North Fork Composite UL

2nd built for 2017... a simple second one to get the ball rolling. 
The blank is from NFC SM graded ultralight 2-6lb. K-guides partial savaged for a broken rod and a new Andrew's fishing reel seat.

Stacked and glued cork rings for rear handle.

 Carefully lathed to the shape of choice

Installation of rod decal and epoxy.

Gold anodized button plate butt.

Part old part new of the K-guides

Guides lined up

Completed rod with the cork grip sealed with U40 Cork Sealer.

ME's Andrew's + MATAGI baitcasting rod

Some old school look for this built up with Andrew's fishing burled wood insert and silver color hardware.

MHX light action blank rated 6-12lb 6'6" in length.

The pre-form cork rear handle comes in 10" length.

Then it was shorten to 7"

MATAGI butt cap

ALPS Titanium zirconium guides and you can rest assured that rust residue will not built up at the guide foot.

Fish weaving that I do occasionally...

After 3 layer of Thread Master epoxy coating

Guides wrapped pending epoxy

Done with the epoxy

Finished rod handle

Fish weaving with rod decal

Rod handle rear view

and full view of the rod...

MHX Blend & CRB back to back

I have been away for a week for a break. When I got back, I really have to work a little faster to clear some of the backlog.

I started on this 2 blanks MHX Blend 6'9" 10-17lb and CRB 6' 6-10lb concurrently. The CRB was shortened to 5'6" as per requested by the owner.

Both of these rods have some similarity in the design of the handles.
The CRB used standard Fuji ACS reel seat with KDPS quick lock while the MHX used custom colour ALPS Textouch reel seats. The good thing about this ALPS reel seat is that they come with a double locking nut for the hook.

Guide wrapping completed.
Black thread with silver spiral trim for the CRB and nylon blue color thread for MHX.

I epoxy the wrapping for the MHX first as this owner need it for a fishing trip and I have 2 days for finish this rod.

Please note that the light blue wrapping turns darker after epoxy. That is the nature of nylon threads when it comes in contact with epoxy.

Part of the upper handle.

The handle.

Another view of the handle.

 The epoxy dried in time before it was sent away.


Now, for the CRB. As mentioned earlier, the spiral trim with black thread wrapping.

The completed rod.

And the completed rod look something like that..

MATAGI Fiberglass XUL Spinning

This 6' fiberglass XUL blank is rated at 2-4lb. Why XUL you may asked....
It is XUL because it's glass and it's soft...but apart from all that, this little rod is really fun to cast with a UL spinning setup.

I used Andrew's fishing flat face spinning reel seat FP type for this project of mine. Unfortunately they have ran out of the burled wood type, if not the handle will look even nicer.

A few shot on the handle.

Fuji SiC K guides with metallic white wrapping and silver trim.

Fuji KR Concept guides layout

Did a rush job on this rod for this...... 

 

If you have noticed, there is no rod decal on the rod in the 'fish' photos.
As this was a really rush job, I just finished what just need to be done and finished it off after the fishing trip... LOL

And.. NO, you are eye sights are perfectly well... there are 2 Matagi XUL rods in the photo. Pretty much the same stuff but they are not alike...

St Croix UL with TRANSLUCENT handle in RED.

This St Croix UL 2-6lb 5' SC3 blank was tucked in the corner for more than 3 months before the owner decided to have it built and that took me another 3 months to complete.

I think that is ONE of its' kind here for now.

Translucent Andrew's Fishing aluminum trigger baitcasting reel seat. Very unique. I have to find a winding check of similar color to close off the front of the reel seat.

Red wrapping with single silver metallic thread trim across the guide foot.

After epoxy.

Short cork grip handle with EVA foregrip.

Different angle of the handle.

MATAGI translucent resin butt cap that matches the reel seat.

Micro guides.