United COMPOSITE USA - dhx 8-25lb

Not able to post my rod building work here due to my day job commitment recently.

Started this in early May and completed July.

United Composite Blank with a mixture of my custom parts and Matagi parts.

The rod was planned as such... but some how it evolved ..

Some accessories was added and it is obvious, the rod immediately looked different.

Pipe winding check added finished off with deco wrapping in front.

An extended check for the KDPS to add more bling bling to the rod.

Top trim added to the foregrip 

Titanium RSOL guides was selected for this project. This will take off a few gram off the overall weight.

MATAGI butt cap at the bottom.

( 2017 - *11 )

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.

MATAGI Super Blank - UL

Seems like ultralight tackle is in..  and everybody have to own at least one UL rod.

Here's another UL built from Matagi TR60 Super Trout blank. This local area fishing blank is a 6'0" 2 piece, 2-6lb rated and made of carbon fiber.

Custom design cork grip.

Shaped

Matagi Andrew's flat face trigger reel seat with black wood insert.

Test fitting. Found out that the transparent resin butt cap does not match the concept of the handle. It have to go....

Thought of doing the wrapping in dark brown, afraid the rod will look too earthy.. and it goes back to more conventional color... BLACK

So, black it is.. with a single silver thread trimming

Matagi Rod decal..

Cork Seal for protective coating..

Micro guides..
 

The smallest guide used is only #4.5
 

The butt cap finally arrived...

Darker color butt cap to match the handle.

Katana Series - The SILVER GHOST

Another 4 months project. Spent quite some time test fitting before the actual gluing took place.

The main ingredients:
 
Blank - North Fork (IM) 6'6" 12-25lb
Matagi components
 

Here are some of the photos taken during the test fitting.

The reel seat
 

The in-between..
 

The handle

 

 

 

Now the easier part.. the gluing of all components
Getting cork split grip and winding checks in place.

and now the reel seat ..
 

 

Then the cork grips are coated with U-40 Cork Seal.
 

and wrapping...
By the way, those are FUJI titanium SIC guides.

Epoxy..
 

.. and that's about it..