Patent ID: 8647462

Claim:
A method of making a flexible grip for an implement handle comprising: (a) formulating a first compound of one of (i) natural rubber, (ii) synthetic rubber, and (iii) blended rubber and inserting the first compound in a mold; (b) molding and vulcanizing a tubular underlist with the first compound and removing the underlist from the mold; (c) formulating a second compound of one of (i) natural rubber, (ii) synthetic rubber and (iii) blended rubber and forming the second compound into a sheet of desired thickness and pressure vulcanizing the sheet in a platen press at a pressure in the range of about 13,000 Kpa to about 24,000 Kpa and forming a textured surface thereon to form skin material; (d) removing the skin material from the platen press and cutting a pattern from the skin material; (e) printing colored designs with one of (i) rubber based thermally curable ink and (ii) rubber based thermally curable paint on the textured surface of the pattern and warm air curing the printed design; (f) disposing unvulcanized rubber adhesive on one of (i) the surface of the pattern opposite the textured surface and (ii) the outer surface of the underlist and positioning the pattern over the tubular underlist to form an assembled grip; and, (g) inserting the assembled grip in a mold and compression vulcanizing at a temperature in the range of about 130° C.-185° C. and removing the vulcanized grip from the mold.