Bondall Multi-Surface Waterproofer

Excellent cork sealer for fishing rods! – I have been toying with the idea to seal all my fishing rod grips that are made from cork. Due to the few facts that cork is a nice grip on a rod when its new, hard to clean safely with some solvents & solutions once made dirty; and that once its damaged or cracked beyond repair its gone - its extremely hard to fix! I applied the Bondall… Read more

Multi-Surface Waterproofer with a sponge dipped in it, and basically worked around the cork grips until they were well covered / soaked (but not dripping). I applied two coats within 30 mins of each other as the first coat soaked in extremely quick and even on a cold night.

I applied the Bondall Multi-Surface Waterproofer on 9 rods of varying quality - from a 8 year old Shakespere Ugly Stick Graphite to my newest Shimano Rack Raider Mexican Fire - which all have varying grades of cork and in different stages of their life cycles. The oldest rod was a Trent Salmon Graphite rod from the mid 80's - which is in pristine condition and a keep sake. All the grips exerted a darker shade of cork than expected - a slightly wet look at the time when it was applied.

The next morning I noticed that the grips dried a lot lighter and near enough to the original colour they started at. For my deciding test, I tested the rod grips under a running tap and found that the water shed straight off them! Even from within the cracks on the cork - which I wasnt expecting! I am exceptionally pleased with the result and will give them a further trial while out fishing - yet I will give all of the rods another application within a month or so to top up the first & quick second coat. Fingers crossed that this will lead to less dirt being absorbed into the cork grips and keep them looking newer for much longer - and avoid them cracking and peeling in the future.

I found that it does not affect graphite reel winches or anodised winding checks - so that was a great outcome as overcoating was honestly expected when using a sponge dipped in the solution! Maybe a foam applicator brush would have been a little more precise.

I would definatly recomend that you follow their recommendations on wearing gloves and a face mask as the solution is very whiffy - will give you a headache quick! Easy to apply, very thin fluid is absorbed into cork readily, cheap at $20 a liter & will do many rods for many seasons. Very volatile and can give you a headache easily... Does not leave a residue once dried.