As has been shown in some of my other post, I own several rods that are 10 years old if not more, handed down by my dad, and the later ones I bought because I liked the feel of them. In order to continue using them for the foreseeable future I was wondering if their is a cork sealant I could use to protect the cork handles? I'd prefer to still be able to feel the cork, rather than a glossy finish.

Thanks,

Jakob

u40

u40 cork sealant. I'm not aware of any place that sells it for local pick up. There's a few father day sales going on that will save you some dough. A little goes a long way /w U40. Just take your time. if you need any filler, go to Home Depot or Lowes and get the Elmers filler in light oak. 

And clean the cork before sealing with Mr clean's magic eraser.

Golden oak is what you want

U-40 Cork Sealant is awesome for sealing a cork fishing handle. *** has it on sale right now, but if there is any master rod builder around your area you can usually buy it from her/him at cost. 

 

I would really suggest restoring the handle first before using it unless it's a true classic rod. In that case, it's a collector's item and the varnish/paneer that has accumulated over time is part of the rod and restoring it may very well decrease the value of the rod. Usually this only really applies to classic fly rods (you can look it up if interested). Here is the process of restoring a really old cork handle that has a lot of crevices and is really gunky:

 

G.Loomis Cranking Rod Handle Restoration

 

Part 1:

Part 2: 

 

I've personally tried this with a custom made G.Loomis and while it does take some time it works extremely well. Once you have restored it layer on as little or as much U-40 as you want. It doesn't matter too much in terms of cork protection but it can alter to color a little to your preference. If you only use a light coating the color pretty much stays the same. If more is applying it will darken the color a bit. 

 

Hope this helps. 

As for the filler Elmer's filler in Golden Oak is my preferred filler. When wet it looks darker than the true cork color but when it dries it lightens up considerably to a cork color. 

u40 is great stuff. 

 

As for cleaning, I will either use a magic eraser or a microfiber cloth with denatured alcohol.

to bad you weren't  local i'd give you the  brand new bottle that i did the remaining 3 rods that went already sealed and it didn't even put a dent in it , you could literally seal 100+ rods with one bottle. the stuffs going to go bad before i ever use it again

I clean mine with a magic eraser and spray gloss clear from a can, ive also stained the cork and clear glossed it. I like the gloss finish because it helps keep little chunks from breaking off...