An old builder friend of mine from years ago, always put a finish of permagloss on his cork handles to seal the cork. I use the cork sealant, but does anyone put another sealant over the cork. I think my rods need more protection on the cork. The cork gets too dirty, it seems to me. I tried to look in the search, but could not find anything.
Any suggestions?

Kyle Robinson

I like Birchwood Casey Tru Oil as a finish on cork.. A single light coat will protect cork without darkening it much. Added coats will deepen the tone which is especially nice for highlighting the grain of Burl Cork and darkening Rubberized Cork. It can also create a very shiny finish with multiple coats which some find very attractive. You control the final texture by the number of coats and the final sanding you chose.

I use permagloss.

One heavy coat, let sit about 15+ seconds and wipe away all excess with a coffee filter.

DR

Kyle, try tru-oil as suggested, I think it will give tou what you want. I use it on most of my graphite builds.

I use thread finish. It is flexible which I like. I do thin it and just wipe on a thin coat I finial sand the cork with 150-220 paper clean well then coat. Don't want the handle too smooth or slippery.Gives the cork a golden color.

Bill - willierods.com

For what it is worth I use Tru-oil on my cork spinning rod handles and apply several coats wih some light sanding between coats. I fish from a float tube and my rod handles are always wet but I don't have any problems with the cork being slick or hard to hold onto. After a year of hard use a light sanding and a new coat of Tru-oil brings back the old luster and I find the handles are easy to keep clean. JMHO

David, I am having a hard time locating Birchwood Casey Tru Oil. I have tried the major home improvement centers and some of the smaller hardware stores in my area to no luck. I have used cork seal in the past which works very well to bring out the colors in the burl but would like something that still leaves the grip with that silky smooth feeling.

Thanks,
Charles