Hi All,

I have a question on how you work with cork. Do you generally turn it like wood or metal. I have been woking with a set of grips and turning them by hand with a drill and/or a drill press at moderate speeds and with files & emery paper. I have not been satisfied with the results. I have a complete machine shop at my disposal but before I spend to much time experimenting I thought I would drop the question here.

I also get the feeling there are different types/grades of cork. Would anybody care to bring me up to speed?

As always, Thanks!

I do my cork by hand and sometimes by drill, now that I have a new one that doesn't wobble. Why aren't you satisfied with what you are doing? If it's appearance, then I would suggest more time with smaller grit. The softer the material, the finer grit you want to use.

There are different grades of cork. Not in workability but in overall quality in terms of inclusions/how much filler is used. Flor grade is top of the line, as far as I know, if you want the least amount of filler.

Jim,
Treat the cork just like a soft wood, which is what it is. Actually it is the bark off of a type of oak tree. But I would ask the same question that Mick has asked. What is it that you are not satisfied with? It sounds as if maybe it is the quality of the cork. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to find really high quality cork and if you can find very high quality cork it will be very expensive. I find that if I do any work on cork including just a little sanding that it will require some filling afterwards.

When I work with cork I use my power wrapper turning a high speed using a wall board sanding screen to shape the cork. There are times I may rough rough shap the cork with a file but for fine finish I use the sand screen. You can get the screen at any hardware store.
Good Wraps Bob

Jim... I use a home made drill lathe and sandpaper. If you've built your grip up with cork rings, you will want to begin the process by sanding the grip down to a uniform thickness. Glue some 150 - 200 grit paper to a block of 1 X 4 (slightly longer than the grip) and hold it uniformly against the turning grip. You can also use dry wall sanding screen held lengthwise against the grip as it turns. When this is finished, take thin strips of sandpaper of increasingly finer grit to shape and smooth. I start with 300 and finish with 1400. The sandpaper strips are no more than 3/4 inches wide. Hold each end of the sandpaper, and work from front to rear. I don't know how many RPMs you are using, but I sure don't get many off my 25 year old drill. Don't need many, however. I go slow, stop often, assess the progress, and measure/compare with grips on my other rods. I never use files. I do, however, glue sandpaper to wooden paint stirrers and use these to put the bevels on the leading edge of full wells grips. I use the same tool to flatten the area that the winding check will rest on when I am finished turning the grip. Cut the paint stirrer in half, cut the sandpaper to the same width and glue it on with Elmers. Best, Vance

Jim... I use a home made drill lathe and sandpaper. If you've built your grip up with cork rings, you will want to begin the process by sanding the grip down to a uniform thickness. Glue some 150 - 200 grit paper to a block of 1 X 4 (slightly longer than the grip) and hold it uniformly against the turning grip. You can also use dry wall sanding screen held lengthwise against the grip as it turns. When this is finished, take thin strips of sandpaper of increasingly finer grit to shape and smooth. I start with 300 and finish with 1400. The sandpaper strips are no more than 3/4 inches wide. Hold each end of the sandpaper, and work from front to rear. I don't know how many RPMs you are using, but I sure don't get many off my 25 year old drill. Don't need many, however. I go slow, stop often, assess the progress, and measure/compare with grips on my other rods. I never use files. I do, however, glue sandpaper to wooden paint stirrers and use these to put the bevels on the leading edge of full wells grips. I use the same tool to flatten the area that the winding check will rest on when I am finished turning the grip. Cut the paint stirrer in half, cut the sandpaper to the same width and glue it on with Elmers. Best, Vance