Cork grips: to clean or not to clean

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rckdr	Cork grips: to clean or not to clean		Lead	[-]
Posts: 70 09/21/2009 20:34	Tags : None Previously I started a discussion on whether or not to restore the bluing on old reel seats and the general concensus was that it should be left alone on old collectable rods. Now I would like to pose question number 2: Should old cork grips be cleaned? I have heard many board members and non-member collectors state that they would never clean the grip because it takes away the old "honest use" look of the rod and makes it less authentic. Here is my opinion: The brown discoloration on the grip is a hardened varnish consisting of human skin oil and sweat mixed with exfoliated skin cells with additives of dirt and fish slime. Who would want to hold that in your hand? You probably clean the dirt off the rest of the rod after each use. Why not clean the old disgusting filth off of the cork as well?. It cannot be good for the longevity of the cork. Human grease and sweat is very acidic and one of the most corrosive agents out there. That's why museum curators wear white gloves. I vote for cleaning the cork and keeping it clean. How does everyone else vote? PS: I had better not catch you fishing a cane rod wearing white gloves.
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PYochim		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 888 09/21/2009 20:44	All of my cork is cleaned on a regular basis.
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Horace Benbow		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 20 09/21/2009 21:05	People who don't object to restocking fees clean their grips. People who do, don't.
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Alaric11		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 66 09/21/2009 21:07	For me it isn't a sanitation issue. I just don't like filthy grips. Same with my waders I wash them after each trip (mostly for the sake of the inside). If people want to think I'm a hack because my waders are clean---oh well. I don't mind a 'hard fished' look if I did the hard fishing. So, with my old Granger---I cleaned the grip with softscrub. Like PYochim---I clean my grips with regularity whether the rod is old or new.
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tapermaker		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 824 09/21/2009 21:09	its a personal preference .i dont like a very dirty grip myself ,but can put up with minor staining.
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flyfishermann1955		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 181 09/21/2009 21:18	I vote for cleaning the cork and here's an example of "before" and "after" pictures: Thanks- Ken
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teter		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1425 09/21/2009 21:51	Horace Benbow wrote: People who don't object to restocking fees clean their grips. People who do, don't. I do clean my grips. But not my waders. Or my vest. You don't want to fish downwind of me.
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NorthBranch		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 286 09/21/2009 22:16	Not a fan of cleaning them. Cleaning them too regularly causes ridging and i'd rather have dirty grip. Nothing better in my opinion as I actually believed that harden't crud protects the grip, but that is just my unproven theory. On the old classic rods to me there is nothing better than looking at that old dirty grip and thinking how many good folks shared some great times with that rod on their favorite river.
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Horace Benbow		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 23 09/21/2009 22:36	In the before and after pics you can see an old, patina-ed (polite for dirty) smooth, sound grip and a clean, dried-out, ridged one. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer cherce.
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oneculm		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 645 09/21/2009 22:51	I guess I am just a dirty old man. I have never cleaned a grip on any rod I have fished with and to be honest I do not see the reason for doing it.
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Southbranch		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 473 09/21/2009 23:06	Cork doesn't abide cleaning very well, and the older it is, the worse the outcome is likely to be. I've given in to the urge to clean heavily soiled grips on a few vintage rods and it rarely comes out well. On the other hand, if you don't mind deeply ridged grips, scrub away. In hindsight, I wish I'd never cleaned any of them because I can't stand ridging. I've tried several different methods and none of them are harmless.
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leadwingcoachman		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 4 09/21/2009 23:28	what exactly cause the ridging? I have a little on one of my rods, it was there when I got it. personally I clean my cork
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Southbranch		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 474 09/21/2009 23:46	I think cork, being from trees, has alternating layers of soft and hard or light and dense cells, like the grain of a piece of wood. When you rub it, the soft or low density cells get worn away sooner, especially if they are dried out and have lost elasticity. Cleaning cork grips involves rubbing abrasives on it, and so the softer cork is worn away and the harder stuff remains as a raised ridge. Use alone will do the same thing, but it takes a lot longer for your hand to cause the damage. Last Edited By: Southbranch 09/22/2009 07:51. Edited 1 time.
