A crazy idea just hit me, is it possible to paint cork handles black; if so what kind of paint or stain would I need?

Also you think painting the cork will it void the warranty on the rod from the mfg?

I guess I'm getting tired of seeing my cork split-grips looking crappy from all the dirt & stuff. I clean them & they get dirty again. I did get some U40 cork stuff.

I have never tried this on cork, but you might consider using leather dye such as the stuff sold by fiebings.  This dyes covers leather well, soaks into the material, and does not rub off onto hands.  Since cork is a natural porous material, as is leather, it just might work.

Like I said, I have never tried this on cork so I recommend trying it on a piece of scrap before applying to an expensive rod.  After applying the stain, you might want to apply some clearcoat sealer as well.

Interesting thought and I am curious as to how it will turn out as well.

Any coating, paint or otherwise that won't wear off will make the cork feel like plastic.  You would be better served to do what The Natural does, using either wrap or heat shrink on your grips.

Lots of people have tried staining and painting cork but I have yet to hear of one working where the color stayed and didn't bleed to the hand of the user.

A crazy idea just hit me, is it possible to paint cork handles black; if so what kind of paint or stain would I need?

Also you think painting the cork will it void the warranty on the rod from the mfg?

I guess I'm getting tired of seeing my cork split-grips looking crappy from all the dirt & stuff. I clean them & they get dirty again. I did get some U40 cork stuff.

I thought I was the only one that got OCD about dirty cork handles. LOL

I hate the looks of cork when it gets dirty, drives me nuts.  I got some black tennis racket grip and wrapped my handles with it.  Works very nicely.

Later,

I'm opposite, don't like my cork looking like new.

The burnt burl that Reel Mech used on the rods he built for me is my favorite!  That stuff is cool!

I used dark green heat shrink on the cork of one of my loomis rods and it turned out great.

I'm the exact opposite I don't like the look for the tennis racquet wrap or shrink warp compared to the cork. I don't mind cleaning the cork every few months with magic eraser.

www.reelgrip.com

they carry a rod grip as well, watch the video, seems pretty simple to me.

 A negative on the idea of stain. The filler that companies use for voids in cork wouldn't take stain like the cork would. It would make for a blotchy finish...

skillet

I'm a huge fan of the Reel Grips and have them on all of my reels (spinning and bait casting) 18 or 20 sets I think. I thought I'd try the Rod Grips since I too don't care for the dirty cork look and they are advertised to improve your grip on the rod while your hands are wet. I ordered 5 or 6 of them just to make sure I liked them before buying one for all 18 or 20 rods that I currently use.

I don't care for the Rod Grips much at all! My Kistlers are split grips and the cork handles taper on each end so they are too tight on one end and to loose on the other. They also add very noticeable weight to the rod. I put a couple on St Croix Avids with the solid grip and they fit OK but do in fact add unwanted weight.

Like I said, I'm glad I only bought a few first to try them out. Probably won't be adding anymore to my equipment.

i had posted the same question awhile back cause i wanted an all black rod set-up , i finally figured it wouldn't work out like i wanted it too so i had rods made for me with EVA split grips , good luck tho , try it and post how it comes out .