I would like to make a birch bark handle for a Sage drift rod I plan to put together. I would like to keep the final rod weight down. I tried to look for weight comparison btwn birch bark handles and cork handles. How heavy are birch bark handles compared to cork handles? I have not had a chance to personally hold a birch bark handle rod so any feedback is greatly appreciated before I invest time and energy into making one. From the pictures and tutorials I have seen/read online, birch bark handles look very nice and it looks like a pretty tedious process.

Thank you in advance.

[rodbuilding.org]

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 04:32PM by John E Powell.

Any grip material can be bored and fitted with a foam core to offer a much lighter grip than if the surface material itself is used throughout.

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Lam

Great advice from John above. There is an alternative to birch bark that is less expensive and a little less demanding, a faux birch bark grip made from 1/8" cork rings glued together using a tinted (black or dark brown) wood glue or epoxy. The process is then essentially as John described, and yes the faux birch bark made from cork can be fragile but not so much as the real thing. You can experiment with varying stain colors (I like the Minwax cinnamon) and finish with multiple coats of thinned spar or (my favorite) Tru-Oil.

John - Thank you, very informative. Birch bark makes a beautiful grip but appears to be hard to work with. I saw your rod at the Expo, it was gorgeous, the birch bark grip really set it off as something special.
Norm

I think Joe Moriaty from Custom Fly Grips made that grip.

James Newsome Wrote:
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> I think Joe Moriaty from Custom Fly Grips made
> that grip.

That was my understanding as well.

Not to take anything from John's rod. It is truly beautiful.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2016 11:59AM by Victor Heal.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 04:32PM by John E Powell.

John, as I read back through the comments I want to make clear I meant no offense. I saw your rod at the MRB gathering and I know the time invested in not just the handle but the rod in its entirety.

Your suggestions for birch bark are spot on. I have made numerous handles out of birch as well and I know the struggle.


Tight Lines

Thank you all for the responses. After reading them I feel that I have a firmer grasp on how to make a birch bark handle......first thing on my to-do list is a day hike to find some fallen birch and/or Douglas fir trees so I can collect some bark. Woodworking is new to me so this will be a challenging and fun project! I can envision how my Sage and North Fork Composites custom rods will look with these handles already. I have seen some handles posted online that look so nice! I am going to try my best to see if mine can turn out half as good as these handles! I have done a few custom cork handles with burl cork designs but never done one with tree bark......so here goes my journey!

Thank you again!

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 04:32PM by John E Powell.