wrap groove too low

[cbi1000]

So I have a customer who wants a new leather wrap. I took off the old wrap and find the wrap groove is pretty shallow. The new leather wrap is lower than the finish at the A joint. Like a lot....

What is the best way to resolve this issue? Are you guys building up the groove with epoxy or super glue and sanding it to get the correct depth?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kevin Lindstrom]

I am no cue maker but I think some makers and repair guys use masking tape to build up the handle so the wrap groove is the correct depth to accommodate the leather wrap.

Kevin

 

[JoeyInCali]

Linen wrap it first.

 

[Kim Bye]

After cursing for hours and really struggeling to get an even result with veneer, I switched to epoxy, that made things slightly easier, first I sanded it with mesh sanding paper, but it`s hard to get a perfect result, so i built up the groove with more epoxy than I had to and removed just enough with my router and taper setup. it`s pretty time consuming. Joey`s linen wrap is a much better idea, if your afraid the linen can come undone, I guess you can seal it with epoxy, then sand and install the leather wrap..
Sometimes I must admit that it`s tempting to just swap out the whole handle, but you never know what you might find at that A joint...

 

[cueman]

Linen wrap first is not a bad idea if that is exactly the extra amount you need. But it sounds like you need different amount at each end. So epoxy or bondo it probably better. The masking tape works great if you need a certain amount at both ends, but might be a little tricky if you need less at one end than the other.

 

[Dave38]

Are you replacing a leather wrap with a leather wrap? Or are you replacing a 'sport grip' that feels like rubber on a golf club? either way, measure how thick the original was and then the new one to find how much you need to build or reduce by. Remember, it is a round object, so say if the original wrap material measures at .045" thick, and your new leather is .025" thick, then you need to build the overall thickness of the handle by .020" per side, or .040" finished overall dia., so go bigger and sand/machine it down. How off it is dictates what method is needed to build it up by. If you need to build it up by .025 + I would use veneer first, then sand to what is needed. If only .010", then a couple coats of 5 minute epoxy. I have not used linen under a leather wrap, so no idea how that would work long term. You may also be able to replace with a thicker piece of leather. Depending what you use to build it up with, it can introduce other problems a month or 2 down the road also....masking tape or other linen or fiber based options need to be pressed down as far as possible before installing the final wrap, otherwise it may seem fine at first, then as time goes by and the hand presses it down further, now you may have a ridge you didn't anticipate. .... even using epoxy will shrink a little down the road........ALSO don't use any material to build it up with that your contact cement will melt when you apply it....found that out the hard way.
I use a UV cured solution when I need to build it up only a small amount, as once it's cured....no shrink, and hard as nails, so the feedback comes thru as usual...otherwise, I use a veneer solution and go from there. ...HTHS
Dave

 

[Michael Webb]

Another option is to look to the leather suppliers for thicker leather. Building the channel up is fun once in a while but over all. It's a pain in the ass that has escalated since the sports grip has come out.

 

[triley41395]

I had the same situation with one of my cues Going from leather to linen. I was told that brown paper bag soaked in wood glue was my answer. He said it's wood pulp and once dry can be turned and sanded like wood. I am NOT cuemaker or repairman I am just explaining how my problem was resolved.

 

[cueman]

Another option is to look to the leather suppliers for thicker leather. Building the channel up is fun once in a while but over all. It's a pain in the ass that has escalated since the sports grip has come out.

I have a few nice blanks in the .050 inch range just for such occasions. The last and hopefully the last sports grip I replaced took one of these .050 wraps as the base plus the wrap the customer wanted over thst to build it up enough. The removing of the sports wrap was the hard part. Anyone that has good tricks for not spending more time removing that blue gunk than installing the wraps please feel free to share.