A friend was saving up some wine corks for me. He and the little woman must really put it away. He gave me about 150 wine corks this afternoon!

But, these aren't cork! They look like cork and feel like cork, but they appear to be a hard but light foam skinned with a thin layer of plastic imprinted with the wine makers logo or stamp.

So I can't see any use for them off the top of my head but was wondering if anyone out there has found any other use for them on fishing rods. All wine corks are small in diameter to begin with so I can't see making grips out of them, foam or cork. But they are handsome and I wonder if there might be some other use for them.

Wine corks work as reel seat arbors, but I don't trust those foam ones. I don't know what they are made of so I can't be sure they won't shrink or shrivel or degrade in some way inside a reel seat. But if they hold up inside a bottle, and under pressure, they should be pretty permanent right? Most real cork wine corks are a slice of real cork on top and bottom with composite cork in the center.

Josh Markvan
www.markvanheirloom.com

In the wine industry there are traditional corks, burl cork with a wafer of cork on the top and bottom, plastic corks with foam in the center with a hard plastic on the outside, and screw caps of one form or another. The "traditional cork is a low grade cork, which is quite suitable for sealing a wine bottle. Due to a lot of poor research, there is a move awy from the traditinal cork.

The best uses I have found for the traditional corks are (1) grind and use as a soil additive or (2) making a trivet for the dining table. Except for very small diameter rods, I do't think they would make good arbors due to their small diameter.

maybe you could make some cool butt/end caps with them? good luck, let us know if you find out a good use.

I seem to remember being told that champagne corks are a bit higher grade and can be used but I have never tried it. Maybe use them as filler under a leather, shrinkwrap, or cord grip?

Derek

Michael,
I am afraid that I have to disagree with you about the quality of the cork used in better wines. It is a much higher grade of cork than the cork that is available to rod builders. It can not have any flaws that will permit air to get through.

Derek,
Champagne corks would be difficult to use because of their odd shape plus they are not solid cork. They have to cope with higher pressure so they are made from a composite cork even in the finest champagne made.

I tried several kinds of wine corks for decorative inlay rings in the grips, and as endings on foregripless rods. In combination with 1/8" burl cork ring in the second case. IMHO, it works well

Pavel,
Moscow, RU

What I have seen with the champagne corks is using just the bulb part to make a "finger grooved" grip that was covered with shrinkwrap. Hey, it worked, looked a little weird but was not bad in the hand.

Derek

Just put the Champagne corks into a small bowl of water and microwave for 10 minutes They expand back to a cylinder and all they need doing is boring, gluing and sanding. I usually cut off the bit that is not composite before gluing them together. Never had one come apart, this is a great way for someone on a budget to make a quality composite cork grip.

Myles,
Sounds like an excuse to explain all the champagne bottles to Sasha!!!!



Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Myles,
That is an interesting idea. I am going to give it a try. My wife is a big Champagne drinker. But I do not think that real men drink champagne, especially not australian men.

Emory is right. Decent wine ($15-$40) has some of the nicest cork i have ever seen. Way better than anything i have ever bought. I am going to build a rod for my dad who is a wine fanatic using all corks of really good wine.
Sincerely,
Dan Colville

Emory,

Not Russian men, too :)

Pavel,
Moscow, RU

Just wish she could drink it now it sure would help with the hormones. I've been hiding in the garage nearly all day.

They're useful for making arbors to apply to the skinny portion of blanks, to keep the blank from sliding down between the wrapper rollers while wrapping guides on the skinny end ( at least on my homemade wrapper). Just center drill a few to match the diameter of skinny blanks. Cut or saw a slit along the long axis, place over the blank & wrap a turn or two of masking tape about the cork. Skinny tip area won't fall between roller wheels & doesn't require much masking tape. Hope this makes sense. Stan

"Just wish she could drink it now it sure would help with the hormones. I've been hiding in the garage nearly all day.

Myles (Bearclaw)
Brisbane, Australia"

LOL!!!!!!!!

I believe we've ALL been there a time or three :)

DR

Geez Myles, and you've still got another 2 and a bit months to go! I've used the champagne corks for buttcaps, and they work quite well. Also noticed a lot less expansion and contraction when exposed to water and fishing conditions. I've gone back to EVA and rubberized cork buttcaps now though. Much easier to work with.