Have any of you stained or painted your cork handles on your rods? I was curious if this was a good idea, I'd like to stain/paint them black or dark grey. Would the color come off on my hands while fishing?

I have not heard of coloring them but I have heard some, more knowledgeable than I, mention SEALING the cork.

 

Looking for who future responses on this topic.

I've tried to stain one using a few different things and nothing worked. Cork is naturally buoyant. I guess that's why it didn't absorb any of the stains. Thus why it's used for bobbers since it won't absorb water and sink. Some of the rod builders on here will hopefully chime in, but any info I've gathered by searching online shows the same results I had. People do seal cork handles using U-40 cork sealant. It protects the cork from dirt and grime. Plus makes cleaning them up a breeze. 

Aren't cork knobs encased in plastic?  At least all of the fancy Daiwa cork knobs are from my experience.

1 hour ago, 5fishlimit said:

Aren't cork knobs encased in plastic?  At least all of the fancy Daiwa cork knobs are from my experience.

He's talking about rod handles, but yes the RCS cork knobs have a clear plastic coating on them. Slp has some out now though that have no coating. 

Im definatley no rod builder. But i did clean up a rod handle,then sanded. Blew all dust of and use a oak colored stain and sealer on it. Let it dry couple days. Then i used 220 grit paper to smooth down. Still use that rod today with no issues. The cork did absorb the stain after sanding

 

The traits that make cork good handle material keeps it from absorbing stain. Cork can be painted but whether it rubs off depends on the type and quality of the paint job. 

3 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

The traits that make cork good handle material keeps it from absorbing stain. Cork can be painted but whether it rubs off depends on the type and quality of the paint job. 

They have stained cork rings for making handles any idea how they do that

They're not stained and actually not cork. They're cork dust and filler material glued and pressed

Cork is a closed cell material. As such, it will not allow any kind of finish to penetrate. If you want to paint or stain it, all you can do is get a surface coat. If you seal that with U-40, it will last for a while. Seal it with TruOil and it will last longer, but not forever.