hi all, any tips or advice on how to clean up the cork handles on my fishing rods? i know it's only cosmetic but some of mine are starting to look pretty ratty. thanks.

rubbing alcohol and an old t-shirt

Look here....... Cleaning Cork Handles

I like denatured alcohol and a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Then seal it.

Vic

Ok, maybe i'm not understanding this...But if you seal a cork handle it won't have the same cork feel anymore.   I can only imagine it would be like holding plastic.  

Ok, maybe i'm not understanding this...But if you seal a cork handle it won't have the same cork feel anymore. I can only imagine it would be like holding plastic.

The sealant still feels like cork.  It seems to permeate the cork (like staining wood) rather than coat it (like varnishing wood).  The only areas that do not feel like natural cork are the spots that are filled in on the handle.  The spots that have cork filler seems to feel more "unnatural" when sealed.  At least that is what I have encountered with my rods.  Works great though and is easy to apply.

Vic

Does the alcohol take off some kind of important finish? In other words, is it absolutely necessary to seal after you clean?

i don't have denatured alchohol but i did have a mr. clean magic eraser...works great! i meant to do only a couple of them but, once i got started, i couldn't stop...i did all 17 of them.

I cleaned my handles today with rubbing alcohol with great results! I just took a rag and soaked it with rubbing alcohol, and scrubbed.