For those that have used burled cork for grips what did you find were the pros and cons? Curious to how it holds up, gripping when wet as well as it was to shape. Any other comments or thoughts,

Thanks, tim
not always the traditionalist!

I'm as curious as you about the pros and cons of burl cork.
I have only made one grip (just getting into all of this), and it was from burl cork. It "turned" out quite nicely, and it was really easy. I'd never done any turning before and it was done on a clamped-down drill.

Cheers

Con's 1. It weighs more than regular cork
2. harder to turn


Pro’s 1. Priced less than most good cork
2. Provides a great focal point when incorporated with regular cork
3. Can be obtained in many colors shades

hey OSD,
you forgot:
Cons- Fugly

Larry S

OSD-
In what way is it harder to turn than regular cork? Is it just that it takes a bit longer - uses up more sand paper? Or did I get really lucky not bodging up my grip on my first go 'round?


I'll add another advantage - if you see it that way. Only half of the cricumference of one of the joints in the grip I turned is really noticable. Other than that, it looks like it was turned from a single piece of stock.

Thanks

Hmmmm

I guess that would be a personal preference thing
I have used many burl corks with regular cork and have made some very nice looking grips
I am really partial to the fancy cork burls that Andy Dear distributes

Yes it will take longer to turn and you will use more sandpaper

What I have learned in turning and using burl cork grips.

1) There are many different kinds and qualities of burl cork made by different manufacturers.
2) Color varies between lots and burl manufacturers. For example I have 3 different shades of brown burl made by two different manufacturers.
3) The size of the burl chunks in the composite varies and some are more uniform than others.
4) The burnt burl and natural colored burl composites tend to crumble more that the colored burl (brown, red, blue) and rubberized cork.
5) It's harder for me to saw by hand and get thin straight pieces than regular cork.
6) It's a lot harder to ream and tends to gum up my files and grit.
7) After repeated usage and wetting the grips tends to get slick (no big deal to me).

What I like the most about burl cork is that what you see is what you get. A few weeks ago I turned some grips made from extra select cork that turned out to be so full of holes and discoloration that I can't use them. These grips contained inlays and took alot of time to cut and glue together, only for me to junk them. I don't intend to buy anymore extra select cork in the future and will build more all burl grips.

Mouska

Are you only interested in burl cork? Because there is stuff like birch, and pine bark.

Moushka, the last batch of extra-select I got (three weeks ago) came from Anglers Workshop, and it was as good if not better than some Flor grade I bought two months ago and cost 95 cents a ring less. I agree with you on the burl cork and I intend to use a lot more of it. I have been using it for accents in grips but recently turned one from red burl with copano burl, walnut and cedar accents. The customer totally loved it.

traditionalist that I am, I think it looks great on graphite, but not on my bamboo, mostly for the same reason I don't use nylon thread.
john

I have to agree with you. I tend to like traditional with bamboo, but not necessarily with graphite. Does anyone here do non-traditional bamboo rods? I may change my mind if I see one.

Here is a Heddon I rebuilt.
http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/index.php?...c=15678&hl=
I think it turned out pretty well. Definatly NOT traditional.

Mike

If you are shooting for traditional why not use the burl as a base for a rattan grip? It all looks the same on the outside... I made an all burl grip for my bamboo rod. I do notice that it is slicker when coated with water and fish slime versus a cork grip, but not much more. I DO prefer the feel of cork grips over the feel of that burl one, but not by much...and let's face it...when you are concentrating on your drift waiting for a strike, it isnt going to matter much anyhow. The burl is much more dense than natural cork which is why it takes longer/more sandpaper to turn and weighs more than natural cork. If you want to save some sandpaper you can always use a rasp to rough shape it instead too.