Cork???

[Brodrash 0]

Im thinking of making some cork poppers after work today. Anybody have any tips when working with the substance?

[whatfly 0]

Depends on what you want to do. Problem with cork and balsa is they both take priming before painting, which adds another step, although you could fish them unpainted. Cork is also softer, so less durable. I think there is a very good reason why foam and balsa are the preferred materials. The former is easy to work with and comes in different colors, and the latter is durable once all the setup is complete. Will be interesting to hear your results.

[Harold Ray 0]

I tried wine bottle corks, thought they would make great poppers. The thing I learned is they are very difficult to work with, at least for me. I quit that and went to preformed closed cell. I have carved quite a few lures over the years, but decided the painting and tying was what I enjoyed the most.

 

Ray

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Cork? fine grained agglomerated - for best result.

 

But.................. go balsa. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

BCT

[Poopdeck 0]

Wine corks make great poppers. Cut with a hack saw blade and finish shaping with sand paper. A belt sander works great if you have one. Hers some wine cork poppers I made

[FlaFly 0]

I thought we just had a thread on this a coupla weeks ago.

 

It depends on why you're making cork poppers, but I used to use model airplane paint (Duco I think) with no primer. I still have some of those poppers fifty-some odd years later and they look like new. Don't use them anymore but I used to all the time.

[Saltybum 0]

I found very cheap foam cylinders on ebay just for that. Easy to work with and a bag came with several colors.

[phg 0]

Since Anthony Hipps taught me how to use craft foam and fabric paint to make poppers, I haven't looked back. Balsa and cork were good, in their day, but foam is much easier to work with, and much more durable.

 

Wine corks make good display stands for your finished flies.

[CrappieKiller 0]

Since Anthony Hipps taught me how to use craft foam and fabric paint to make poppers, I haven't looked back. Balsa and cork were good, in their day, but foam is much easier to work with, and much more durable.

 

Wine corks make good display stands for your finished flies.

Craft foam is what I rely on for most all recipes using foam

[caloosa bug 0]

Go for it. Cork poppers can be a blast. Use a hump shank hook and build a good thread base before attaching the cork. Be careful not to push too hard on the cork when putting the hook in the slot or they'll split in half. Cork poppers have a different "pop" than foam! Much like the old heddon's torpedoes that were balsa, compared to the new plastic ones. Most days it won't matter, but some days the balsa will out fish the plastic 15-1. It can be a tedious and lengthy task , but it will be a different weapon in you arsenal of fish catching ammo. Cork can come with a number of different grades and densities. A fine grain is much better than a Swiss cheese looking chunk of cork. Good luck and enjoy making your "one-off" creations.

[Guest]

Cork is easy to find at hobby shops and actually easy and fast to make bodies with just blades and emery paper. Hump back hooks are better but straits can work especially cover with thread before gluing. You can make them outa some hooks. Cork to me is stronger than balsa. Buy preformed styrofoam bodies w hooks skip carving step. Foam easy too. Buy bugs what's the point then. Never required perfect surfaces and beautiful paint jobs but that's preference. I had to wrap some balsa ones w thread cuz they acted weak/wanted to split...

[Poopdeck 0]

What happened to the pictures. Nice poppers duke! I like cork as well. Nothing is more simple to work with and it's cheap cheap cheap. I also paint my poppers with a brush with basic colors. Bling for me is a sprinkle or to a glitter on the paint while it's wet.

[Guest]

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=83097&view=getnewpost

 

 

Do a search in warm water section. Cork poppers......oodles of info on cork

 

 

Carved utility corks

[Dux-R-Us 0]

I will chime in as well that cork doesn't last as long. The fish will really damage them if hit by teeth. Especially true with small poppers and sunfish.

 

I have used wine bottle corks and corks for collection vials. They ride well and really pop.