Getting Creative with Cork

Cork grips come in all sorts of shades and shapes, so it is up to the rod builder to customize their cork grips accordingly.

For example, a checkerboard cork handle upgrades any custom fishing rod with incredible patterns and professional aesthetics, yet still maintaining the classic feel and weight that make cork grips so popular.

Although there is more time and assembly required, checkerboard cork handles aren’t difficult to complete by any means. With a little patience, the right tools for the job, and the established instruction of Mud Hole’s Team, any rod builder can get started making their own unique cork grips!

Tools & Equipment Needed

Let’s go over the equipment & supplies you will need:

Cork Slicer – The cork slicer is designed to handle standard 1-1/4″ cork, burl & colored rings with or without a center hole. The slicer is designed to cut 1/8″ slices out of the rings. In using different types of shim materials you can cut the slices as thin as 1/32″.

These discs – when added to contrasting colored cork – make beautiful accents.

Checkerboard Cutting Jig – The checkerboard cutter is made with 12 or 16 vertical slices which will allow you to cut your cork, burl or colored ring into a variety of pie shapes which can be assembled into many different designs.

Angle/Diamond Slicer – This is a special type of cork jig designed to remove a triangle shaped piece from the surface of your cork ring and replace it with another cut from a different color ring and then assemble into diamond shapes.

This will create a very unique handle design. Along with the angle cutter, it has 3 equally spaced cuts so that you can inter mix different sections to create some handles that will really show off your custom rod.

CRB Precision Cork Saw – This precision saw frame is designed to hold the precision blades needed to perform the slicing and cutting you will be performing with the cork slicer and checkerboard jig.

Elmer’s Wood Glue – We have found that Elmer’s Wood Glue works well for assembling the wedges. You can use any of your normal two part epoxies that you would normally use for cork rings, but Elmer’s Wood Glue cleans up well with water and applies with a brush.

Cork Wedge Examples:

Constructing Checkerboard or Inlay Slices

Insert cork rings into the checkerboard jig and cut wedges to the desired size (e.g. 1/4, 1/6, 1/12). Typically, you would alternate one darker burnt or colored cork ring and one regular ring so that you will get the contrast.

Cut one regular ring and one burnt cork ring into the same number of wedges. For example purposes, we will use 1/6.

After you have the wedges cut, squeeze out a small spot of glue onto a piece of plastic or cardboard that can be thrown away. We find it easiest to use a regular disposable brush for applying the adhesive.

Begin by applying the adhesive on one side of the wedge, select one of the opposite color wedges and apply glue to both sides of that wedge, and stick it to the first wedge you glued up.

Select another wedge of the opposite color as the last and apply glue to both sides – then stick it to the previous one.

Continue this process until you have glued all of the wedges into a circle.

After forming, use a Mud Hole Cork Ring Tie (MHCRT-8) to clamp the wedges together under pressure until they have dried. This usually takes several hours depending upon the adhesive used.

Slicing The Assembled Wedges

After the clamped wedges have dried forming a cork ring, you will want to cut it into slices so as to form a checkerboard pattern in a rod grip.

You will find that different types of cork rings are slightly different in thickness, so you will most likely have to sand down the finished ring to a smooth surface.

One hint is to make sure – during the clamping process – that all of the wedges are flush on a smooth surface, so you will only need to sand one side of the ring.

Also, we recommend using 300 grit sand papers on a flat surface – it works well and takes very little time to sand smooth.

Now we are ready to make our slices. Using the slicing jig – insert the cork ring you have made into the jig. Holding it steady – insert the saw blade into the horizontal cut in the side of the jig.

Each cut will create a 1/8″ slice, so you will get 4 slices out of each cork ring you made. You can also make the slices thinner by inserting some type of shim material into the bottom of the jig.

Next you will assemble your grip utilizing your new checkerboard slices and slices of your choice of cork or EVA grip material. You will assemble the grip the same way you would if you were building a grip from regular cork rings – only you will insert the disc’s to create unique patterns and designs of your choice.

Assembling The Cork Rings

For this assembly process we recommend you use the normal two part epoxy that you would for your regular handle assembly. We also recommend that you assemble your grip on a steel mandrel and utilize a cork clamp to compress the rings and minimize the glue line created by the layer of epoxy in between each cork ring.

Use a spatula or stir stick to put a smooth layer of glue on each side of each ring, slide the ring down the mandrel until you have the length of grip you desire.

Remember – before clamping your rings together – align the checkerboard pieces so that they create the pattern you desire.

Rod Building Resources at Mud Hole

Besides checkerboard cork, this episode also covers what options rod builders can look to when they simply don’t have enough time. Mud Hole offers tons of handle options to give you an awesome finished grip without the any added time or effort to your rod build.

Don’t forget to preserve your cork grips with U40 Cork Seal, and read more about preserving fishing grips in our blog…

Whether looking for Cork Rings to start a checkerboard grip or the all-in-one Cork Inlay Creation Kit, all rod builders are covered at Mud Hole!