Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I was just online and it seems u40 is about $17 plus ship/taxes. Last time I bought it was costing $7 lol.

 

So, any subs for cork sealer that is effective but not crazy slippery? Thanks for any tips...

Personally, I prefer Penetrol for sealing my cork grips. It soaks in, protects and doesn't create a covering type film. Nothing I despise more than a film on my cork rod handles, plus Penetrol can be used for a bunch of other things.

Mudhole and Get Bit Outdoors appear to have U40 (2 oz. bottles) in stock for $6.50.

A water baced varnish, plus  parts water, give you a good cork sealer, one coat give it plenty of time to dry, you will possibly find one coat is enough, maybe do a trial first, good luck, cheers Don.

Hey. Thanks all. I tried a while ago using light stain and urethane/wood sealant on the rod cork. It was nice look but the wood selant gave the rod a tacky feeling. So I'm hoping i can apply the u40 and get rid of the tacky feel directly over the wood sealant. Would that work or should I re-sand the tacky wood sealant off?

I think I would wipe it down with a rag dampened in lacquer thinner first to remove the tackyness.  The lacquer thinner will evaporate quickly, and then you can apply whatever you want to seal it.  There is also a "sanding sealer" that is lacquer based but I've never tried it on cork.