Glue to fix broken cork handle?

[Otter17]

Today I accidentally slammed my trunk door down on the handle of my Ugly Stik rod. The end piece of cork got cut off. I was hoping to glue it back on but was hoping I could find something very durable since it’s the butt end of my rod. 
 

Any suggestions would be truly appreciated.

[Bubba 460]

I used super glue jell on mine and it's holding up fine. There may be something better, like whatever  rod builders uses to glue the cork rings together.

[S Hovanec]

Any waterproof wood glue or two-part epoxy will work just fine.

 

[bulldog1935]

I used Rod Bond U-40 to fix a broken out cork chunk (maybe covering 1/4 of the handle) on a '40s South Bend cane rod - it held great and went fishing.  

I sold the rod well with that exception noted, and the guy who bought it was very happy with the repair.  

Rod Bond does not cure clear, remains slightly pliable, and is very tough.  

The problem with CA (super glue) is that it dissolves (slowly) in water. 

 

 

Once you have it around, you can think of a lot of things to do with Rod Bond.  

Here, I swapped in a gimbal-butt on a SW jigging rod, to keep the reel upright in a rocket-launcher rod holder.  

 

[Michigander]

A $0.50 rubber table leg cap works too!

[MickD]

Rodbond will work, also TitebondIII woodworking adhesive.  Many builders use it to glue cork rings together, and because of the shape of this, it will work even better than it does with rings.

[Otter17]

Thanks so much guys! Will some of these glue hold pretty good to keep that on the rod, or should I wrap tape around it too?

 

[MickD]

No tape needed.

 

Worst case scenario is that it would break again.  Then use tape over it.

 

But I really am confident that either epoxy or titebond III will be plenty strong without tape.

[Otter17]

Thanks much Bud! ??

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Even if reattached it will look like hell and not feel great. I’d put the broken piece in a rubber chair leg cap then slip the cap on the end and glue it all up. 

[spoonplugger1]

You could glue it back on than cut a tenon on the end and install a butt cap to smooth and hide things.

[Otter17]

Actually when I fit it back on you can’t even tell it cracked off. It connects that nicely. I just need to glue it when I pick up the glue from the store.

[spoonplugger1]

Any waterproof wood glue like Titebond III will work, the bare cork butt, if that is what you have, is the least durable option out there so anything else is a better option if you're so inclined. My rod butts see lots of rocks, gravel, etc.

[Otter17]

Can I find any of those glued locally or would Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy work?

[spoonplugger1]

Wood glues an be found in any hardware store I have ever been in, they come in varied size containers, require no mixing, it's similar to Elmer's glue, only waterproof, Elmer's may also make one.

[MN Fisher]

6 hours ago, Otter17 said:

Can I find any of those glued locally or would Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy work?

Best for this is Gorilla Wood Glue

[MickD]

On 6/3/2021 at 2:45 AM, Otter17 said:

Actually when I fit it back on you can’t even tell it cracked off. It connects that nicely.

I've done it too, same result.  Even if some glue leaks out or you get a slight mismatch a little sanding will improve  it.  

[spoonplugger1]

Titebond III is waterproof, few are, and cleans up with water. Gorilla wood glue is only water resistant, many are and there is no mention of water cleanup I seen. 8 oz bottle is $5-6, there are smaller sizes, but it may not be near as easy to find. My bottle is just fine and maybe 6 years old. It is also the color of new cork and similar woods when wet, I don't see it when dry, many use it to bond their cork ring custom grips, it doesn't bond the cork to the mandrel as good as epoxy does if you don't get a good wax job on it.

[MickD]

I don't wax my mandrels.  I just keep the glue off them.  I pre-drill rings to 5/16 and use 5/16 mandrels.  Since most blanks are at least 3/8 diameter, there is no need to apply glue all the way to the mandrel since it will get reamed away anyway.  Never had a failure.

[BASS302]

On 6/2/2021 at 7:23 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Even if reattached it will look like hell

 

Would that make it an ugly Ugly Stik?

[Otter17]

I ended up getting Titebond 3. Will apply it tomorrow and see how she goes. I wanted to get UB-40 for maybe extra durability, but titebond 3 was right here at Home Depot.

[MickD]

Let us know how it goes.  I'm sure it's going to be bullet-proof.  About 10 years ago I had to cut off the butt 1 1/2 inches of a rod because it kept getting caught at my elbow when going tip up to down.  I simply butted the new piece to the grip with no blank inside it and glued it with epoxy.  It's still intact, and the rod has been used a lot.  The ragged break of your situation will make it even stronger than a simple butting joint, and as mentioned before , Titebond III is very capable for this application.