FYI on corks for poppers

[Harebear]

Quite often I'm the last one to find out about good deals, but I figured I'd pass on a good deal. I found a website that sells 2 different grades of tapered cork for prertty cheap. Standard grade for .15 ea and premium for .20ea. they offer free shipping if you spend at least $10. See what you think. Also, I'm always looking for a better deal, if anyone has a better source I'd love to hear about it! Thanks, hope this helps someone LOL.

[dixieangler]

I prefer to use balsa or foam but if I did use cork, Michaels has an assorted sizes tapered cork pack and I would probably get that. Don't know how much each cork works out to for the pack though. It would just be easier for me to go there but not sure if they would have large quatities.

[Buddy Sanders]

I had a lot of fun many years ago playing with cork for poppers.

Gave them up, though, when I found foam.

Cork is fun if you want to get into nostalgia, but it's not an ideal material.

Cork bugs are fragile. The glue joint tends to let go easily, due to the nature of the material. Cork separates easily from itself. You need lots of coats of finish to get a smooth surface and keep the cork from absorbing water and sinking. Too much 'finish' though, and the cork sinks from the weight...as such things go, cork isn't all that bouyant to begin with.

Cork bugs can be beautiful. I still have some that I spent the time to finish to slick and shiny with airbrush paint jobs....just can't justify the time anymore. For the amount of time needed, I can spin/stack deer hair and end up with more flies...

Foam is cheaper, you get fishable flies faster, and the soft texture is helpful in getting the fish to hold them...

But, for a good source of cork, the Ace Hardwarer mear me sells them in 'bulk' and the smaller panfish sized ones run around eight to ten cents each...larger ones up in the twelve to twenty five cent range....

Or, if you have the 'bug' to build lots of cork bugs, get some cork gasket material at the auto stores, laminate them together with contact cement to the thickness you want, and punch cores with punches or sharpened tubes like you'd do with foam...these will be cheaper, stronger, and finish easier than 'stopper corks' will.

I even built a jig to cut the slot straight and in the center of the corks...still useful for some foam applications....

Buddy

[RS1]

Another good sourse for foam is WalMart, Target etc. Buy some flip flops/ thongs. Build a punch out of steel tubing or pipe. Stick it on your Dremel and sand away.

[streamcaddis]

I prefer to use balsa or foam but if I did use cork, Michaels has an assorted sizes tapered cork pack and I would probably get that. Don't know how much each cork works out to for the pack though. It would just be easier for me to go there but not sure if they would have large quatities.

I was in Michael's last week a got some suede I use for chenille. That place is a god sent when it comes to tying materials.

[William Fitzgerald]

I think I havent used cork in over 15 years---once you use balsa you wont go back. Much easier to finish. I learned to cut pencil poppers and smaller popper bodies from a $3 2 x2 x 12 block of balsa from a craft store. You cut a 2 inch block off (2x2x2). Sharpen the end of a 3 inch long piece of 3/8 brass tubing from a hobby shop. Set the 2x2 on end with a golf ball in your hand to prevent hurting your palm push the tube thru the balsa giving you 20 bodies. Think that makes 120 2 inch popper bodies from the 12 inch piece. Sharpen one end in a pencil sharpener put a hole in the front with a Dremel power tool. Add eyes some paint others use mylar tubing over the balsa and another using contact cement wraps fine aluminum foil on the body then using a knurling tool to add scales. Finish after painting with thinned epoxy or rod finish in a rotating dryer. BILL

[Harebear]

You're right about the cork, more holes to fill. I usually use thin coats of flat white and sand them between coats to fill. I guess I just never got away from the cork. I do use balsa pretty much equally. I like to get the 3/8 X 3/8 and 1/2 X 1/2 sticks. I can usually get 2 dozen bodies per foot.
I haven't had much trouble with the cork letting loose. The wicking properties of zap-a-gap make alot of difference. But definitely not as durable as balsa.
Does anyone have a good process for cutting foam popper heads. I do have a set of punches and the darn things are tough on your hands! I'm curious as to how everyone else does it! Thanks

[dudley]

I use slices of lobster pot buoys for my foam bodies which I punch out with sharpened copper pipe.
The pipe dulls quickly and must be sharpened regularly. I hold the pipe with pliers

Years ago a got a bag of 500 test tube corks. They sit on a #2 popper hook pretty well.
I found that if I first epoxied then painted them they came out smooth and held up pretty well

[dixieangler]

Does anyone have a good process for cutting foam popper heads. I do have a set of punches and the darn things are tough on your hands! I'm curious as to how everyone else does it! Thanks

Try this:

Making Foam Plugs for the Foam Sandal Popper

CLP Cheap Little Popper

CLP (Cleap Little Popper)

Some folks use empty brass cartridge cases also. They drill out the primer hole and insert a small bolt with the small bolt head inside the cartridge (you may first need to punch out the old primer if using old cases). Then they use a lock washer and a nut to tighten against the cartridge base. Sharpen the outer edge of the case and chuck the bolt into a drill (cases like rifle cases with necks can be sawed off with a hacksaw). Different size cartridge cases can give different size foam plugs.

[ducksterman]

You folks that use cartridge cases...how do you get the foam plug from inside the case?...stop the case just short of going all the way through the foam...so you can crab it?