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mer		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3234 09/22/2009 06:17	Cork is actually the bark of the cork oak tree, grows around the Mediterranean (Portugal and Spain are probably the top two producers). Not contradicting the hard/soft cell theory (which sounds pretty good) just want to point out it's actually the bark of the tree, not the wood. It's actually a pretty interesting process, the trees are very long lived, the bark actually gets stripped every 8 or 10 years. Plant 10 to 15 trees, rotate through them, pretty sustainable crop. As for cleaning it, why on Earth would anyone want to wash away the rods Karma? If it's a collectible rod, say a PHY or Payne owned by Ted Williams, every time you fish the rod you're connecting with him. Other threads here have theorized that "we are all just stewards of our rods, we don't really own them" so why not leave a little of yourself with the rod for the next guy? If you haven't guessed, I don't clean them. I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain
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ibookje		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1624 09/22/2009 06:33	I clean them. Getting old in a clean and neat manner is my preference over dirty and greasy. If dirty is better, the maker would have pulled it through a mud pool before selling them Last Edited By: ibookje 09/22/2009 06:40. Edited 1 time.
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mer		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3237 09/22/2009 07:03	ibookje wrote: If dirty is better, the maker would have pulled it through a mud pool before selling them No, that would be "just dirt". Karma is the fish slime that stays on your hand after you release a fish that you then transfer to the grip for the next cast. I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain
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DrakeBob		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1544 09/22/2009 07:24 Formerly Drake	Ah, I see it's time for the semi-annual "should I clean my grip?" debate. Having avoided the quarterly LHW vs. RHW discussion, I feel a need to get involved. For me, the answer is "yes" and "no." On a previously owned rod, I will clean other people's... uh... "karma." I don't clean my own. Call me quirky or just unable to take a stand on these issues. Piscator Non Solum Piscatur
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jeffkn1		#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2026 09/22/2009 07:50	I'm old school on this one, naturally. Call me old fashioned, but the following are not considerations when I buy a rod, or take one fishing:special articles of clothing & hats, alcohol, cigar brands, vehicles, music heard in vehicles, sunglasses, soiling on grips or scratches on tubes. I'm unaware of any study that connects being sick to fishing rods with 'unclean' grips, but if you know of one I'd like to read it. I let them be; they've earned their stripes. We're all going to die anyway but not from dirty grips, unless the shame of it all is fatal.
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Hap		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 84 09/22/2009 07:56	I am undecided this one I purchased a Heddon # 14, the rod appeared in very good condition but was dirty. There was soil in the reel seat threads, under the guides, the grip was dirty but smooth. I thought the rod would clean up well. After some cleaning, the rod looked great, the grip was clean but showed considerable ridging.[ I did not use a harsh cleaner on the grip.] While the rod cleaned up quite well, the grip detracted from its appearance.
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Soft Hackle		#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1290 09/22/2009 08:25	I rather enjoy soiling the grips of new rods and would never consider cleaning them, actually I think a soiled grip enhances the appearance of a new rod . It is interesting to me how long the transition takes on a rod from new thru lightly soiled, used a few times, etc to well fished. If I acquire an older rod with a really dirty grip I will clean it up, as DrakeBob alludes to as I like the rod to reflect my own sweat and body oils.
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JeffK.fiberglassflyro...		#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 09/22/2009 09:31	There is a fine line between patina and filth. One stays and one goes, and separating the two has to do with how I feel about a rod. If the staining is from someone I knew, then it stays. Generally, rods that were well taken care of have a nice patina. If the varnish is good, the ferrules pop, and the wraps are in good shape the cork will have "patina". If the ferrules are dirty or loose, wraps are missing or poorly repaired, etc the grip will be "filthy". Usually rod condition is a package deal. I generally treat my cork with Cork Seal or rubbed in and wiped off linseed oil and gently clean the cork on my well used rods every season. A little cleaning each year works a lot better than scrubbing decades of crud off all at once in keeping the rod from getting ridges. Even with regular cleaning, the cork on hard used rods will darken over time.
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Cork grips: to clean or not to clean

Cork grips: to clean or not to clean