ways to clean fly rod handles?

[flyfisher117]

ive seen this same question somewhere in here...but i cant find it now..but anyways i want to clean my handle its getting a little dirty but the only way to do this that i have found so far on the internet is lightly sand it, and i really dont feel like messing with my handle and run the chance of ruining it

ive tried a microfiber cloth and that did ok but its still pretty dirty looking

 

[Ard]

Dish soap and warm water. Use a wash cloth if it is really bad. Let it dry, It'll look like new.

 

[flyfisher117]

Dish soap and warm water. Use a wash cloth if it is really bad. Let it dry, It'll look like new.

thanks im gonna go try that now

 

[mojo]

So much for the mojo!

 

[flyfisher117]

what? whats ur way?

 

[Jackster]

Soft Scrub! Works like a charm.

 

[flyfisher117]

Soft Scrub! Works like a charm.

so warm water and dish soap is best?

 

[sandfly]

warm water and a non detergent dish soap (ivory). then after it dries use a clean cloth with some rubbing alcohal. makes it look new again.

 

[Rip Tide]

Soft Scrub! Works like a charm.

Soft Scrub is the brand name of a cleaning product

So much for the mojo!

But there are those of us believe the soiling of the grip shows the experience of the rod and would be bad juju to wash it off.

 

[BigCliff]

I'd be hesitant to use soft scrub as its got some bleach in it and bleach can sure damage some natural fibers. If you use it, I'd be sure to rinse it VERY well afterwards.

I'd also be cautious about using rubbing alcohol for fear that it might overly dry out the cork.

I rarely do anything to the cork on my rods, but may give them a treatment with VERY fine grit sandpaper every few years. I think 200 grit is a starting point and it still should be used very gingerly. After sanding, I'd recommend rubbing it down with a plastic bag or something slick to flatten the texture down as much as possible so that minimal schmutz is picked up by the cork the next time you fish it.

 

[Rip Tide]

One of my rods, a South Bend cane that belonged to my grandfather, still has fish scales on the grip from the last time he used it...... around 50 years ago.
I'll never clean that off

 

[Scott Kessler]

Wonder Cloth works pretty well too.

 

[flyfisher117]

yea..ill stick with warm water i can just see myself accidently taking a chunk out of the cork with sandpaper

 

[Jackster]

I'd be hesitant to use soft scrub as its got some bleach in it

Correction.
SOME Soft Scrub has bleach in it, some don't.
After 20+ years of using it I can't say it has done anything to my grips but taken the grime and fish slime/bug dope/blood and sweat sheen off. It certainly has done less to abuse my grips than grinding the cork down with sandpaper... especially if the cork filler is softer or harder than the cork itself.

 

[FrankB2]

Hmmmm....I never allow the cork to get very dirty on my rods. If there is
some dirt at the end of the day, I usually hit it with some water, either at
the stream or in my sink. I did apply Tru-Oil to 2 St. Croix rods several
years ago, and that has kept them looking great with just a rinse.
The Tru-Oil give the cork a bit of a tannish hue, while rinsing bare cork leaves
a bit of a grey hue. I actually wipe the entire rod down at the end of the
day, and allow the cork to dry before packing it away. I had a rod grip get
smelly from being put away once .

 

[flyfisher117]

hmm good point

 

[flyfisher117]

mmm sounds tastey...lol

 

[FrankB2]

Here's a pic of a grip treated with one coat of Tru-Oil about 7 years ago,
and an untreated grip on a rod one year old:

Tru-Oil on Top, and Untreated on bottom

The Tru-Oil leaves zero residue on the cork, and it feels completely natural.
The untreated cork has been washed a couple times when it was really
dirty, but the grey color isn't nearly as appealing as the Tru-Oil cork. I've
seen bait fisherman leaving the plastic on their cork lately, even if there's
a label underneath...LOL!

 

[flyfisher117]

haha i still have the plastic on my 8 wt fly rod and my new spinning rod but i did take the time to get the labels out of them...will any local hardware stores carry this tru-oil?

 

[FrankB2]

The best place to find Tru-Oil is at a sporting goods store or gun shop.
Here's the product: CLICK HERE You could probably find it in the sporting goods
section of Walmart if there aren't any outdoors shops nearby.

EDIT There is a U-40 cork treatment, but the cork I've seen treated with that looks waxy.