One the handle is shaped. What is used as a cork filler? Does the filler have to be sanded, or can it be removed with a damp sponge? Or is the cork sanded, then damp sponge wiped? I thought I read where a Elmers product was used. But a search for that post was not found.

Thanks.

I recently used rodancer's pit paste with good results. I have not sued anything else so nothing to compare it to. I applied it and put it on a lathe with 400 and finished with 600. If you only had a couple of spots you could get by without the lathe, if you have several I would highly recommend the lathe. I just recently applied the paste so have not had an opportunity to test for longevity.

You sand it yet (wet) or you let it dry (how mouche time) ?
Thanks.

I use MinWax Golden Oak wood putty to fill pits. It matches the cork well and is easy to use. I also sometimes use cork dust mixed with Elmers wood glue. Just fill the areas and smooth it off. After it dries give it a light sanding.

The best filler paste I have ever used is Roddancer Pit Paste. Got it from Git Bit Outdorrs - on left list.

I let it dry and sand. It also works with wet sponge but much more control with sanding when dry.
Regards,
Herb

I have no idea where to get "pit paste" in the seatte area. Pit paste kinda sounds like a Nascar pit crew slang fort wheel brearing grease..........Ha! "Minwax" is sometning I think a guy could find at a home improvement or corner hardware store?

The particular cork grip I am filling is rough! The cork is intact, but is of poor quality. Be\cause ot that, I rubbed some oak wood filler (used fror wood floor refinishing) on the entire handle. Sanded, that off. But, no matter how much I sanded. The filler dust seemed to be so fine, that a bleached out look could not be sanded off! Stopped sanding, and thought of anothert way to get to the true cork color.

Still with nothing to loose. I wiped the cork down with a damp sponge. That did the trick! Removed the fine dust, I must have been working into the surface of the cork? Anyway, the color of the oak wood filler, was to light when dry. I could, use cork dust in combination with the floor filler for better color match. But the filler was darker than the cork. That is, until the filler dried thoroughly.

When the cork is ofr poor quality, would the elmers glue mixed with cork dust. Change the feel? The original, matching cork filler allows for pressing a thumb nail into it. Leaving a nail impression in the filler. Then the thiumb nail mark dissapears when the cork expands back to oritginal shape. That would not happen with elmers wood glue? That dries hard, and I would think sands at a different rate than the softer surrounding cork?.

Wayne,
If you want to make really good cork filler with a lot of trouble, use Duco household cement or model airplane cement. Also, Sig's model airplane cement works well as well.

The special part of this type glue is that the sanding rate of this type glue is virtually the same as the cork.
So, if you mix cork dust with this type glue and fill the cork, you can sand the cork and have a smooth finish with no hard or soft spots in the cork.

The real down side of using this type glue is the quick curing time. You have about 1-2 minutes from the time you mix the glue and dust to get it into the cork and leveled out. You really can't mix it ahead very well without having the glue cure up on you.

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Generally speaking, I use Elmer's Light Oak filler and have excellent results. I go over the cork to fill everything. I slightly overfill the holes and let dry. If I am in a big hurry, I will use a cloth that is slightly dampened in Xylene or Acetone to wipe down the spinning grip. This will quickly wipe off the surface of the cork, without pulling the filler from in the cork. Then, let the surface dry and do a final sand with 220, and 400 grit on the spinning lathe. If you use either of these solvents listed above, use in a well vented area with a fan blowing across the surface to keep from breathing any fumes. Mineral spirits or DNA really doesn't touch the filler and is not a good solvent for the filler.

Or, just fill the grip, let it dry for a couple of days, put it on the lathe and start with slightly coarser paper and work to finer paper to sand smooth. If you have had deep pits in the cork, you will likely have to fill it tow or three times for a really good job for the deeper pits.

Unfortunately, with the quality of todays cork, pit filling has become a way of life for many samples of cork.

Many folks are not willing the pay the price for a rod that uses $5 per ring cork (which needs no filling) on a full length handle as opposed to the cost of the handle using $1 per ring cork that may require a( little or a lot of filling) to be presentable.
For a 25 ring handle at $5 per ring, that comes to $125 just for the cost of the cork. But at $1 per ring that is $25 for the cork.

Roger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2013 10:29AM by roger wilson.