Hi all, thought I'd show you guys that I embarked on some practice.   I took the wrapping off the bottom guide on a cheap pole and rewrapped it.    Since it was practice I kind of overdid things... and it now looks like a Christmas present.   ;D

Some things I've found out:

This requires me to take my glasses off...I am old.  

This is very hard on the eyes.   :'(

Thin wraps are hard to hold still

The fuzzies are hard to get rid of when you cut a tag end off that you've pulled out.  

Taking off old epoxy+wrap is  bummer, especially if the blank is painted, the paint chips off.  

I can see how you can get a real sense of accomplishment if you create something nice.  

Some things I haven't figured out:

How to wrap a single thread width.  

How much tension to use (becase my guides on this test pole are already attached).

All the rest of the stuff that goes into a rod build...that'll have to wait for my fed-ex guy next week.

Thanks for everyones help here!  

Theresamarie1,

That is a super wrap job for the first... I give it a big 10 thumbs up

Some things I've found out:

This requires me to take my glasses off...I am old.

I wear glasses also and use an optivisor with them.  

This is very hard on the eyes.

Check into the optivisors that are on the market  

Thin wraps are hard to hold still

This takes practice, but it will come with the practice..

The fuzzies are hard to get rid of when you cut a tag end off that you've pulled out.

With practice some builders are able to cut the tags shorter and when pulled through they don't even show. I keep a Bic lighter on my wrapping table and flame the tag end fuzzy.  

Taking off old epoxy+wrap is  bummer, especially if the blank is painted, the paint chips off.

Try using a hair blower to heat the old epoxy it will soften it and make it easier to slice the old wrap at the edge of the guide foot. Heat it again and then you should be able to peel the old finish and thread off. Don't get the hair dryer to close to the blank your just trying to heat the old wrap finish not the blank..

Some things I haven't figured out:

How to wrap a single thread width.

Check out the sticky post above on single color inlays it might help...

How much tension to use (becase my guides on this test pole are already attached).

There are a couple of ways to get the proper tension setup on your wrapper.

One is to hang the thread through the wrappers tensioners and tie a bag to it then fill the bag with pennies one at a time, when you get to about 10 pennies and the thread slips in the tensioner, it should be about right for most fresh water rod guides.

The second way is the way I learned to do it.

I use the Flex Coat Guide Foot Adhesive to tack my guides into a temporary alignment. I would wrap with a tension I think is going to hold the guide in place when under fish fighting stress. When I had the guides wrapped, I then checked again for alignment, if I had one out of alignment I would use a little pressure to move it back into alignment. If the guide moved to freely then I didn't have enough tension set for the wrap. I would then re-adjust my tensioners and re-wrap the guide, and try the alignment movement again. When I could just barely move the guide to re-align it, I knew it is enough tension. After 15 years I can now pick the thread tension by a certain pitch sound the thread makes when I strum it with my burnishing tool. It all comes with practice.

Hope this helps some...

Tight Wraps!!

Theresamarie1,

That is a super wrap job for the first... I give it a big 10 thumbs up

Thanks David!!      

Chris was quite curious as I was wrapping at the Kitchen Island.   I've suggested to Chris that he can build a fly rod over the winter.    

Check out the sticky post above on single color inlays it might help...

I can't believe I missed that..  thanks.  I think I'll redo this rod with Red and a few single wide silvers to cap it off.  

There are a couple of ways to get the proper tension setup on your wrapper.

One is to hang the thread through the wrappers tensioners and tie a bag to it then fill the bag with pennies one at a time, when you get to about 10 pennies and the thread slips in the tensioner, it should be about right for most fresh water rod guides.  

Wow, thanks.  This should be fairly easy to figure out..   maybe I can make a little bag with an aligator clip on it so I can connect it to whatever thread I have there.  I can already tell that different threads need different settings even when they have the same sizing.

After 15 years I can now pick the thread tension by a certain pitch sound the thread makes when I strum it with my burnishing tool. It all comes with practice.

Very cool... that's the sign of experience!    I do cycling and have built my own wheels (what else would you expect) and I can tension my wheels by the sound the spokes make.

Hope this helps some...

Thank you as always.. a very great help.

Theresamarie1,

The wraps look great! You are definitely on the right track. When you start building dream rods, you may want to avoid excessive wraps beyond the end of the guide foot. I think there is some info on this in Kirkman's book. Epoxy will tend to crack at the base of the guide foot, starting your wraps as close to the guide foot as you can will fix  cracking problems and lighten the rod. However when practicing you can't wrap too much. Good Job!

You can get a swing arm lamp with heavy swivel base and a big magnifying glass in the middle of it from Walmart or staples for about $15 or $20. They are used on engineering drafting tables. I can't do any close work without it. It's great for rod wrapping & fly tying. Also, because of my arthritis I use large tweezers and forcep clamps to handle thread. It's like having a third hand. For example, when fiishing a wrap I use the tweezers to pass the thread through the pull loop then clamp the forceps on the tag end. The weight of the forceps holds tension on the thread while I snug the loop & reach for scissors. Hope this helps,

Ronnie

Theresamarie1,

The wraps look great! You are definitely on the right track. When you start building dream rods, you may want to avoid excessive wraps beyond the end of the guide foot. I think there is some info on this in Kirkman's book. Epoxy will tend to crack at the base of the guide foot, starting your wraps as close to the guide foot as you can will fix  cracking problems and lighten the rod. However when practicing you can't wrap too much. Good Job!

You can get a swing arm lamp with heavy swivel base and a big magnifying glass in the middle of it from Walmart or staples for about $15 or $20. They are used on engineering drafting tables. I can't do any close work without it. It's great for rod wrapping & fly tying. Also, because of my arthritis I use large tweezers and forcep clamps to handle thread. It's like having a third hand. For example, when fiishing a wrap I use the tweezers to pass the thread through the pull loop then clamp the forceps on the tag end. The weight of the forceps holds tension on the thread while I snug the loop & reach for scissors. Hope this helps,

Ronnie

Hey Ronnie, thank you much for the tips and compliment!   Sorry about your arthritis, I know that can be bad to live with... it runs in my family too, but I haven't experienced it ... yet.   But good to see you can get around it and do what you enjoy.

I am really new at this rod building stuff and will continue to take it slowly.  The Christmas wrap was just practice, so I know I overdid it.  I'm doing the rest of the guides on my test pole in a more 'sane' manner.   ;D   I didn't realize it should only go right to the edge of the guide, so that's good input.

My first real parts are coming Wednesday but think I'll practice a bit more before starting on that project.

Theresamarie1,

Just another idea here. Start practicing on the tip section wraps. When you get your blank your going to find the tip section is a real bear when it comes to getting the tension right. Watch out for finger cramping up there wrapping the upper section of small guides..

Tight Wraps!!!

Theresamarie1,

Just another idea here. Start practicing on the tip section wraps. When you get your blank your going to find the tip section is a real bear when it comes to getting the tension right. Watch out for finger cramping up there wrapping the upper section of small guides..

Tight Wraps!!!

Thanks Reelmech, that's the area I'm doing now on the test pole.  I've found out that silver and gold thread (with metalic sub-thread) is really not happy to be around flames .    The fuzzies can be removd with the ole bic when it's normal thread, but that metalic stuff just disintegrates.   I've done one guide now 3 times..   .   The metalic thread is also hard in other aspects in that it doesn't sit like regular thread.  The metalic component is like a thin flat ribbon, and just doesn't cooperate.   I should have just gotten light grey instead of silver-metalic.   The other thing I'm battling is trying to get a flat lay on the rod when it's been painted and paint in the guide area has been removed in places.  Wherever there's a paint edge, the thread doesn't lay properly.  I'm thinking that if I ever have to redo something I care about, I should sand the area so it's consistent and flat.  

You've been a great help, thanks!

Theresamarie1,

I've found out that silver and gold thread (with metallic sub-thread) is really not happy to be around flames  .    The fuzzies can be removd with the ole bic when it's normal thread, but that metallic stuff just disintegrates.

I use my BIC on metallic all the time, the key is to just barely singe the end, it takes some practice but it can be done.

The metallic thread is also hard in other aspects in that it doesn't sit like regular thread.  The metallic component is like a thin flat ribbon, and just doesn't cooperate.

On a wrapper that has duel tensioners like mine I run my regular guide threads threw one that is set at my guide wrapping tension. Then on the other one I will run a tension that is set up just for my multiple turn metallic trim wraps (much lighter). When I do a single metallic inlay I don't us any tension at all I cut about an 8" piece and hold it with my fingers.

The other thing I'm battling is trying to get a flat lay on the rod when it's been painted and paint in the guide area has been removed in places.  Wherever there's a paint edge, the thread doesn't lay properly.  I'm thinking that if I ever have to redo something I care about, I should sand the area so it's consistent and flat.

When ever I remove a guide from a painted blank, I use the ultra-fine 3M sanding pad to prep the area. I sand out from the middle of the guide area to the edge of the trim wrap area if there was one. I then start the re-wrap at that outer edge back up the guide foot. When it is packed and burnished well you still might see some unevenness in the thread wrap but when finished this will disappear.

Keep practicing....

Tight Wraps!!!