Hi my name is Dan. I recently bought some light duty inshore rods. After the first time I used one of them I noticed the cork handle was beginning to turn black. I would like to ask two questions. First is there anyway that I can restore the cork to its original color. Second is there anything that I can apply to the cork to keep it from turning black in the future. Thanx in advance for any help.
DAN

Dan,try powder Cascade dish washing detergent.Should make the cork look new.
C.P.

i use dishwashing soap (palmolive or dawn, etc. apple scent ;-) with a kitchen dish sponge, the type with the scrubber on one side. i use the scrubber side for cleaning.

eric
fresno, ca.

Ditto's to the dishwashing liquid and a good scrubbing. After it drys, you might look at applying a cork seal, a stain, or a couple of coats of Tru-oil to aid in protecting your handles.

You can do a search, there are tons of information on sealing/finishing cork.

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

Dan. I really like the look of stain. The darker colors look like wood. Miniwax Golden Pecan (no poly) is a lighter, but popular color. I put on about 5 coats. The last couple take 24 hours to dry. Creates a slightly harder surface with a light sheen. Really classy. There are some photos on the photo page.

Once you get the grip cleaned (scrubbing with dishwashing liquid), try using Trondak U-40's Cork Seal (there's a link to the Trondak site on the left column). I love this stuff. It does change the feel of the cork slightly, but NOT negatively. It still has the same "traction" in your hand. I usually sand my grips with 400 grit wet or dry sandpaper before I apply it. BTW, I have no affiliation with this company.

Walt
Ripon, CA

Thanks for all of the help to everyone. I'll try the dish washng soap. Im a little curious about the min wax varnish wont it make the grips slippery?
ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU VERY MUCH
DAN

Dan. The miniwax is a stain, not as thick as a varnish. And no, it does not make the handle slick, just a tad harder.

Thanx Don. Stain sounds like a good idea. I might just have to give it a try. Can I still use a cork sealer like the U-40 suff over the stain. Once I gert the collor right i'ld like to keep it that way. Once again Thanx !
DAN