Cork Grip Question

[pgw]

I have a Fiberglass rod, the grip on which, is developing a separation between two (only two) of the grip's cork rings, between the 3rd and 4th from the winding check. This is a rod I built and when I put the rings on the blank, I used Weldwood (water proof) Glue on the blank and between the rings. About 10 years ago, this rod spent a night submerged in the Upper Sac (Riverside Campground) and has not shown any additional issues since then.

Suggestions on resolving the separation problem?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Paul

[Dave E.]

Not to detract from your request Paul, but when the thread winds it's way down, would you please share the story of the rods overnight baptism?

Sounds like a great addition to the book I'm writing, " Tips - On How To Tear Up Your Tackle "

Thanks, Dave

[pgw]

Here you go Dave.

The rod in question was one that began in my possession as a 9'3" Fisher fiberglass stick that was part of Ferd Claudio's estate. I mic'ed a couple of Claudio rods that folks I knew had and decided to cut the stick into 2 pieces that would make a 8'6" 5/6 rod (took some off the tip and some off the butt). In October of 2006 while at a club fishing trip on the Upper Sac, I was fishing with my cousin from Seattle and just after I got him into his 1st Upper Sac Rainbow, while I was juggling my net, this rod, and a camera so I could take a photo of him with his trout, I heard a plop and watched my rod (with an Abel #1 reel) bobbing downstream.

The following is from the club's newsletter from November, 2006 as part of my President's column:

The annual club outing the Upper Sacramento River brought a record number of club members to the same area at once, allowed friends and relatives to mingle and celebrate fishing success, and revealed the common ties that bind fishermen, regardless of whether they fish with flies, lures, or bait.
I met a bait fisherman on the Upper Sac the morning after I dropped a rod and reel in the river helping my cousin release a fish…I went to sleep that night (in my brand new fully waterproof tent) recounting the image of my rod being carried away by the current, sinking to the bottom of the Upper Sac…who needs to count sheep? The next morning, my cousin and I started looking for the rod, wading the river below where the rod tip disappeared like the stern of the Titanic…I excused myself as I waded past a spin fisher and explained why I was in the water (Not Fishing) as I freed his snagged lure from a rock. When I gave up looking below him, I decided to repeat the searching process on the far side of the river and, as I passed the spin fisherman’s partner, the partner asked me if I was the fellow who helped his friend free the lure from the snag. When I answered that I was, he thanked me for helping his friend, told me that his friend advised him of my plight and then, my new best friend (the bait fisherman) said, “Here’s your rod and reel, I snagged it on the bottom and pulled it in.”

[Dave E.]

Paul,

Excellent story, history and example of good sportsmanship in the face of adversity. I imagined you telling it the way you use to regale us when you were at Maiden Lane. The years do pass, but great memories and stories linger.

This is a wild shot, but it sounds like a shrinkage problem. ( Not the George Castanza type. )
How about running a test. What would happen if you mixed a small amount of fine cork sandings with a drop or two of expanding glue/cement. Then with a fine edge try to butter it between two test pieces of cork, then place it under compression ( Rubber bands or whatever you compressed the original cork lay up with ). Would the resulting expansion serve to fill the gap or force the two pieces of cork even further apart?
I really don't know, but I enjoy tinkering with tests.

Best of luck Paul and thank you for sharing your tale..
Dave

[EricO]

Paul,

Excellent story, history and example of good sportsmanship in the face of adversity. I imagined you telling it the way you use to regale us when you were at Maiden Lane. The years do pass, but great memories and stories linger.

This is a wild shot, but it sounds like a shrinkage problem. ( Not the George Castanza type. )
How about running a test. What would happen if you mixed a small amount of fine cork sandings with a drop or two of expanding glue/cement. Then with a fine edge try to butter it between two test pieces of cork, then place it under compression ( Rubber bands or whatever you compressed the original cork lay up with ). Would the resulting expansion serve to fill the gap or force the two pieces of cork even further apart?
I really don't know, but I enjoy tinkering with tests.

Best of luck Paul and thank you for sharing your tale..
Dave


LOL.....It shrinks??? :)

[hwchubb]

Try mixing cork sawdust with 30 min epoxy a nude it as a filler. It will end up darker than the cork, but will gap fill without expanding and give you an actual waterproof bond (unlike the wood glues that advertise themselves as waterproof, which they definitely are not). Sand off any excess after the epoxy sets, and it should be as good as... Well, as good as an 11 year old repaired grip on a modified rod can look, and should be fine functionally.