Can anyone recommend a good book or video describing in detail the process of making a cork handle. I am looking for detail information i.e. type lathe, mandrels & etc.

Thanks

Bill, Fishing The Chesapeake

RodMaker has had several in-depth articles on this process.

The book, "Rod Building Guide" by Amato Publications has a full chapter with step by step color photographs on the process. Most any of the sponsors will have it.

Andy Dear's video on turning shows how to turn your own cork grips. Several sponsors should have this.

The ICRBE next week will feature Morris Schlesinger, in person, turning cork and wood grips and discussing all aspects of the lathe.



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Find a builder in your local area who is set up tot turn grips and invite yourself over. Lathe work requires a hands on education. Books and videos only get you so far and thats a very short trip.

I will give credit to andy's video. Very informative but it will not replace the real thing.

That's certainly true, but turning cork isn't like turning wood - it shapes quickly and easily. Most learn, and learn quickly and very well, with the information in the various publications available.

The one real problem, is the quick rate at which cork reduces. It goes very fast so when practicing, buy the cheapest cork you can find. You're going to ruin a few handles before you get the process down pat.

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If you cannot learn how to do it from the book Rod Building Guide, then you can't learn! This is the easiest and yet most detailed work ever done on building and turning cork handles and grips. I don't even think you will find many builders who could teach you as much or as well in person, as what you'll find in that short chapter on working with cork. There are some tips there that I haven't seen anywhere else. If you want the most information for the least amount of hassle, get it.

And the entire book with all the other information it contains is still less than 15 bucks most anywhere.

Tom is right on.
Very easy to ruin a good handle.

Often you can find some pretty inexpensive handles on close out, etc. from various sellers.
Even if this isn't the handle that you want, an inexpensive handle like this makes a good practice device to get the feel for the necessary techniques to turn a nice handle.

If you glue up cork out of individual pieces, one of the toughest things to do is to cut through the glue line and remove the excess glue on the surface of the grip.
You can use things like files, coarse sandpaper, or planers.
The tool that I have migrated to - after trying all of the above is the Stanley - surform planer. It is essentially, a very coarse sharp rasp, which does a great job of cutting the glue lines and layer off the glued up grips.
Be sure to use this tool, only for the initial glue removal and very very coarse shaping. The use of this tool leaves a very rough surface so that you need material to work with for the final shaping and smoothing, by using finer and finer grits of sandpaper.

[www.stanleytools.com]

The blade on this tool can be switched end for end by adjusting the screws at each end of the tool. Switch the blade on the tool, so that the handle is rotating against the cutting edges of the tool, when the tool is in the correct position.

Before finding this tool, I would go through lots of sand paper cutting off the glue line. Now, I use this tool for all of the glue removal as well as the initial shaping of the cork.

However, if using this tool for shaping, keep your touch light, because you can remove an awful lot of cork in a very very short time if you use too much pressure on your rotating grip.

Take care
Roger

A lot depends upon your prior experience with machine tools and working with wood. If you have used a lathe before, you have a big head start

Turning cork for grips is the easiest, wood for reel seat and grips a little more difficult. Better to start with the simple and progress as you gain experience.

A good mini lathe will do both grips and seats. The above message indicates that glue residue is tough, but it does not have to be, if you are careful in applying glue so that you do not get massive "squeeze out" in clamping and use a glue like Titebond III you can have very little residue to work through. I find that starting with a 60 grit strip begins my turning very satisfactorily.and I do not have to worry about too rapid a reduction of cork.

If you have no experience, I agree with the prior recommendation of hooking up with someone to learn from observation.

Buy the cheapest cork rings you can find. (You can find some good deals on cheap cork from the sponsors.) Glue/clamp them up on a mandrel with a good adhesive (e.g. I use Rod Bond), let dry, then start turning, using progressively finer sandpaper. We can explain a lot to you on this board, but you'll learn quite a bit more by trying it yourself with actual cork.

Once you've done several grips out of the cheapo cork, and you're satisfied with your results, then buy some good cork.

In my opinion, cork turning is one of the easier things to master in rod building. I'm not a brilliant woodworker by any means, and I did a passable grip with a drill and a long drill bit on my first try. After 3 or 4 grips, I was turning nearly perfect grips every time. Don't worry; you can do it.

Get one mandrel and give it a shot with some low priced rings so you can learn to glue etc. - You could just use some 1/4 in threaded stock to practice on some rings--can't glue it though. because of the threads. I you have to buy a lathe go to penn state industries and look at the turncrafter pro--variable speed is a plus. 2 Morse Taper is probably more flexible than a smaller 1 MT lathe. There are a lot of items to get is you want to turn handles and inserts. If you happen to have a floor drill press you might be able to get away with just a mandrel. I think psi does have a drill press mandrel set up. In reality it is costly just to do a couple of grips.

The few I've done so far were pretty straight forward cork. I found it easier to have sandpaper on a sanding block to keep it flat. Using sandpaper by hand was harder to keep a flat surface. I turned some with my drill press and some with a rod wrapper I built. I held the sanding block below the work on my wrapper and to the side on my drill press with a vacuum cleaner hose very nearby on the out-feed side to collect the dust. Go easy and you can see the progress as you go. Roll the block some on the ends to get a rounded end. Easy does it . . .

I agree with Roger on the surform file. It takes the cork down VERY quickly. But, I have found that a tool introduced by Bill Stevens, the foot callous remover found at most of the big box stores and pharmacys in the foot care section, works very well and you can controll the cut a little better. They usually come with the cheese gratet style callous remover on one side and sand paper on the other. At least mine did, and I got it at WalMart for very little money. Thanks Bill!!!

Bill in WV

You have received some great info. Just a hint when gluing individual rings, try to ream as close to the center as possible. Temporarily fit the rings to a mandrel or blank. align all the rings so all the high spots are together, Mark each ring so you can align them when it comes to gluing. Reason for this is you well be sanding to the low spots that is why I use a sanding block, you can control the pressure and keep the distance from the sanding block to the cork uniform. I use a rod lath and turned at a high speed. For sanding material I generally use, sand screen. I start out with heavy grit, then work down to medium and finish off with fine. If you are looking for a Staten look you can use 500. When it come to gluing rings, I only put glue one side of a ring, stop from the edge of the ring about a sixteenth of an inch from the outside. When you compress the rings the glue well spread out towards the outside, thus eliminating a glue ring
If you are using a mandrel coat the mandrel with paraffin wax. The wax well keep the cork from gluing to the mandrel. To remove the cork, just apply some pressure and the cork well slide right off. Remember cork is dense butt soft and well cut down in a heart beat, so watch your pressure

Good Wraps Bob