Can you use water repellent spray on cork handles to preserve?

Thanks

I have used Thompson's water seal on a few with pretty good results. Of course there are various cork protectant products on the market and available from the sponsors that are even better.

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David,
Actually, cork ages wonderfully well with no coating of any kind.

Cork is the bark of the cork tree and the tree lives for hundreds of years with no preservative . The glue that is used to assemble cork is also resistant to any sort of moisture.

Cork is also a closed cell material that simply does not absorb anything very well. This is why cork was used for hundreds of years as a life preserver because it would float in the water, just as long as it was needed to save the person from the deep dark depths of the briny sea.

Good cork needs no "waterproofing".
Bad cork with filler that fills the pits is your issue.
So, if you have commercial cork with a lot of filler - use U40 cork filler.
If you have good cork with no filer - you need nothing.
Herb

You probably can but there are better products available. I use U-40 cork seal.

My only issue with unprotected cork is that over time the cork darkens gets stained and is very difficult to clean. The use of a coating does not enhance the structural integrity of the cork but helps to to resist stains and is easier to keep clean.

John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2021 10:38AM by John DeMartini.

John,

Sure, with use, cork darkens and gets stained.

But, FEAR NOT - help is on the way!!

Simple Green - is here to stay!!

[www.homedepot.com]

Simple green is widely available in big box, hardware and grocery stores.

Take the rod which has the grip that you wish to clean to the laundry room and clean up in the laundry tub. Easy and convenient.
You just need two additional things. A spray bottle of simple green cleaner, a tooth brush and your hand, fingers and arm to move the brush.

Give the cork a liberal application of simple green cleaner. Use the tooth brush with gusto to remove the dirt and stains. Put the grip under the running water from the laundry tub and continue brushing to remove the dirt stain, and simple green. Repeat as needed until there is not a speck of stain, dirt, oil or anything else that is foreign to the grip.

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If your grip has significant pits, the cure for that is also simple. Go to your big box store and pick up a tube of "Elmers pro bond light oak" wood filler. This new product is completely water proof and will last for a very long time.

[www.menards.com]

On a dry grip, apply filler as needed to fill all pits. Let dry. Then, starting with about 100 grit sand paper, sand the grip to remove excess filler. When you get close to the cork go down to successively finer and finer grits to finish with 400 or 600 grit paper. I do the final clean up with the back side of the sand paper which just more or less gives a final polish to the cork grip. I typically do this work on my power wrapper and it makes quick work of the excess filler removal.

Enjoy your freshed up cork for a long time to come.

Best wishes.

YUP! That works also.

David,
By nature, cork is already water repellent; if that is your only concern, be concerned no more and run it as-is. However, dirt and grime penetration may be an issue of concern. The name says it all; U40 Cork Seal! While it may not be ultimately the best, I have found none better. Until then, it's the U40 Cork Seal for me.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Thanks everyone.

Mr. Clean "Magic Eraser" cleans cork beautifully.

it doesn,t take long for cork to look and feel like crap..nothing wrong with eva except it,s inexpensive..lol.