A Few Custom Grips

This grip is made with Stabilized maple Burl on the ends with Birchbark in the middle trimmed off on each side with some black and white acrylic. The seat and fighting butt are also Maple Burl. This went on a stripped down CTS 6 weight.

Can you tell I have a thing for bark grips?

Notice the burl pattern on the fighting butt. Kinda looks like a fish. I thought "what are the odds" when I was turning it








Here it is up close. I put it up facing the angler














A matching maple winding check instead of the old boring metal ones!!!

















This is another bark grip but with Stabilized Black Ash Burl on the ends. I still have to turn the matching seat.

Latest Grip

This is one of our latest grip using Birch Bark, Stabilized Birch Burl and acrylic. Ive got a few more that are just in the process of getting some finish on them. Ill try to get them up when they are done. The blank is a Dan Craft 9" 7 WT

Fighting Butt and seat turned from Stabilized Birch Burl with a Burl end cap

A Trio!!!

Click on the Photo


Peter Mulbjerg was kind enough to forward me this really great photo of his grips made with our birchbark. These are some truly custom grips. Looking forward to seeing what else he comes up with.

Ebony and Bark

Rodbuilder Peter Mulbjerg of Denmark was kind enough to send me a photo of his latest grip made with our Birchbark. A job well done and truly a custom rod. I really like working with this natural material. The dark ebony really gives a nice contrast to the light coloured bark. Again well done Peter

Bark Grip

I got a chance today to finish the bark fore grip I've been working on. I really like working with this material. It's like a cross between cork and wood. As with the other grip all glued up, bored out this time to 16mm and a foam core inserted and glued. This takes a bit of the weight out.

You will notice the heavy amount of adhesive on the outside of the bark. The purpose of this is to give the bark some axial strength so it does not break before I glue in the foam core. Birchbark is made up of hundreds of very thin layers. Even though you glue to pieces together they can still come apart between the glue lines. Essentially it delamintes. The coat of adhesive gives it a sort of exoskeleton. Once its bored out and either glued to a rod, or in this case a foam core this problem of de-lamination is a non issue.
The grip ends are Birch Burl and Birch Burl dyed black with .040 corian trim rings in between.

True it up with a gouge slightly over the biggest O.D of the grip. Looks a bit more like a grip now than in that first photo.





This is it finished and sanded down to 600 grit. One coat of danish Oil to bring out the grain. Use one flood coat then wipe the excess. I'll coat this with a good urethane to protect it.

It looks really good in natural light but you get the idea. If I get a chance I'll put one up shortly.

Oh by the way finished weight is 1.9 oz or 54 grams. Just about the same as a standard burl cork grip.