I don't think I'd do it. There's a pretty good chance that the diameter of the rod blank is much smaller than the inner diameter of the cork. The manufacturer then builds up like bushings or arbors around the blank to meet the diameter, then adds epoxy. Depending on where these build ups are, the end of the handle could be loose, which could then cause the rest of the handle to loosen over time. You can watch videos on YouTube of how they do it to get a better idea of what I'm describing. Mudhole will have a video on YouTube and on their website. If you're intent on trying it, I'd certainly look at some videos