McFarland yellow glass 8'3" 6wt. 3pc. build
I just finished this unsanded yellow glass McFarland 8'3" 6wt. 3pc. rod last night. For this build, I used Joel Lemke's LC1 down locking (screw lock) black anodized seat and the insert is turned from a nice piece of maple burl. It's a bit tough to see in these photos as the down locking cap is covering half of the insert since the blank is standing up right. I just finished the guides last night, so I was reluctant to allow the wraps to touch anything yet. I will get a few better photos either tonight or tomorrow once the wraps have more time to dry.
The guides are all REC black pearl Recoil guides. I've used the black pearl recoil stripping guides before, but never the running snake guides. They were a bit difficult to wrap due to their wiry and flexible characteristics. I've heard horror stories about trying to "prep" the guide feet, but these came preground and did not need much work. Albeit, I bought them directly from REC, which probably helped. They were not as neatly ground/finished as the snake brand guides, but in all a decent guide. I'll probably stick with snake brand guides or PacBay light wire guides for the future though.
The grip is made of all flor grade rings turned to a moderate sized full wells grip. I kept the flared ends somewhat subdued (especially the rear flare so it would blend into the reel seat diameter better) as this rod is only a 6wt. rod and I didn't want the grip to seem overly large. The length of the grip is about 7".
The wraps are all YLI silk, color Antique Gold w/no color preserver. The silk thread goes somewhat translucent and it darkens to a rich golden brown color that nicely compliments the color of the blank.
I'm looking forward to test casting this one this weekend! I'll get some more photos of this rod up in a couple days after the wraps are fully dry. Let me know what you think!
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This rod is going to get paired up with my Abel TR3 reel.
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...2/P2210282.jpg
