Thread: Cork Rehab???

My king rod is old, bought new around 1982 or so. The cork has really dried out and is starting to crumble some. Is there some sort of natural oil I can put on it to rehab it?
Or is there a wrap I can put over it/replace it with?
Thanks!

Mud Hole sales heat shrink, that is textured, that slips over grip. You just cut to size, and heat it with a torch, or heat gun.

Thanks, is that locally available?

yes Kathy at the rod room sells it

If you go with the shrink wrap you are going to need to sand the surface on the cork to get as consistent of a round surface as possible. Then you will need to apply a spray adhesive of some type so that the shrink tube doesn't slip on you while fighting fish. Finally once the shrink tube has been installed you will need to tie the ends down with thread and finish to keep it from trying to peel up on you.

Is their a better solution than shrink wrap?
Is it possible to re-cork the handles without completely stripping down the rod?
Is there a "foam" option?

I'm going to make a couple of lower-tech suggestions which will not be a permanent fix like rebuilding the handle -- handle tape like for bats, rackets, or hockey sticks makes for a good temporary fix if the handle is becoming slippery with age. Fill low spots with wood filler (I've seen a cork-oriented filler, but I don't think it was Mudhole). The cork tape used on surf rods which is about 1/8 inch thick and adhesive backed would also provide a good nonslip surface which would preserve the "cork look" of the rod.

I like the cork wrap option, may try that after filling the gaps.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by CarlF

Is their a better solution than shrink wrap?
Is it possible to re-cork the handles without completely stripping down the rod?
Is there a "foam" option?

A rod blank tapers, and an EVA grip is driven down onto the taper (having been reamed to approximate but tight fit to the taper) using the adhesive which will hold it in place as lubricant. To that end, coming UP the other way requires you to put the narrowest part of the EVA handle hole over the widest part of the blank, but not distort it so much that it does not snap down onto the blank in the right place (and do so before the glue dries!). That would require "stretching" the EVA temporarily, but having it come back to shape (presumably by wrapping it tightly with cord to make sure you got a good bond all around) then releasing the cord and hoping it all came back to shape. Of course, if you used a large block of EVA, you could then put your rod in a chuck and lathe the foam handle down in place on the rod. I might try that if I were a rod-building professional, but not on a rod someone cares about. Cork is less flexible than foam and bounces back less, and unless the bottom of the rod blank was totally straight (some virtually are) I would be really worried.

You could CUT one side of the EVA foam tube (think about "pipe-wrap" foam, put in over the rod with the slit on the bottom and glue it into place with epoxy. That is certainly what you would have to do with the part above the reel seat unless it was a two-piece rod and there were no guides on the bottom half. If there is not a lot of lateral stress and you clamp it tightly, it might not be at all visible. You cannot do that with cork, for the same reason that you cannot break one side of a life-saver. Classic freshwater rods with one bad spot in the cork can be fixed by cutting out a cork section, gluing two halves of a cork ring into place, and feathering/sanding to fit in. You are talking about replacing the whole cork grip, which means cutting both sides of the cork handle.

Of course if you go for the modern look of just a short grip at bottom and at the reel seat (a style created because the cork shortage drove up prices), but with bare rod blank in between. Personally, although that may be functional I like the feel of cork under my arm holding my rod.

But this forum is full of real rod-builders. I hope my amature analysis and suggestions brings out some real help.