Anyone know of anything that can be applied to cork rod handles to preserve them?

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0017532316474a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=cork+seal&Ntk=Product_liberal&sort=all&Go.y=0&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

Does it change the color of the cork?

U40 cork seal won't change the color of the cork but might put a slight sheen to it. It also feels a little different. Other than that, rinse and dry it after fishing and clean with Mr Clean Magic Eraser as needed. Pits can be filled with Honey Oak color wood filler and sanded smooth.

U40 cork seal won't change the color of the cork but might put a slight sheen to it. It also feels a little different. Other than that, rinse and dry it after fishing and clean with Mr Clean Magic Eraser as needed. Pits can be filled with Honey Oak color wood filler and sanded smooth.

I just tried the magic eraser tonight for the first time, worked great. So great, in fact, that I realized how bad the cork was on a couple rods, hence this thread.

That wood filler sounds like a good idea too, thanks. Although, the cork is so pitted on one rod that I have a much lighter rod at his point. Don't need a split grip to reduce weight.   

You can't feel it obviously, but this will give you an idea of the look. It just makes it shiny.

Does it make it slick?

Kind of, I guess. It just feels finished. :-/ I can't really describe it. To me, its like halfway in between the raw cork, and still having the plastic wrapping on it. It is supposed to penetrate the cork and have little effect on the feel, but to me, it just doesn't feel right, maybe there were too many coats on the one I felt. Lots of people love it, from what I hear.

It looks like that pic was taken right after he put the cork sealer on. It does leave a sheen, but dries w/o one. One even layer over the entire cork will do. I do notice that it turns some cork a little darker when it dries, but never leaves the clear shiny look that it shown the the pic above. I really like the stuff. Gives the cork a good feel and it does not pit. Extremely easy to clean as well. I can take a pic of some if you'd like.

I've been using U-40 for years. Great product. And, as has already been mentioned, pre-clean your cork with MrClean's Magic Eraser first. Then apply liberally. Will keep you cork looking and lasting a lot longer than the dirty black cork handles you see on many rods these days. Preserves the cork as well. I haven't noticed any difference in feel myself.

I got turned on to a product called Renaissance Wax from some of the woodworkers I know.  I'm very familiar with the product in that world, but hadn't thought of it on cork.  I've used it for a couple years now and like it a lot because it doesn't change the way the grips feel.

Read the directions on the bottle carefully. One coat is all that's needed, any additional coats will not penetrate. That may be the reason some people feel that "glossy" finish. When applied properly, any slickness goes away after a few outings.