Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Any Custom Rod Builders Out There ?

I have and Fenwick HMG Ultralight spinning rod that's probably pushing 40 years old or older. It's in great shape other than the cork handle. The aluminum slip rings that hold the reel in place are stretched to the point they won't stay anymore. I was hoping to find someone who builds rods to replace the handle with either the same Tennessee cork style or maybe a Fuji style. I can supply the handle if necessary. Just not a project i want to undertake.

Check out Jan's Netcraft. They can supply you with everything you need. The cork handle is just a series if cork rings stacked together and glued, then sanded to shape. It's a simple and easy thing to do yourself.

Yes. Not a business but a hobby of necessity for me. Simply can't afford what some might consider really fine fly rods. Mostly build or repair my own rods doing everything from balloon stick 2 weights up to 16 ft two handed salmon rods. Do a little reading, perhaps some online videos, make an order from a supply house of needed materials, and rip into it yourself. Not rocket science by any means, and the end product will be the way you want it.

Likely the most difficult part is stripping off the original materials. Reassembly is a piece of cake. Patience is an asset though.

check out "YouTube" there are plenty of rod repair video's and rod builders. The handle can be replaced without removing the guides unless you want to upgrade the guides as well. I have many old Fenwick Rods I cherish as well,

It’s pretty easy to do. Did it quite a bit when I was a kid.

It is very simple to do. I never got to the point of building rods to sell. But the volume I was doing for myself and friends approached commercial builder for awhile. Anyways you can easily find a preshaped handle. No need to buy rings and glue up and shape. Once you have your handle you will need a reamer paste or gel type epoxy and some mesh dry wall tape.

Remove the old grip carefully. Some residue left on the blank is not a problem. Then fit the handle from the rear. No need to remove guides this way. Go slow reaming and test fitting. Try and get it to fit so the butt of the grip is tight. From the butt forward the grip is going to fit sloppy. Depending on the length of the grip I would do anywhere from three to six bushings of drywall tape, about every two to three inches. Really depends how much build up is needed thicker the bushings need to be the more I use. Next epoxy the grip on. Done.

You can get all the supplies you need from Mudhole. They are the biggest rod supply outfit nowadays.

All that said I would be willing to do it. Just keep in mind it ain't cheap to ship a rod twice especially if it is one piece. Might try finding someone local, you can search for builders by state here.

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