Carolina Cast Pro 11 3-6 final build

Just finished a 11' 3-6oz Cast Pro series rod. This was my first time working with Abalone shell and wanted to share the experience. Did not take long to realize the shell is brittle to work with. Actually was cracked before I even took it out of the MudHole package which I guess in understandable since we are in cold weather season. I ended up placing my cut sizes in very hot water to sit for 5-10 minutes. Then when applying to the rod I used a heat gun which helped keep the layer down flat. I bet a hair dryer would work too. Overall pleased with the result and it does dress up the rod: