Cork filler (need to buy or make)

wrote:

I suspect one would find that using a Dutchman (and the name might give
a clue as to it making a "defect into a feature" versus simply being
frugal and better than wasting material/furniture/etc.) in a rod handle
to be more trouble than it'd be worth, even if it worked. I doubt it
would. If the handle is losing multiple "chunks," the cork is
deteriorating (and/or one of the hinkier pressed cork types) and such a
patch attempt is likely to do more damage by taking out more cork when
it fails.

IIRC, the OP mentioned a "divot", which seemed like a likely
candidate for a patch rather than a sanding dust filler. I honestly
don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. You're not gluing it to the
surrounding cork.

There are multiple grades of cork used for handles, good and not-so-good
variations of "pressed" cork, and cork tape. Assuming the most common
type, rings, and if the divot were large enough to make use of a "piece
patch" technique, it would be time to replace at least one ring, if not
the whole handle. The replacement of the cork itself is not hard at
all. The shaping can be a chore if done completely by hand, but power
tools can speed things up and access to a lathe can make things pretty
much a breeze. Depending on the rod, the amount of "deconstruction"
necessary for a complete replacement could be significant. If Tom had
asked for opinions on that, I'd have happily offered what I could. As
he asked a pointed question that had a single answer, I provided it.

Yes, you and the rest of ROFF. :-) I also offered what seemed to
me to be a fairly straightforward process for repairing a "divot". It
may seem like more trouble than it's worth to you, but I *like* fitting
inlays in wood. It's certainly more fun than creating a mess of sanding
dust and trying to form a paste of that and glue to fill a void.

I thought it might also work with cork.

YMODV.

If you have access in your library to "Advanced Custom Rod Building" by
Clemens, look on page 104, "Filling the cork." Also, "A Master's Guide
to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod" by Garrison and Carmichael, page 216-217,
"Cleaning and Repairing the Cork Grip." I haven't bothered to check
other such references, but I suspect they would detail the same standard
technique for filling minor defects.

Thanks for the info. My library doesn't have those books, but I'll
make a note of them.


Chuck Vance (who has one early 80's-vintage Fenwick HMG that
needs some serious cork work done; probably more like the ring
replacement you described above, as cockroaches or rats or *something*
got into it in storage and ate away huge pieces of the grip)