I have done one once on a 1088 but I'm looking for suggestions on better ways of doing this: What are the best ways to shape foam grips? I'm just looking to do the small ones wither side of the reel seet. The rest is all cork tape...

If you don't have a lathe, the best way is to find someone who has a lathe who will shape them for you. I'm sure you could do it by hand, but to get it even has to take a lot of patience and practice, and time. Shaping foam grips on a lathe will take less than 2 minutes, and I'm sure someone will offer to help you out.

Are these glued on the blank already & you are looking to get a seamless transition from the foam to the reel seat, or you are just looking to reduce the diameter of the grips prior to installation?

I was looking to reduce / taper the diameter but I did the fore grip by hand - file, dremel, & sandpaper so I can get it on before guides. The butt side can wait... Thanks Billy

On rollers,,,,I've use three different size files and touched it up with sand paper(mesh dry-wall type). I also widend inside diameter (cork forgrip), round files worked well.

Shaping up...
On a lathe use Dragon Skin from reddevil then course sand paper progressing to fine.
Chris