F-Minus Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Anybody use this cork? I like to turn down the OD of the cork to shape it, and I haven't really been impressed with the amount of filler used on most of the other cork pre-made grips I've used. There's usually a lot of pits and voids when I'm done. I just can't bring myself to bite the bullet and buy high-grade cork rings when I really just need something slightly better than the cork I had been using. I'm not building show-case rods here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 I haven't used it, and I don't intend to. I have no reason to believe that they are any better than any other premade grip. They all come from the same general area anyway. I paid high dollar for some Matagi grips from Japan. They were no better than anything else I've seen. I use rings of CG2 grade (Bingham Enterprises) or SuperFine (Anglers Workshop) and while they aren't the top grade, I consider them heads and tails above what premade grips are made from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-Minus Posted February 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks for the come-back Matt. I bought one of the "super grade" grips yesterday, so we'll see what it looks like. When putting cork rings on a mandrel, how do you compress them together? Two cross-bars and two pieces of all-thread is what I'm imagining? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 When putting cork rings on a mandrel, how do you compress them together? Two cross-bars and two pieces of all-thread is what I'm imagining? Yes. I made my own cork clamps. Just made the two cross bars from Baltic Birch plywood and bought threaded rod, nuts, washers, and wingnuts at the hardware store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-Minus Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Well, you were right about the grips. They're nothing to get excited about. I'm getting the cork rings next time, you've convinced me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Sorry to be right on this one. All cork basically comes from the same couple of outfits so there really isn't much different about any of it that I've seen. Its been a long time since I've ordered a premade grip, other than that Matagi set, and I've just never seen a premade set that can match what I can put together using cork rings. Even with me not using the very top grade. When I use top shelf cork, the grips are unbelievable. Cork quality is declining overall, so even the rings are getting to be of a lesser quality, but they're still much better than the premade one. I have some top shelf stuff now that is about 10 years old. And the same top shelf stuff from the same vendor is now about a full grade lower in quality. Of course...the premades are declining as well... CG2 grade (Bingham Enterprises) or SuperFine (Anglers Workshop) cork rings will stomp all over any premade. I have yet to have the need to use filler. Plus, when you glue your rings up you can pick for color and make sure the blonde ones are next to blonde ones and red ones next to red ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-Minus Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Is there such a thing as cork veneer? Like make the grip from cheap cork a little undersize, then wrap a skin of high-grade cork over it to finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 Not that I'm aware of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-Minus Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hey Matt, I turned the cork on a lathe using whatever carbide-inserted tool I had laying around. I've done this in the past but I've never really had good cutting of the cork. Is this pretty much standard when turning cork? I've tried very pointy, narrow cutting tools and did not get any better results. Is it party due to the low grade of cork I've been buying? It seems to chunk out when I get to a void. I've probably asked you this before, but what do you use to glue the cork rings together? I'm worried about having hard ridges between the rings after I use emery paper to finish on the lathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 I turned the cork on a lathe using whatever carbide-inserted tool I had laying around. I've done this in the past but I've never really had good cutting of the cork. Is this pretty much standard when turning cork? I use a Stanley Sur-Form tool for rough shaping. Then move to 80 grit and 120 grit paper that is double back taped to a wood block. Is it party due to the low grade of cork I've been buying? It seems to chunk out when I get to a void. Could be. My first guess is too aggressive tooling. I've probably asked you this before, but what do you use to glue the cork rings together? I'm worried about having hard ridges between the rings after I use emery paper to finish on the lathe. I use Rod Bond. Butter your ring and scrape it clean. Very thin film is all you need. No hard glue lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
