Cork grip question

[bdog7198]

want to get some thoughts on sanding cork grips to shape, mainly how to maintain an even thickness.

any pitfalls or recommendations (other than don't try it) are very much appreciated.

[krindgen]

want to get some thoughts on sanding cork grips to shape, mainly how to maintain an even thickness.

any pitfalls or recommendations (other than don't try it) are very much appreciated.

Don't see any issue, just don't damage beyond repair. Recommend using the U40 sealer after sanding.

[willwork4fish]

Are you talking about shaping cork rings that you've glued directly to the blank or sanding existing grips?

I do handles from cork rings all the time. I don't recommend that you do a full grip without a lathe but splits are not that difficult. I use a bastard file, file and then sanding blocks.

[Spoonplugger1]

Split grips like shown there can be turned on your 3/8 variable speed drill motor by slipping the glued cork rings you made on a drill bit of the right size, if you like a bit longer 4 inch grip and get worried about a bit of run out at the long end, just turn the cork around on the bit so the far side is now near the chuck, this is easy stuff really. I have a Stanley Shur-form rasp without the handle, a rasp, file as mentioned before and varied sandpapers 60 grit and as fine as you want to go, at least 220 grit though. Full grips can be done on a mandrel, drill motor and a support for the end of the mandrel at it's end. My mentor had a huge old Milwaukie 1/2 " drill strapped to a stud in his shed and a 2 X 4 with a hole that matched the mandrel nailed to another stud, he put a drop of oil in the hole from time to time and made beautiful grips there. I've seen other do them by hand on the blank, take a swipe with the rasp, move it a bit and do it again keeping the grip pretty damn centered as long as the swipes are the same. Work through your sandpaper till you get what you want, this is not rocket science, if you have the time and ingenuity just about anything can be done by hand or by cheap means. I wrapped rods by hand for 20 years before I bought a power wrapper and it took very little room to store, a power wrapper takes up permanent workspace and a designated space, and hand wrapper takes no permanent space, after you have done it a while hand wrapping is fairly fast too.

[willwork4fish]

Split grips like shown there can be turned on your 3/8 variable speed drill motor by slipping the glued cork rings you made on a drill bit of the right size, if you like a bit longer 4 inch grip and get worried about a bit of run out at the long end, just turn the cork around on the bit so the far side is now near the chuck, this is easy stuff really. I have a Stanley Shur-form rasp without the handle, a rasp, file as mentioned before and varied sandpapers 60 grit and as fine as you want to go, at least 220 grit though. Full grips can be done on a mandrel, drill motor and a support for the end of the mandrel at it's end. My mentor had a huge old Milwaukie 1/2 " drill strapped to a stud in his shed and a 2 X 4 with a hole that matched the mandrel nailed to another stud, he put a drop of oil in the hole from time to time and made beautiful grips there. I've seen other do them by hand on the blank, take a swipe with the rasp, move it a bit and do it again keeping the grip pretty damn centered as long as the swipes are the same. Work through your sandpaper till you get what you want, this is not rocket science, if you have the time and ingenuity just about anything can be done by hand or by cheap means. I wrapped rods by hand for 20 years before I bought a power wrapper and it took very little room to store, a power wrapper takes up permanent workspace and a designated space, and hand wrapper takes no permanent space, after you have done it a while hand wrapping is fairly fast too.

I learned how to shape cork by hand, quite a while ago I picked up a Grizzly hobby lathe and used that for a year or so, it might still be in the garage somewhere. Just like a power wrapper it takes up a dedicated space so I went back to just shaping them by hand. It's actually one of the parts of building that I like doing the most. Still using the same hand wrapper I started with 20+ years ago.

[wmitch2]

As for "Cleaning" the cork, I don't like the feel if it has been sealed with U40 so I clean mine with Isopropyl Alcohol and a paper towel. Been doing it for 60+ years and have some Loomis rods that are over 30 that clean up like new !!

[Solitario Lupo]

I changed from cork and foam to carbon. I like it way better.

[apdriver]

I changed from cork and foam to carbon. I like it way better.

Ive been building with carbon, also. I haven’t done a comparison weight but it seems way lighter to me. Sensitive too. To the OP, if you use different density cork rings together in a grip for an effect, it can be difficult to get a smooth handle as the rings won’t sand down the same. The higher density rings take more sanding which works the low density rings down faster.

[dwtaylor]

I have, but tried it with a makeshift lathe made out of two wooden blocks with v-notches and an old cordless drill. I couldn't get the roundness that I wanted so I haven't attempted since.

I have only built 3 rods in the last 3 years so I can't justify buying a power wrapper or a lathe for this.

[LDS922]

I use my drill press. I use a threaded rod and wingnuts/washers to glue up and clamp the rings, when dry I pull off and put on a short length of metal rod and chuck it into my drill press. Shape with sandpaper, files, and blocks.

It works fine, but honestly the cost of premade grips vs the cost of cork rings and then the time to make/shape them is something to consider. Either you use low grade cork rings which require more work and filler to get right or you need to get a really good deal (which is is hard) on decent rings just to break even with a premade grip, not even counting the time factor.

Premade options are somewhat limited though, so being able to shape your own is a good skill to have....Not to mention the different looks you can achieve with combining Burls or EVA if you were into those styles.