What is the trim piece that is behind a foam grip and in front of a foam butt?  I looked on Mudhole, all their trim rings are aluminum so that's not it. Could be a winding check maybe. I couldn't tell what they are made of.  Thanks 

Yes...winding check. There made out of all kinds of stuff: metal, plastic, rubber...just to name a few.

Thanks. I changed out some foam grips for a thicker set a couple years ago and just smoothed epoxy around the end. It looks acceptable but I have another one I'm doing and I think they make a better finished look. 

 

I'm not stripping the rod. Coming in from the butt end so it looks like rubber will be the deal

1 hour ago, steve-pierce said:

Thanks. I changed out some foam grips for a thicker set a couple years ago and just smoothed epoxy around the end. It looks acceptable but I have another one I'm doing and I think they make a better finished look. 

 

I'm not stripping the rod. Coming in from the butt end so it looks like rubber will be the deal

One thing Ive done ( and this would be the final step)...it to mix up a little epoxy and add a bit of black pigment (you could just use testers). I then stand the rod on its end and use a brush to fill the end of the reel seat. If you had some other material...you could essentially dig a little of it out to form a shallow cup. Let the rod stand and dry.

This particular black epoxy is covering up a polyurethane arbor.

Here is my spin on winding check (a lease some of them).

The metal ones can and probably will scratch your blank when you slide it down.

The rubber and plastic ones seem like they eventually get mashed or dented. And if you epoxied over em...the epoxy cracks. There are other good options...I just quit using them period.

Thanks.  This is exactly what I'm looking for. I fish my rods. I have a low end wrapper and dryer.  

If you are careful about your fit and finish there should be no real need for a winding check, it should look pretty seamless. I have also added a small thread wrap against the grip and finished it while finishing the rest of the rod.

I really like the black rubber/vinyl checks.  They are not critical for size, don't cost a fortune, and if one adds a little excess wrap epoxy onto them, totally encapsulating them, a nice filet is formed over the check and the black line that shows through is very classy/handsome.  Give it a try.  

 

But I agree with Spoonplugger, if you do the fit job right, you don't really need them.  In fact many of the fancy aluminum expensive ones look too gaudy, IMHO.  

Thanks guys. Think I’ll go without them again. 

On 3/11/2022 at 6:35 PM, Chris Catignani said:

One thing Ive done ( and this would be the final step)...it to mix up a little epoxy and add a bit of black pigment (you could just use testers). I then stand the rod on its end and use a brush to fill the end of the reel seat. If you had some other material...you could essentially dig a little of it out to form a shallow cup. Let the rod stand and dry.

This particular black epoxy is covering up a polyurethane arbor.

Here is my spin on winding check (a lease some of them).

The metal ones can and probably will scratch your blank when you slide it down.

The rubber and plastic ones seem like they eventually get mashed or dented. And if you epoxied over em...the epoxy cracks. There are other good options...I just quit using them period.

You can also make a ramp of paste epoxy let it dry and then wrap up it over it with thread. Not my work but the best examples I could find quickly (in this case they marbled up the ramp, the other you can see them wrapping up the ramp. but the same concept)

 

 

If you're going to wrap over a ramp, keep the angle of the ramp pretty shallow.  I'm sure that when the thread end is pulled through on the bottom photo, if the wrap goes much farther,  that the threads will be knocked off the ramp.  

 

 

xxxxxxx