The project started with trying to repurpose a vintage 'glass spinning rod's cork grip. It was long, weathered and had an aluminum stint over one half inch in diameter. I cut it up, glued the best pieces together and set aside to dry. I then inserted the aluminum stint back into the cork assembly and chucked it into my drill press. Used sandpaper to get the handle shape I was after. To get the handle to fit the blank's diameter, I made up a front and rear bushing using a single cork ring at each end and reamed to fit.
For the reel seat I used grade B cork rings turned down to fit the hardware. Using the B grade rings I got as close to a uniform look as I could.
Rather than inscribe the rod's size, I used 3 bands of white/black jasper thread. A NOS black agate stripper rounded out the butt section. The guides are wrapped with silk and low build epoxy was used.