Basic Guide Wrapping

I get quite a few emails with folk that have questions or are having problems with wrapping their guides. Hopefully this will help. I will spread it out over several posts as there is a lot of photos.

OK let me start by saying before you even start worrying about wrapping with thread the most important thing to keep the job as easy as possible is to properly prep your guide feet. By tapering the foot and by making the "toe" very slim the thread will have little chance of slipping off once your thread starts "walking" up the guide foot.

GUIDE PREP


You can see in this photo that at the end of the foot (where it transitions on to the blank) has very little step in it. To do this take a file and gently remove material until you get it to look like this. As you file lay it on something flat to check how much "step" it has left. This photo should help for visual reference. The time spent here is well worth it as it makes wrapping so much easier. Take your time go slow and have a light touch. No need to dig the file in hard just a nice smooth forward stroke. No need to go back and forth as the file will only cut on the forward stroke.

HOLDING THE GUIDE




Use a thin piece of masking tape to hold your guide down on the blank prior to wrapping. If it wont sit nice and flat take it off and touch the bottom of the guide with a file. You want it to sit flat. Now there is no need to wrap the tape all the way around the blank. This only makes it more difficult to get off while wrapping. You will see what I mean later!!

MAKING A SHOULDER



Next take a full width of masking tape and wrap it around the blank twice where you want your wrap to start. The length of the wrap is up to you as it will be your rod. By doing this you will create a shoulder for the thread to sit against to get a nice square edge. It also makes a dam if you like so you can pack the thread against it. I find that this is the easiest for beginners.






THE WRAPPING



Now the meat of it. OK my for wrapping setup the thread comes from behind the blank so bring the thead over the blank against the shoulder then wrap it in open turns to your right hand side 3 or 4 times. If you want you can put a temporary peice of tape on this tag to keep it tight or hold it with your left hand putting mild pressure by pulling towards you at all times. Dont let it go.



While still pulling with your left hand use your right index finger to gently nudge the thread over creating an "X". As you make this "X" rotate your blank so it traps the thread underneath. This is why it is important to not let it go with your left hand which is holding the tag end. If you do the blank will tend to spin within the wrap.



Make a few wraps and use your thumnail or in this case a tool to gently push the thread against your shoulder made of tape.



Make 4-5 turns again using your right index finger to guide the thread over your tag end and so it lays against each other and does not criss cross. If you look at the photo there are 5 wraps all laying next to each other. You can release the pressure with your left hand and cut the tag. The thread is trapped now and wont fly off.

Guide Prep, Grayling and Olympics!!!

I remember when I built my first few rods back in the mid 80's. I had bought Dales Clemens book and remember reading his words about finishing. He said it was a mistake to think about finishing as you were mixing your finish. I start to think about finishing even before the guide is wrapped. If you prep your guides properly it is so much easier to get a nice clean finished product. My tools are a flat file and a sanding board which women use to file their nails. I will say that when I find myself at the drugstore I get some funny looks when I am buying fingernail boards, Sally Hansens nail varnish(for my flies). I don't say anything and keep them guessing!! Ha Ha

When prepping your guide feet try to get a narrow slope with a very fine edge where the thread will start to climb up the foot. The time spent here will save you more headache than you know. This is especially true for someone starting out. I rough them out with a flat file and then take any burrs off with a sanding board.As these days I mostly build fly rods I like to keep the wraps slim looking. A word of caution- go slow file a bit and look. You can always remove but its hard to put the material back. As this is custom work and your looking for a nice fit and finish, time should not really be an issue. You can click on each photo to get a close look

Left- Unprepped

Right-Prepped

Notice the difference in the slope, thickness and radiused. Much easier to work the thread over the prepped guide. After it is wrapped the "tunnels" which are formed on each side of the foot are kept to a min. This reduces the amount of air that can be trapped in this void space. Reduced air equals less chance of getting bubbles in your finish and they are easier to fill up with your thread coating of choice.

Here's the difference. Be careful though don't make them too thin as you will lose to much of the structural strength. Practice makes perfect

I usually taper them this way as well.

I have been going through my fishing photos and saving all my best to a disc. Here is a nice grayling(one of my favorite fish). I looked in my notes and this was taken on a #16 CDC emerger during an olive hatch. This is the European grayling which is a bit different from the Artic Grayling.

Great sport when they are feeding on the surface with gusto!!

GO CANADA!!!!

Hockey tonight against USA. Lets crush them Shatner stealing Mexico touchers. I may be here in the UK. I,m still a puck slapping maple sucker A good medal haul so far this year