It has recently come to my attention that eating cork rings can present a serious hazard to your health. Suddenly my rod making world is turned upside down and I am no longer sure if will continue using cork for my handles. I am even considering tearing off all my current cork grips and replacing them with something safer. I fear the risk of using cork may exceed the benefits it offers on a rod.

Seriously, people need to look at things in an intelligent manner. Almost anything out there will hurt you if you do not apply some basic common sense to it.

Wash it down with a Beer! Just like I do. LOL

If someone were to come on here and offer a lengthy discourse, filled with scientific sounding statements, on the inherent dangers of cork (and yes, cork is dangerous in many ways), we'd have a ton of builders swearing it off or asking about replacing it on their rods.

Your post may be tongue in cheek, but it's not really all that far fetched.

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Cork Danger you say!
With the new wave of urethane grip applications that have taken on such a buzz to the like that I have not seen in my 25 years as a hobbyist rodbuilder, what will the effect eventually lead to for the supply of good quality cork. Will this be the demise for quality cork availibility or offer better quality due to the eventual lack of demand. Just food for thought!

Jeff Leonard
I want to go fishing but hate hard water!

Rod building doesn't account for much of the demand of cork. Neither do wine corks. Flooring and insulation take up most of the market and that market is falling. Fewer and fewer cork plantations are planting new trees. The supply will continue to dwindle for the foreseeable future.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> Rod building doesn't account for much of the
> demand of cork. Neither do wine corks. Flooring
> and insulation take up most of the market and that
> market is falling. Fewer and fewer cork
> plantations are planting new trees. The supply
> will continue to dwindle for the foreseeable
> future.
>
> ................

It sounds liek the problem is land. They arent making anymore of it to plant stuff on.

Cork trees can only supply so many bark harvests. In years past older trees were removed and new ones planted for future harvests. That isn't happening any more. Companies are getting out of the cork tree business due to a reduced demand for the product.

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