Cottonwood bark rings
Cottonwood bark is an excellent alternative to using cork rings for at grip. It also looks very nice when used as an accent within or at the ends of a cork grip. These rings are sourced from a customer in the mid-west. Cottonwood bark is lightweight, turns and sands easily and will take on a great patina over time. I like to seal it with a few coats of tru-oil to seal the pores and protect the wood from water. Each ring is 1 14" x 12" with a 1/4" bore. Finding and sourcing good cork is hard! At Proof Fly Fishing I offer two grades of cork: Flor (Flower) which is the high standard for cork and is characterized by rings that have a limited number of imperfections and the imperfections tend to be small. The label of Flor, then, covers a limited spectrum of quality. Not every "Flor" ring will be the same. There are some rings that are near flawless and others that have imperfections that range from slight to mild. I also stock grade "B" rings which are perfect for rattan grips, utility grips, or practice. Over the last 10 years through group orders I have ordered over 80,000 Flor grade cork rings and to date have never had a complaint. I have also worked exclusively with one supplier who tends the cork oak groves, harvests the bark, and produces the rings. The result has been an amazingly consistent quality at a very affordable price. Finally, the value of a product is typically based on an equation containing two variables: Cost and Quality. I invite you to shop around for cork. Check the price and, if possible, look at samples. Please search the Rodbuildersforum for reviews of my cork and see what professional and hobby builders across the US, South America, Europe, and Africa have to say.