over" taking on a dull dry appearance when it was sorta glossy during application. Join the 2 pieces together being careful to line everything up correctly before you touch them together. The chances of getting them back apart without damage are very slim. I use a cork type gluing clamp with light pressure for about a 1/2 hour although this really may not be necessary. Also, a little bit of this glue goes a long way so your coats should be very thin as any excess will show up as visible "glue lines" between the pieces. Only buy small bottles of the adhesive because once it has been opened and sealed up for later use, the stuff can take on a rubbery stretchy character that makes it useless for a clean glue line. I just toss it when that happens. Maybe Billy40(Billy Vivona) will chime in with some tips. He's pretty much the guru of sectional foam grip and inlay work. He's not too shabby at decorative threadwork either. lol


----------



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

ill try it again thanks for the info


----------



## Billy 40 (Apr 3, 2008)

Good advice already given, here's some more that might help (I also replied to your PM)

EVA floor mats are teh same material, but EVA comes in a million different densities and hardness. The floor mats are mush compared ot the EVA grips and blocks for fishing rods. EVA Yoga blocks are the same mushy material when turned down, and craft foam from Micheals etc is also mush. I do use these as inlay strips, just not as a full grips...and there IS a noticeable difference when both materials are used in a grip.

Any EVA inlays MUST be reamed to fit the blank like cork. If not, it will split at some point. 

Sandpaper, while already recommended to use drywall sanding screen, I wholeheartedly disagree with that. AT high speeds teh EVA dust heats up and will clog the screen, and the screen is expensive. I sell sanding kits with 40-80-120-150-220 grit paper. I've used the same pieces of 40 grit sandpaper for literally hundreds of grips..I can't believe I haven't lost it yet. THe paper I use is resin impregnated cloth paper designed for a belt sander. 

A few videos were linked here, there are a bunch of them that I've put on youtube. HAve fun if you decide to try your hand at teh EVA inlays, or inlays in any material - they are a lot of fun to do and seeing a grip stop turning and the pattern appears - is pretty **** awesome!


----------



## jclc43837 (Nov 30, 2012)

thanks billy for the info. this journey started out with wanting some more things to make / sell with acrylic like but caps / grips / winding checks. i pour my own custom colors. then i started to think about building me and my dad a rod and wanted to add some custom foam and acrylic grips but had no idea about making foam grips. thanks everone for the help.


----------

