gone_fishin Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 i've got a couple rods with cork handles that are starting to fall apart a bit. is there any way to make the cork stay together better, and in turn make the handle section of the rod last longer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfighter Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Buy a tennis racket grip replacement from any sporting goods or wallmart, it will prolong it, and is somewhat tacky enough not to lose ones grip. Those replacement grip in black will last you for a while. Cork can be replace as well, angler specialist has them, replacing them is easy, cleaning the old one and getting rid of the old glue is the hard part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 I use to build custom rods and replacing a handle is no big deal. However, you will have to take off any line guides to it and then rewrap them back on. Get yourself a rod building book and you will see how easy it really is. Now if you just want to clean the cork here's the best way. Take a shower with your fishing rod and clean it with dish soap and a SOS pad. It will look brand new when your done. DO NOT USE THE SOS PAD ON THE ROD BECAUSE IT WILL TAKE OFF THE GLAZE. But you can use the dish soap and a wash cloth on the rod and it too will look brand new. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbo Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 urethane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTHM Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Take a shower with your fishing rod Bob My wife will get jealous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 I use to build custom rods and replacing a handle is no big deal. However, you will have to take off any line guides to it and then rewrap them back on. Get yourself a rod building book and you will see how easy it really is. Now if you just want to clean the cork here's the best way. Take a shower with your fishing rod and clean it with dish soap and a SOS pad. It will look brand new when your done. DO NOT USE THE SOS PAD ON THE ROD BECAUSE IT WILL TAKE OFF THE GLAZE. But you can use the dish soap and a wash cloth on the rod and it too will look brand new. Bob Zactly what I do, without the shower though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey123 Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 (edited) ... Take a shower with your fishing rod ...Bob Bob, you have serious issues..LOL Edited April 13, 2008 by 4Reel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone_fishin Posted April 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 urethane do you mean varathane? as in like a wood finishing type product? urethane is an ethyl based solution that used to be used for treatment of tumors and other pharmaceutical treatments. if you're thinking of a wood finishing type solution... i don't think i would want my rod handles feeling like that... i'll probably give these handles another year or 2 then replace them... thanks for the help guys, it's always appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walleyemen Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 A trick i i use is sand them down with very fine sand paper, then fill the grooves and cracks in between with wood filler ,sand again and there good as new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikehunter Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 do you mean varathane? Varathane = urethane. Varathane being a brand name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Unless you're going to strip off the old handle and replace it entirely with a new one, there's really only one option. First clean the cork. SOS pads were mentioned, that'll work. Any kind of general cleaner(I use Fantastic), and rubbing and scrubbing under a hot water tap will work. Once the cork is cleaned go to Home Depot and buy the lightest colour wood filler they have to match the cork. Fill in the holes, let it dry and sand it down. Once that's done brush on a coat of cork sealer. Not urethane or varathane..cork sealer. This stuff is made specifically for cork fishing rod handles. Won't change the look of the cork at all and will protect and toughen it. Beyond purchasing a bottle of cork sealer online from a rod building supply site, I've purchased it from Angling Specialties locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Bob, you have serious issues..LOL SO, you know me pretty well then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_finder Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 A couple of times a year, I clean my cork handles with this method: 1. Very Fine grit sandpaper - moistened, and using a bar of hand soap, lather up the sand paper and lightly clean the handle. 2. Moist cloth - wipe down the handle to get rid of soapiness and grime 3. as mentioned, wood filler, let it dry then gently sand again dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplummer Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 as owner of CCRods custom rods.. it's best not to do anything that would affect the feel.. easier to just replace the handle and at the same time replace the guides that way it will look brand new again... specially if it's a fav go to rod... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyb Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 (edited) Actually, a lot of people will soak the cork....apparently a very popular techinique in Italy. Hopefully the link to this instructional video will work... http://www.zippyvideos.com/9273660133062716/italiantrade/ Edited April 14, 2008 by johnnyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone_fishin Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Actually, a lot of people will soak the cork....apparently a very popular techinique in Italy. Hopefully the link to this instructional video will work... http://www.zippyvideos.com/9273660133062716/italiantrade/ I'm so sure you just sent me an SNL link... Hahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 What I figured too... but for some reason it comes up on an OLD Nov/06 link of Steve and I yakin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone_fishin Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 What I figured too... but for some reason it comes up on an OLD Nov/06 link of Steve and I yakin yeah, that was strange, i just copied and pasted it into my browser. don't know how the old thread got attached to that... weird! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITEME Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 I like my cork polished! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 All good info here. I usually leave the plastic wrap on my cork as long as I can. I, probably like many here, just have the cork get darker and grittier until it's time to belly up the cash for a new rod. reefrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 I like my cork polished! lol. I can't help but re-reading all the posts now...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone_fishin Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 All good info here. I usually leave the plastic wrap on my cork as long as I can. I, probably like many here, just have the cork get darker and grittier until it's time to belly up the cash for a new rod. reefrunner Yeah, a couple of my heavily used rods are pretty dark, and starting to crumble apart... i'll replace the handles soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyb Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 yess, it WAS an SNL link that I sent you...don't know why it's not linking....but at least you got the joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 I remember reading something about repairing cork handles in a magasine some time ago.I think all that was neccessary was to really clean it well,take a piece of cork and sand it in to a small pile, mix some house hold glue with the sandings, fill the imperfections and let dry.Then simply sand the finished handle smooth and reseal it.Course I've never tried it. Kerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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