More OTT then the OTT baby

Can you tell us about the paint job? It looks like a very high quality finish. Did you have it done by paint specialist? What kind of paint? Are there issues with cracking or peeling after putting a good bend in the rod?

Can't wait to see the finished rod.
MM

The blank has been painted at a high end German automobiles service/repair centre here in Sydney. The paint gets certain additives put into it, flexing agents and adhesion enhancers. Same sort of treatment that goes into painting plastic car body parts like bumpers and such. I have had quite a few painted now and there are no signs of cracking or peeling. Being a 2 pack based paint, it is also very resistant to damage, pretty much just like any good car paint job

Tazza
Its very much like a lucky dip with coloured EVA. Merrick would be your best source for the widest range of colours

I gotta say bye bye to azalak with post number 667 some time I suppose, will miss the toasty feeling

Ok, so I tried my hand at my first Throop Tiger. It was pretty quick and rough wrapping on a scrap blank piece so botched it up a bit



What I can say though is silver and black base with blue on top might not match the solid blues and silver highlights of the rod. I haven't given up on the throopie yet though. Hoping blue on the bottom and silver on top might tie in a bit better but have no idea on what to combine on the base with blue for contrast. I also though I might be able to get a checked pattern by taping lengths of flat blue sulky lengthwise around the blank and weaving flat silver through. Did three turns and started to look ok but had probs keeping it straight and had doubts on if it was going to look ok or go horribly scrunched as the blank tapered off so canned the idea

NC
My biggest issue with deco wraps is the layout, centers and such. Open one I can try like I did on the original OTT baby but closed! aaaarrrrgghhhh

Agree, it does not look that bad. I am doing a rod all in the same colors you mentioned. I am not copying ya so do not worry, have a meat pie. I am fairly new to building. I looking over the deco pattern instructions briefly and was lost on what to do exactly. What do the arrows and spacing mean? I am going to attempt a tiger with a couple other ideas I don't want to spoil till its complete. I am not sure about the low riders. Do you know the lb rating? Has anyone used ALPS XN guides on popping setups? BTW. DONT TYPE IN ALPS XXN IN GOOGLE In another post, you said you did not like Duralon. I actually ordered that stuff in blue, I am interested in seeing how it feels.

WHere do all those winding checks go? do you have a rough draft you could send me? I thought I would only need it on top of foregrip. Do you put them between each component? ok i'll stop, sorry so long....

Kent
Thanks mate, the reason I say pathetic is that this basic thing is all I could managed compared to all the intricate patterns others do. Half way through this one I was seriously tempted to chew on the bench grinder wheel in sheer frustration. Once the look started to emerge, then I could begin to see where I was headed. Do you reckon I should have used the blue where I used silver and vice versa?

Looking forward to seeing what you are working on. Wait till you see the handle on this baby

DPB
Wow thats a mouthful of a name, lol. Mate I saw some instructions and then I went and kicked the cat. Then I asked Richie for some guidance

The lowriders are my preferred frames from most rods PE3 and up. I have tested them to 36kg load an they have been fine. No dramas with fishing performance either. As for ALPs, I cant bring my self to use their products simply based on the blatant lookalikes of the long established Fuji concept frame range. All the winding checks go where your imagination places them. Checkout some of the rods I posted in this section and you will see some indulgent use