Well, at long last, here it is! Finally finished my first bamboo build from scratch late last week. A 2/1 7?2? 5 wt Paul Young Driggs River. Blonde cane (the raw cane was too nice to flame), cigar grip, cocobolo reel seat by Venneri (good grief that guy?s reel seats are gorgeous!), orange and black jasper wraps with black tipping to match the reel seat, nickel silver ferrules, Mildrum stripping guide and chrome snakes, and dipped with Helmsman spar polyurethane. The wraps are actually Gudebrod nylon. I tried some test wraps on a dowel with the Pearsall?s jasper, and while the silk was really nice, the nylon nailed the color of the reel seat. Some of the guys from the FAOL message board got to take a look at it this past weekend at the Mason Fly Tying Expo, so figured I would share it with all the rest of the gang.
If anyone is contemplating building a rod from scratch, do yourself a favor and do it. I think this has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, and to be certain, this is not the last one for me. Have my planing forms and binder and other items and am planning on starting a Garrison 201E after the start of the year. Two tip this time, just for the challenge. Hope to have it done in time for the opener, or at least in time for Grayrock and the Fish-In. Should be a lot of fun on Tricos. 8) This rod I built is far from perfect, with more than enough glue lines and gaps in the wraps here and there, but I gave it my best effort and for a first rod, I am really pleased with it. More than that, I already know that the next one will be even better! 
I have to put a couple of shouts out to thank some people that encouraged me to do this. First off, an enormous thank you to the guy who showed me how to build the rod, Ron Barch from Hastings, MI. People familiar with modern cane builders or those who just enjoy cane rods will recognize Ron?s name as the publisher of ?The Planing Form? newsletter and owner of Alder Creek Publishing and Rods (publishers of Kathy Scott?s books). Anyone who knows Ron personally know him to be a real gentleman, a teacher and mentor as well as a student of the craft of cane rod building, and a great guy to sit down and share a beer and a conversation with. He has done a tremendous amount of work over the years to help people get into building and fishing cane rods, and his rods are beautiful fishing tools. I got to know Ron through the local TU chapter and when he saw that I was interested in refinishing cane rods, he encouraged me to take the next step. I will always be in debt to him for all his help and insight, which he continues to give generously. If anyone is considering building a bamboo rod, I cannot stress it enough, how worthwhile it is to learn under the guidance of an experienced professional, like Ron, or someone else near you. This rod wouldn?t have turned out half as good had I not had Ron helping me.
Second, after much searching and frustration, I think I can finally say that I have found a really good color preserver. I have tried scads of different preservers during my refinish jobs, but none of them even come close to the performance of Al?s Color Rite which is available from Angler?s Workshop. This stuff is DA BOMB!!! 8) Nylon or silk, it completely saturates the thread (has a consistency of milk). Just three coats, dries completely in an hour with no buildup, cleans up with warm water, AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY! Doesn?t darken or change the color of the thread. I don?t work for them and I know they aren?t a sponsor here, but I can?t help but give kudos where kudos are due. That stuff is awesome!
And finally, a huge thanks to JC and LF for bringing us all this forum, and to all of you folks that make this board so colorful. We all have a hand in encouraging each other to try new things and grow in the sport, and what a rewarding adventure it is. To all of you, thanks.