Cork A subject that I seem to spend a lot of time discussing and attempt to figure out how to make work. This was what consumed most of my day. Well here is my logic and a few of my influences and why. There are 3 types of cork you will see me use. Natural, burl, and rubberized. Natural flor grade cork is extremely light weight, burl is heavier, and rubber is the heaviest. Along the same line densities vary greatly, natural cork is far less dense than the burls. Therefore a handle that is high in burls will be extremely dense and heavy. Bob Meiser of R.B. Meiser likes to use rubber and burls to help bring his two handers into balance. This is a nice way to impose style and bring a rod into balance, an artistic way of effectively balancing a rod. When I started doing burl inlay work Bobs words stuck with me, and I expanded it a bit. I restrict my inlays to the front and rear portion of the primary and the second hand or fighting butt I can use more burl. By restricting my inlays to the front and rear 1.25, or so Im not raising the overall weight of the handle that much. A few grams here a few grams there. Also with the increased density of burls transmit better vibration better than standard flor grade. By placing burl in these area of the upper and lower portion of the handle it increases sensitivity to portions of the handle where most anglers establish there connection the majority of the time. While placing a more comfortable and forgiving flor grade in the center of the palm. In addition this creates a more powerful platform for aggressive casting. Less flex and less compression is a more effective at transmitting energy. In the fighting butt and second hand I can use far more burls and rubberized corks to help raise the tip of a tip heavy rod. This is is the only place you will see me use rubberized corks, and only as an end cap. It is extremely heavy, and from my perspective extremely uncomfortable in hand. Excessive use of burls, rubberized corks, and poor mixing of all three types of cork can lead to issues. Uneven wear caused by density mixing. Raising the overall weight of the rod by as much as an ounce (thus restricting reels that can be used) and making the rod feel clunky). Creating a handle that is uncomfortable or causes premature hand fatigue. So, when assembling a handle I have to be mindful of all these factors and then some. I want the rod to perform above all else. By utilizing burls in strategic places and amounts a rod can be tuned to balance with ease and perform with a very unique look. *yawn* its late
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:51:24 +0000
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