How important is the cork?

[Kado]

I have to admit that the last thing I look at when admiring a rod build is the quality of the cork. The thread wraps, finish and a sharp crispness on the hexes of the blank, the reel seat insert meshing with the hardware....those all make more of an impression on me. I do like grips that are unusual, like Steve's mortised wood grips and the occasional rattan or mixed wood and cork grips. I haven't learned to really appreciate Flor grad grips enough to warrant the cost of it, but since I'm putting a lot of work into my rods, spending $80 on a grip for Flor grade vs $25 for A grade isn't that much of a difference. I just have a hard time spending the extra dollars, especially when I see pictures of vintage rods and the cork looks like B grade.
What do you guys think?
I'm about ready to purchase more cork rings and 100 Flor grade rings (and they don't look THAT great.....) costs $250. Really nice Flor grade seems to be more like $4/ring. The A grade rings I usually purchase were a little over $1.50/ring.

 

[@Dryflyphotography]

Personally, I notice the shape of the grip long before I notice the grade of the cork itself. That said, cheap cork with large pits is a drawback and I've been frustrated with the quality of some pre-formed grips I've purchased online. If I'm going to invest a couple weeks of my time to build out a rod to the best of my meager ability I would like to put at least a good quality cork grip on it.

 

[Mike Monsos]

I moved to using 1/4" thick cork rings, I feel that the flaws that do show up in less than Flor grade cork are less noticeable at 1/4" in length compared to a 1/2" long flaw on a grip. I also like to look of the thinner rings.

Mike

 

[Bambooflyguy]

I really like the look and feel of “cheap wine” corks. Fun to make.....fun to fish!

 

[Salmo_g]

Yeah, what the heck happened with cork? Decent cork, probably A grade, were $0.10 a ring when I began making fly rods. Ever since I even heard of "Flor" grade cork, not all of it has been the same, at least to my eyes. If I were buying cork today, and the Flor grade was really Flor grade, and I'd want to see it in person, then I'd probably spring for it at the extra cost. Short of that, I think I would buy A grade because I've used it on a lot of rods over the years, and it looks pretty good and is durable over time.

 

[Divad]

I bought extra grade cork for my first build, and just recently received flor grade rings from Portugal. Problem is sellers have continued to shift the quality and now you have Top Flor, AAAA grade etc.

I’ve been very pleased with HFF Custom, their Extra grade at a $1 a ring is seemingly correctly graded. I’d buy Flor in bulk packs of 30-100 to save money longterm if you plan to build another someday.

 

[Mike Monsos]

Here is a comparison of two rods I have made hanging on my rod racks showing what I think of as the advantage of 1/4" cork rings.

 

[Kado]

Here is a comparison of two rods I have made hanging on my rod racks showing what I think of as the advantage of 1/4" cork rings.View attachment 59972

Thanks Mike. I see how it breaks up the flaws and adds sort of a refined look.

 

[Jmcj1984]

I to have a hard time with the price of good cork rings or good pre made grips but having had some rods for over 20 yrs and not having the chips and break up dew to cracks or weak spots dose make a difference,one of the best things I have done is to use cork sealer makes the cork last a very long time.

 

[SurfnFish]

btw, old cork cleans/brightens right up after a light scrub with Magic Eraser pads

 

[Tim Cottage]

Yeah, what the heck happened with cork? Decent cork, probably A grade, were $0.10 a ring when I began making fly rods. Ever since I even heard of "Flor" grade cork, not all of it has been the same, at least to my eyes. If I were buying cork today, and the Flor grade was really Flor grade, and I'd want to see it in person, then I'd probably spring for it at the extra cost. Short of that, I think I would buy A grade because I've used it on a lot of rods over the years, and it looks pretty good and is durable over time.

The problem with cork is that it is rated on a sliding scale based on the quality of the current years crop. This years Flor and lesser grades is only as good as the best quality from the current harvest and may be dramatically different from last years or next years. Cork trees (Quercus Suber), are harvested after they mature at about 25 years and are harvested again after a recovery period of about 9 years. As global warming is effecting Quercus Suber in a negative way you can easily see how those long term projections are increasingly unstable. In addition, population growth is causing agricultural land to increasingly be turned into other uses with a much faster and reliable financial turn over. Its a sad story like the quantity and quality of our anadromous fish it is on a continually downward trend and is unlikely to recover.

 

[RCF]

I really like the look and feel of “cheap wine” corks. Fun to make.....fun to fish!
View attachment 59919View attachment 59920View attachment 59922View attachment 59923

Those wine cork handles look amazing. Nothing like getting free cork to create something with character and functionality.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Thanks RCF, I appreciate that.

 

[Mike Monsos]

I guess I need to up my game and drop the boxed wine habit and move up to drinking bottled wine.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

I wish my beer had corks....not much of a wine drinker. Champagne corks are cool too, bigger! Check out some restaurants and bars for corks.....

 

[RCF]

I wish my beer had corks....not much of a wine drinker. Champagne corks are cool too, bigger! Check out some restaurants and bars for corks.....

One can also get corks from wine shops for free. Places like Esquin have wine tastings and lots of corks too... And then there is 'wine country' in Woodinville.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Probably more fun collecting your own....... :-}

 

[Michael1227]

Just a fyi on wine corks. Not every corked bottle of wine has a real "Cork" cork in it. Some are like MDF plywood, bits and chunks glued together, and others are some type of plastic.
I've uncorked a few bottles over 6 decades .

 

[Matt B]

Just a fyi on wine corks. Not every corked bottle of wine has a real "Cork" cork in it. Some are like MDF plywood, bits and chunks glued together, and others are some type of plastic.
I've uncorked a few bottles over 6 decades .

I think the MDF-like “composite cork” grips that Steve makes look pretty cool, like the 3rd and 4th down shown below. @Bambooflyguy how do those ones hold up?

 

[Bambooflyguy]

The CCGT (cork chunks glued together) grips I think are tougher than real cork grips. So far so good, I’ve made 7 and no problems yet. The third one I darkened with a dark wood wax. The quality of real wine cork isn’t as good as expensive cork rings made for grips.