2/3 WT WHITE fiberglass fly rod

This is a new series... well, not so new as of now.. translucent white fiberglass fly rod blank that I received a few months ago.

It has got lesser dirt in the blank wall. The quality of the fiberglass blank has improve tremendously compared to those I got a few years back.

Going to built it simple with a burled wood insert downlocking reel seat and a reverse half wells cork handle.

Prep stripping guide and snake guide.

Pearsall's Silk Thread for wrapping.

Silk wrapped..

First epoxy coating

Finishing coat

The overall view of the completed rod.

SOLD - TQ..

NIF Phenix UL Rod

This is the 3rd Phenix UL blank I built which all are ultra light trout rod blanks.

Elixir Series blank from Phenix paired with Andrew's aluminum flat face trigger reel seat with burled wood insert from Matagi. This is a 2 piece blank and will have a spiral placement guides on it.

Normally it is not recommended but since it's an ultra light rod, I don't see any harm doing it. How big of a fish this rod will take anyway... I am sure it will not twist the rod during the 'fight'

Cork rings are glued and stack before it was shaped. Vintage looking reel seat are best match to cork grips.
Now the dilemma of shaping the grip...  Not having a firm decision of what type or shape of butt cap to be used. Square perfume cap or round bottle cap ?

Tried the square one but it just don't fit into the picture. Just not right. I have to go for the round bottle cap.

The fore grip was pretty much a standard. It was the rear grip that I have a slight problem.

This is the 2nd try, by the way. The 1st one was totally screwed....

Well, it still looked too thick , I guess...
Back to the drill lath.

And finally, we stopped here. Looks great.

This is how it looks after it was fitted onto the blank.

Guide placement setting.

Guides up. Those guides are not tape with masking tape but white color silk thread.

Silk thread wrapping on single foot guide. Now you see......

Now you don't.................
I have always fascinated with silk thread. It turned transparent after it comes into contact with epoxy.

A couple of thinned layer epoxy was applied to the wrapping. The epoxy coating cannot be too thick as it will load the tip of the rod. Less is always better on ultra light rods like this.

Static load test was done twice. Once before epoxy and then when the rod is completed.

This rod was tested by my fanatic ultra light rodder friend, Gerard.
(Photos courtesy of Gerard)

And I must say, this little rod turns out to be real good... I quote the rod owner.

Translucent Blank UL fiberglass fly rod...completed

Non stop epoxy marathon... and it's done. A truly transparent wrapping with a single black thread trimming across the guide foot. It looks like the guides are tied down with just a thread..

I tried something different on the tip. I have seen a rod builder who did this on his and it looked cool.

** Please visit my classified section if you are interested to get one of this affordable fiberglass fly rod and other fly fishing gears**

Translucent Blank UL fiberglass fly rod

Last week someone from Facebook messaged me and asked about the white translucent blanks I have and the fiberglass fly rods I built with that blank. He asked a question that I was not able to answer him.. " How's your translucent blank compared to Kabuto's translucent blanks? "

I have never once compared the white translucent blanks I have with those made by Kabuto because it's of different standards all together. Kabuto's blanks are of high standards and I don't see any black spots or dirt in his fiberglass blanks and the ones I got are just fish-able fiberglass fly rod blanks which cost a fraction of the price of Kabuto's rod blank.

The translucent fly rod blank that I have...

A fly rod built by Matt Leiderman from Kabuto's blank

The difference is very obvious.

Anyway, enough said and I am going build another fly rod from the translucent blanks that I have.

 I shaped the cigar style cork grip during the long holiday season and I have found the matching reel seat for this rod. A chrome finish down-locking hardware with Maple wood insert fly reel seat.

 I managed to wrapped the tip top and  will be doing another transparent wraps on this blank. I just love the effect of this transparent wrapping that shows the clarity of the epoxy and it's like the snake guides are just glued on.

 The rest of the snake guides will have to wait......

** Please visit my classified section if you are interested to get one of this affordable fiberglass fly rod and other fly fishing gears**

"White" unpainted fiberglass fly rod completed...

Finally, the white translucent fiberglass fly rod is done...

I used Pearsall's Gossamer silk (white) for this transparent wrapping effect with a single thread trim line across the the foot of the snake guide.

Signature wrapping to the hook keeper.. transparent wrapping with black spiral wrap over.

Did something different on the handle, full wells cork grip for this rod with a gun smoke up locking maple wood insert reel seat.

Getting back to my white translucent blank...

I remember seeing  a white translucent rod with transparent wrapping and a single line trimming between the foot of the snake guide on the internet sometime back, but I couldn't locate that web page, even on Google.

I am just going to that..

I was out of Pearsall's Gossamer 'white' silk thread a few weeks back and I thought of using other white threads. I tried Gudebrod 'white' silk and YLI 'white' silk on the blank and the transparent effect I got from those threads are not what I expected it to be. Personally, Pearsall's Gossamer 'white' silk thread still gives me the best transparent wrapping effect.

Spiral wrap before a thinned coat of epoxy is apply on to the wrapping

After the Pearsall's Gossamer 'white' silk thread come in contact with the thinned epoxy, it turned translucent.

The hook keeper foot can be cleared seen.

A thinned epoxy at a ratio of 6:4 was applied to all the wrappings. Next another thin layer of epoxy should finish the job.