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Forecast RX6 905-2 Girly Fly Rod Build

Rod Building 
2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Alexander 
#1 ·
So I received a request for a custom rod for a young lady in MT. She fishes quite a bit but mainly uses light tackle spinning rods. After seeing a fly fishing show on TV she said she wanted to give FF a whirl. So I thought it best to build her a rod on an RX6 blank. She also wanted to bling it up a bit with glitter (a first for me). I've always kind of liked the sleeper/understated look myself so to me this was a little but of a challenge. Her words, "the more glitter the better!". I first started out with nylon thread, PacBay Lite Blue, very nice color for this blank, especially with color lock! However, I could not get a fluid result and decided that rather than take a risk each time I use the product, I'd go with the same color, Lt Blue but in PacBay's stay true thread. This one actually looks good imho. Some other thread colors such as orange just don't really look orange in the stay true thread section, orange just seems like a tough color to work with. I used some on a black blank and that looks okay, but it's a pretty soft orange. Not that I was considering orange on this blank.. just stating my opinion on some side stuff.. ;)

Anyhow, the RX6 blank is really something else when it comes to it's color, dark blue, hint of purple and some turquoise maybe, it just looks different depending on the shade of light you put it in, it's a nice looking blank. I just put the last coat on about 20 minutes ago and added the glitter (very fine stuff). It's looking better then I thought it would, adds a bit to the girly/bling factor.

The low down:

Epoxy: U-40 LS Duragloss LS Supreme (love this stuff)
Thread: PacBay Stay True Lt Blue and Metallic Silver
Guides: Forecast UD Size 12, 10 and then the rest of the guides size 3 double foot Forecast light wire and light wire large loop tip-top
Grip: Forecast reverse half wells Super Grade
Winding Check: Forecast Light titanium smoke
Reel Seat: Forecast Birds Eye Maple
Skeleton: Brass/Nickel Silver/Chrome
Glitter: Michaels ;) Fine

I'm not great with pics, especially not fly rod pics, don't know how some of you do it to make it look so good.

I know some of you probably cringe at the sight or thought of glitter on a fly rod but, it's a custom rod and it's what the customer wants ;) In person I think it looks pretty good, heck all my kids were freaking out telling me that's how they want me to do their rods. :D (I have 3 girls ;))










Capturing the glitter and it's effects on camera is just impossible...

 
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#2 ·
nice looking rod. I have a rod I built on one of those blanks. I also like their blue color.
Glitter in the epoxy. novel idea.
Call it "metallic fleck finish" instead and its manly car finish stuff….

what pen are you using for the writing? Do you have to cover it with acrylic before the epoxy to protect it from the epoxy?

Jay
 
#4 ·
nice looking rod. I have a rod I built on one of those blanks. I also like their blue color.
Glitter in the epoxy. novel idea.
Call it "metallic fleck finish" instead and its manly car finish stuff….

what pen are you using for the writing? Do you have to cover it with acrylic before the epoxy to protect it from the epoxy?

Jay
Thanks guys! Yes, first I lightly scuff the blank once the area is taped off, I scuff it with a gray scotch brite pad, going to try the white scotch brite pad for even less abrasion next. I then write on it with a calligraphy pen and then once that's dry I hit it with the Krylon Fixative spray, then once that's dry I epoxy it when I do the guides.

Actually correction, on this rod I used the Gelly Roll pen, but sometimes I use the calligraphy pen. I need to find a finer tip even...
 
#5 ·
Alexander...

I'm laughing hard here, not at your work, but at the story of building a rod for your daughter! Over 20 years ago, I built a rod for my daughter from a Lamiglas 7' 2 pc 4-wt blank, with a full cork grip and sliding rings and single-foot ceramic-insert guides so she could start with it as an ultra-light spinning rod, and later graduate to fly fishing. I let her pick out the thread colors for the guides....purple with pink metallic accent wraps! She hauled in a lot of fish in the spinning-rod configuration over the next few years, but never did get into fly fishing. I may still have that old rod in the basement somewhere.......

Jim B.
 
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#7 ·
Thanks my dude that is a nice compliment! I received another flattering compliment yesterday regarding the 8wt rod I just sent my brother in California. I built him a 4 piece 8wt RX8 for fly fishing the surf and for fishing for Calico Bass. I told him to take it to a local fly shop for line selection. He told me that the guys there were impressed with the build. :D This is encouraging to hear especially from fly shop owners and employees who see rod coming and going all the time. :) I'll post pics later when I can get them off my phone.
 
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