If I stagger burl cork with regular cork on a handle what would be the best way to finish it with Tru Oil, Permgloss, Cork seal, or something else?

I've been doing exactly that over 20 years but have yet to apply any sort of finish to the grip. You don't need to finish it, unless you simply want to. In that case, Tru-Oil or U-40 Cork Seal are good options.

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I don't have much experience with mixing burl and regular but I have used U-40 Cork Seal a good bit. It makes the cork feel a little tougher. I like it on my heavier duty rods but usually leave it off of my light power more delicate rods. It's strictly a personal preference thing as far as feel but it does provide some protection from chipping and makes the cork clean up easier after it gets dirt or guts on it. You can put it on very quickly and easily and then if you don't like the feel, it is easily removed with some fine sandpaper to restore the bare cork look and feel.

I like using a coat of U-40 cork seal... brings out the grain of the burl cork a little bit and makes the natural cork look a bit richer. I like the look... personal preference.

Erik

I have used Tru-Oil on both the cork and burl and only on the burl (applied with a small artist brush). The reason is, I always really like the effect Tru-Oil on the burl grain, but not always the darkening of the cork. One of the things about Tru-Oil is it will slightly darken and highlight all the cork imperfections. imo, sometimes this weathered/antigue look adds to the rod's appearance, sometimes it distracts.

I like tru-oil for all cork, especially the burl cork. As Steve mentioned, though, the tru-oil really highlights the imperfections of the regular cork. So, if you don't like the look of the imperfections, use the U-40. If you like the antique look, you'll really like using tru-oil. The other option is to make sure that you use only ultra-premium regular cork and the imperfections won't be an issue (but your pocketbook will be much lighter).

If you're making those alternating ring grips, think about using1/2" regular cork rings, and 1/4" burl rings (or vice versa). I like the effect of these combinations a little more than the 1/2" regular and 1/2" burl.

This may be obvious but it was not for me. I to mix the cork and something I was not doing was once I was done shaping the cork was to give it a good wash with detergent and water to get all the dust out. What a difference.

Spencer

Steve

I've recently had my first experience with exactly what you are proposing. I turned burl cork and AAA.On each end of the grip I used a ring of rubberised cork. The mistake I made, which wasn't too bad, was that I mounted the grips and then Tru-oiled them. They turned out pretty good but I have have done some more experimenting applying Tru-oil in about 10 coats but lightly sanding with steel wool in between each coat. The grips look fantastic with a great gloss look and will be mounted on my next blank when it arrives.