Thursday, May 31, 2012

St Croix ML with MATAGI components

Another St Croix blank built. This 3S63MLXF blank is rated 4~8lb and 6'3" in length.




And it will be built with Matagi components.


Handle setting out before I shape the EVA rear grip and fighting butt.

Red aluminum trim parts with carbon tube insert on ACS reel seat and carbon tube for split grip exposed blank.




Testing fitting the handle parts before I apply epoxy to assemble the components permanently.



Fully Japan Fuji SiC guides. There are 11 guides and a tip on this rod but you see only 10 here as the last one is not able to fit in the photo. My friend told me that this rod is full of rings for  a 6'3" rod...!!  Yup, how I wish I could put lesser!!

I fixed up more guides to prevent the lines from running across the blank when the rod is loaded during the ' fish fight'. Similar to the micro guide system, more micro guides are used.



A rear view





Rod decals



And the rod will be pairing with this reel....


11th June 2012, this rod went for a trial test... Peacock Bass




The real test is yet to COME..

So much for Peacock Bass,.... on the 20th June, this little rod went fighting with a few giant..... snakehead and succeeded.






What else next???





Wednesday, May 30, 2012

JSI St Croix 3S66MLF

This is the 1st rod done in my new 'cave'. I have been busy arranging all my stuffs in my new workshop until at times I can't find the things I am looking for...

This order was placed as early as in February 2012 and I tried to do it up within 2 months but unfortunately I failed, partly due to the shifting but mostly of me looking for perfection. I damaged the rod decal trying to making good the evenness of the epoxy. I had to wait for the decal replacement from St Croix.


This friend of mine fancy the minima reel seat from PacBay. Very nice and light for those who are into skeleton reel seat and wants their rod to be light.


Aluminum deco ring as a transition between the trigger reel seat and EVA rear grip.



After shaping the rear grip and fighting butt.



Test fitting the reel seat and EVA grip.



Original Fuji SiC guides for the rod.



Simple black wrapping with metaliic silver trims to match the aluminum deco ring.


10+1 guide placement



Silver trimmings above EVA rear grip and fighting butt at exposed blank of split butt.



This was the 1st rod decal I damaged during the expoxy process and it costed me 2 weeks of waiting period.



This is the replacement rod decal from St Croix.


And there... it is all done.