After years of use the cork handles of my fly rods look pretty grungy. Does anyone have a good way to clean them?

I had it suggested on this site to use Simple Green and it worked just fine.
If you want it to look better,after you clean it let dry and sand
ever so slightly with a fine grade of sand paper.
It made it a lot better but not new.
Check out a search [top of column] using your subject .I would Bet something comes up.
Good luck,Mike

Thanks Mike.
I had already done the search before I posted.

SInce quite a bit of the grunge is dirt and body oils I use shampoo while in the shower...OK...YES....I shower with my gear after a fishing trip....I'm not the only right?

Derek

A rag soaked with good old fashioned Clorox and a wee bit of elbow grease will clean the crap out of cork handles and make them look like new.

Mike and Steve,

Are you aware of any risk to adjacent components caused by exposure to Clorox or Simple Green? Thread epoxy? Wood reel seat inserts?

Thanks,
Jeff Shafer

Last one I did I used lacquer thinners. Put it on a rag, not soaked, and mask off any areas around it. Dries fast and cuts greese fast. Then sand lightly with 150-220 paper. Then clean well. Then seal well.

Derek McMaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SInce quite a bit of the grunge is dirt and body
> oils I use shampoo while in the
> shower...OK...YES....I shower with my gear after a
> fishing trip....I'm not the only right?
>
> Derek
>
Derek,

I feel like a numbskull for never thinking of this brilliant, efficient and (should have been) obvious idea. Thanks!

Derek,
I use a good sos pad the wives use to scrub pots and pans works great try it . Marcel

Hey, Marcel-how many wives ya got?

Putter
Williston, ND

I go with the shower method every time, especially after salt water. If its good enough for me, its good enough for my rods. A little 600 grade sandpaper also does the job.

Hey Mark, you guys are tuff in the outback, using 600 grade sandpaper to wash yourself with.

It's good for the hard to get at bits Myles. Oh, and good for the cork as well.

Hey Putter,
Only one thanks that's all i ever want is one . LOL Marcel

Me too, Marcel, me too (can you find one for me that doesn't have a cast iron skillet?).

Putter
Williston, ND

I have found the easiest way to clean cork is to wipe/gently rub, the cork with a rag that was wet with a small amount of Perchlor (dry cleaning fluid). Wet the rag with the Perchlor and then wipe the cork, it comes out looking like new. Perchlor may be obtained from a dry cleaning shop, the pharmacy or from a friend that works in a lab.

Seth
Nashua,NH

I use Simple Green and a soft toothbrush to get the dirt off. When it has dried overnight I will put it in my lathe and smooth it over a bir with 400 grit sandpaper. I usually do this when I buy an old used rod and want to spruce it up a bit. Own my own rods, I try to keep them fairly clean as best I can. And yes, I do shower with my saltwater rods.

You folks are a great source of information & experience. All my fishing is in saltwater but I never thought of showering with the rod after fishing.

That makes a lot of sense & I'll start doing it. Thanks for the tip.

Stan