I've heard you can use wax somehow (melting or rubbing in then gently heating perhaps). A wax, unlike an oil wont come off to your hands but will still repell water.

I've put heatshrink on two of my rods, but it depends on the cork shape.

Be wary of leaving the plastic on as it can trap water behind it.

Or seal it with a cork sealer

or just dont worry about it

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Always interested in someone to go fishing with

Protecting a cork grip is mostly about preserving cosmetics though :p. (notice the colour of the bottom of the cork when you remove it from the bottle)

The heatshink wraps to the cork pretty tightly so forms a reasonable seal (being made out of rubber). You can pull the edges away a bit though, so you'll need to seal the ends somehow.

Colin, I got mine from Cambells. Turns out they had some at the back. Its a 'flocked' type, with a criss cross pattern. I think it looks pretty good and it has a good grip. You'll need to match the size to your grips though. (too large and it wont grip, too small and it wont fit). You can use electrical heatshrink (from jaycar, dick smiths, etc), but its thinner (not such a bad thing), but doesnt have as much grip.

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Always interested in someone to go fishing with

Ok Matt, or anyone else... next question...
Where can I get some U-40 Cork Sealant from?

Bunnings would have a cork sealant I would think? You wouldnt need the exact brand. Some might be for flooring and too thick though.
Try custom rod builders or tackle stores which have rod building components.

Colin, electrical heatshink would be fine if you arent gripping it. Electrical stuff is available in many more sizes (an electronics store should have various sizes around 1m). I've seen heatshrink used it on some surfboard/bodyboard leashes. Keep in mind though, that it will just hold stuff down to stop it fraying, it wont be great at stopping it separating if it wasnt strong enough before. Also, I wouldnt use it with rope you cant leave soaking in water (as the rope could get water logged under the heatshrink)

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Always interested in someone to go fishing with

On the topic, does anyone know the best way to clean cork grips without damaging them? Do you need anything specific for the job?

Cheers

Damo

Thnx mate

Depends on the sealant, as well as how much you apply. 

To clean them you can sand them or rub them with bleach. There are plenty of how-to's on the internet.

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Always interested in someone to go fishing with