Back for what I hope is the last update. The packing tape didn't hold. I'm sure duct tape would be sticky enough to hold but it would add too much bulk to get through. I found that the hood was only partly to blame; the groove on the handwheel is so narrow, anything larger rides above the groove, thus it rubs the hood. So I have sewn the ends together by cutting a 1.5 inch section of tubing, cutting it in half lengthwise (so it won't make the tubing bulge), putting half of it up into each end, and hand sewing it. I put the section into the tubing so the stitching will be spread over a larger area than if I just sewed the tips of the two ends together.
Tate