Rod cork repair - damn mice!

[AKRISONER]

Hey guys, 

well the mice last fall decided to get at the cork on my brand new $400 rod.

So now I’ve got to figure out how to fix this hole 

read some stuff online about mixing cork dust/shavings with glue to fill in the hole.

 

anyone done this before and have a glue recommendation for me?

Spiel maybe has something to say about this?

[mamona]

I hope you got a cat by now. I am also interested in this topic. My buddy smashed my 2 rods with a car door.

[AKRISONER]

29 minutes ago, mamona said:

I hope you got a cat by now. I am also interested in this topic. My buddy smashed my 2 rods with a car door.

unfortunately the cats cant live outside in the boat lol.

But ya I have a garage that I store my boat in now so we are good to go! A little too late though for a bunch of my gear. They also chewed the nobs off of three of my reels. Really really good stuff.

I can say that one of them did pay for it with his life, but to me his life wasnt worth that rod and three reel handles.

Edited March 12, 2021 by AKRISONER

[Headhunter]

Go to the dollar store and buy cork trivets. You will get two for a buck. Sand the trivets, in order to get a nice pill of cork dust. Add Super glue to the dust and mix thoroughly. Apply slurry to the handle and allow to dry over-night.

Sand smooth with rough to fine sandpaper. If needed, apply another coat of superglue to seal the repair.

Reel handles are probably available from the manufacturer.

HH

[BillM]

You need to make a rack for those rods and get them off the ground.

[kickingfrog]

I'd be more likely to try wood glue with the cork saw dust. I think Outdoor Canada or Ontario out of Doors just had a cork handle touch-up tip.

[smitty55]

5 hours ago, kickingfrog said:

I'd be more likely to try wood glue with the cork saw dust. I think Outdoor Canada or Ontario out of Doors just had a cork handle touch-up tip.

Yep I saw that as well in a recent issue.

[AKRISONER]

18 hours ago, BillM said:

You need to make a rack for those rods and get them off the ground.

Oh haha this mouse deal happened last fall. The boats in the garage now. The rods are always in my rod locker but I had a crew of mice move into the boat and start terrorizing everything last October. The rods are pulled out because I’m installing panoptix and working in the rod locker.

 

ive actually got two rod racks that I’ve been waiting to put in my “fishing room” in the basement but I’m still slowly clearing out my old man’s engineering papers that he’s collected in boxes over the past 50 years lol. The guys legitimately had 57 full sized file folder style boxes of paper in that room. I’m about half way done clearing them out. I fill up my truck every time I go north, it’s wild!

[Spiel]

Cork dust and glue will do the trick. While Crazy Glue will work it is harder to sand, standard wood glue is easier to work with.

[Headhunter]

True Chris, but CA dries clear, less likely to stick out like a sore thumb.

Luthiers (guitar makers) use CA on these type of repairs to finished guitars. It's quicker to set, take sanding well and will match up colour wise.

HH

[Spiel]

16 minutes ago, Headhunter said:

True Chris, but CA dries clear, less likely to stick out like a sore thumb.

Luthiers (guitar makers) use CA on these type of repairs to finished guitars. It's quicker to set, take sanding well and will match up colour wise.

HH

I use CA all the time and prefer it for many applications Joe. All my wood reel seats are CA finished.
But when I use it on cork grips they're still in the lathe for easy sanding. 

 

[AKRISONER]

Got it patched up.

took a belt sander to some wine corks and got a jar of dust. Mixed wood glue in and over two days layered it up.

It took a few layers because the hole was so deep and the glue would inevitably shrink or want to run. I do wish the colour was more bang on, but I can’t complain considering how bad it was prior.

the feel is pretty spot on after sanding. Definitely wouldn’t notice it while fishing. I hope the glue holds up to wet hands and rain

[AKRISONER]

On 3/13/2021 at 10:23 AM, Spiel said:

I use CA all the time and prefer it for many applications Joe. All my wood reel seats are CA finished.
But when I use it on cork grips they're still in the lathe for easy sanding. 

 

 

curious spiel, what are you using on your cork to get that look? Is it layers of U40 or something else? Im considering doing some layers on this rod to try get back the original feel a bit.

[Spiel]

2 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

curious spiel, what are you using on your cork to get that look? Is it layers of U40 or something else? Im considering doing some layers on this rod to try get back the original feel a bit.

That's stabilized and dyed Burl Wood.

 

[grimsbylander]

14 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Got it patched up.

took a belt sander to some wine corks and got a jar of dust. Mixed wood glue in and over two days layered it up.

Maybe should have mixed in a bit of Warfarin?  

Looks fine...fish won't care anyway!

 

[Bill]

Nice repair. Looks good.

[KeithK]

Hi,

I used to build custom rods for myself and my friends. The best way to repair that damage is to first buy a cork ring that is used for building the rod handle. Carefully cut out the area that is damaged. Measure the height and width of the cork ring to fit in the cavity that was cut out. Make it fit tight and bigger than the handle so that you can sand it down to blend It into the original handle. I would use 5 minute epoxy ( be sure to mix it well) to glue it in place because when it’s dried, it’s almost transparent. Be sure to apply the epoxy to all the surfaces that needs to be glued together. It’s important to wipe away any excessive epoxy that Is squeezed out so that it does not show when it’s finished. I use painters tape to hold the added piece in place or you could just hold it down with you fingers until it dries. Let it dry completely before attempting to sand it down. For sanding, I would use a fine wood file to shape it and file it down to size, then finished with extra fine sandpaper. This should solve your problem and you will barely notice the repair. Good luck.