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Post 19 May 2021, 07:14 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 06/30/20
Posts: 250
My most recent rod build finished today. It’s a Blue Heron “Sweet Swell 2” 6’9” 2/3wt. The blank was made and shipped to me by Masayuki Iwata of Blue Heron Rods all the way from Tokyo Japan. The rod blank has a swelled butt that is supposed to help the rod flex further down and slow the action down.

This is my first ever reel seat and turned grip that I made myself. The wraps are light blue silk with gold tipping. The hardware is gold pac bay. Word of warning - if you order gold hardware from Mudhole, check the sizes to other known guides you have in stock. They shipped me, no kidding, 3 times the wrong size guides. They kept sending me a size 1 instead of a 1/0 and a 2 instead of a 2/0. On the 3rd time I asked them to check their warehouse bin, and sure enough someone had put the wrong size in the bin. That set me back at least a month on this build. As I'm just a hobby builder, that was fine, but still frustrating.

I lawn cast this rod today and it’s really nice and slow with a flex down into the butt just as advertised. I cast it with a DT2 and DT3 line. Both performed well but I prefer the 3. Only thing left is to fish it!

I still cannot get the writing section of the blank down. I had it perfect with testors paint and a calligraphy pen. Then when I added the epoxy, it ran underneath. Still looking for tips on this if anyone wants to share! Thanks for looking.









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Post 19 May 2021, 11:20 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Very nice!


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Post 19 May 2021, 14:11 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
That turned out nice...I like the blue and gold together.


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Post 21 May 2021, 09:18 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/11/17
Posts: 436
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Cool build. I don't care for my hand writing on a my rods. An alternative to writing on the rod is a decal. If you're interested, check out Proof Fly Fishing or Decal Connection.


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Post 21 May 2021, 21:43 • #5 
Guide
Joined: 12/14/11
Posts: 212
Location: Oregon
Jesse, did you thin the epoxy? how long did you let the writing dry before trying to cover?


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Post 24 May 2021, 11:51 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 06/30/20
Posts: 250
I let the writing sit for 5 days before trying to cover. I did not thin the epoxy. It is threadmaster lite. I did heat the area, after applying the epoxy, to get it to run out flat.


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Post 25 May 2021, 20:19 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 12/14/11
Posts: 212
Location: Oregon
If it had not run before applying heat you have your answer :)


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