Finally finished my Rainshadow RX8+, 8wt. Very nice casting rod, somewhat like a Sage XP, but cosmetically, it didn't turn out quite like I wanted. I used Batson gunsmoke guides and reel seat with a blue woven graphite insert. It was wrapped in royal blue with silver accents.



I have never used color preserver and didn't plan on it this time, but, at my wifes urging, I did. It didn't turn our as well as I would have liked.



The color preserver was hard to work with and didn't dry smoothly. On top of that, I couldn't get the epoxy to level correctly. Not to bad, but not quite up to par.



All of the different components look good, but they just don't seem to fit together. I really like the gunsmoke finish on the guides and reel seat, but the blues in the wraps, the guide inserts and the reel insert, just don't match up.



But all is not lost. It casts great and I'm sure the fish are not as particular as I am.