Protecting cork grips

[BigT]

A while ago I went on the hunt for the best way to protect the cork rod grips that many of my rods have.

Over the years I've tried a few different approaches... they all either changed the look of the cork or worse, changed the feel of it (some made it slippery, some sticky and some made it hard).

I finally stumbled onto using Lanolin grease. It rubs in easily with a rag, doesn't noticeably change the look of the cork and once it's soaked in, doesn't feel any different. Now though, it's much easier to clean the grips of my rods after fishing (fish slime and blood doesn't penetrate the cork) and I know that it's also being protected from water, salt, sweat and so on. It still discolours over time like cork usually does but it's only on the surface and my cork seems to be lasting really well.

The brand I bought here in Australia is Lanox... made by the same people who make Innox spray I believe. I'm sure there are plenty of others.

Before




During




After




Cheers, T

[kamuwela]

great tip thanks alot
            aloha
            kamu

[alantani]

ok, my memory is fading here, but isn't it oxalic acid that restores the color of wood?  wouldn't it do the same thing for cork?

[alantani]

and here's something i learned in pharmacy school.  lanolin is just wool fat.  i was dating a girl in my class at the time.  her name was agnes,  she was chinese and she called it "woo fat!"

[wallacewt]

she was talkin about you hehe

[BigT]

and here's something i learned in pharmacy school.  lanolin is just wool fat.  i was dating a girl in my class at the time.  her name was agnes,  she was chinese and she called it "woo fat!"

Sure is but I'm not putting my cork grips anywhere near a sheep's butt... I'll stick to the refined grease

[elnath]

I've had great success with the cork seal product from U40.  The look (and smell) is very similar to the coating you put on paper maps/charts to provide waterproofing.  It seems to protect my cork grips very well, while if anything making the "feel" better and less slippery.

http://www.u-40.com/corkseal.html

[Norcal Pescador]

Greetings, Tony -
You've piqued my curiousity with the photos. Nice looking so far. How about a picture of the entire grip?
Cheers,
Rob

[Bryan Young]

Personally, I like a thin coat of rod wrapping epoxy, like FlexCoat Lite.  Smooth with light bumps.  Besides, I don't normally use my cork as a hook holder.

[Limey]

Thinking back to my dim and distant school days......isn't oxalic acid found in rhubarb leaves (but not the stalks)? I remember old timers boiling the leaves to descale or remove stains from saucepans and tea pots etc. I would imagine you'd have to rince them pretty throughly as I think  its poisonous (but it leaves your teeth nice and white).

We used to have lots of tanneries round where I live and the raw sheep skins were degreased and the lanolin then extracted from the solvent and sold to the beauty industry to make shampoo and moisturiser etc. It surprising how many uses they found for bits of dead sheep!

Cheers all.

Limey