Have been a long time lurker in this forum. Actually have gotten alot of very very good information from the posters here. Not new to rod building but have recently upgraded to a power wrapper. But here is my problem maybe someone could help solve. I'm having trouble with shadows showing up in my guide wraps. This has never happened before in any of the rods I have built. I'm using Aqua #638 Gudebrod reglar nylon thread. When I apply the Flex Coat CP and it dries it had black shadows in it. The shadows show up as blotches as well as line around the wrap. I have gone so far as to strip the guides off and redo with fresh everything (twice!!!!). Still shadows and not always in the some spot. Thread are packed tight and burnished. No gaps etc. Blank is a gloss clear Amteck. Thanks

It sounds like you may have some type of contamination , like oil on your guides or blank. I recommend you wash your guides and blank with a mixture of denatured alcohol and a tad of liquid soap.
Good Wraps Bob

Have done all of that. Scrubbed up like a Surgeon. Minimized handling the thread etc. I have just finished trying something a little different. Right after I applied the CP, I used a dryer to QUICKLY dry the wrap. Seems to have cut down on some of the shadow but the thread is not really returning to it origional color.

No, it's not contamination (contamination is hardly ever to blame for rod building woes). You're not packing your thread together tight enough.

Make two test wraps, one just as you're doing now and another where you stop on each wind or two and actually use a thumbnail to pack those threads together. Now apply CP to both and notice the diffence. We had photos in RodMaker of what both look like when coated. When the wraps don't solidly press up against each other, paricularly on dark blanks with light thread, you're seeing the minute gaps between the threads and in bunches they form dark blotches and streaks.

.......

I agree with Tom. on packing and burnishing. I forgot to mention earlier . is to repack and gently burnish when the thread is still damp with C/P
Good Wraps Bob

Thanks Guys! Home Run!!! I thought I was packing tight, but I guess not. As I was power wrapping I would use the tip of the burnishing tool to tighten the thread. Did a test strip on an old piece of blank as Tom said. Both wraps looked good. But the wrap where I packed the !x!x! out of it was right on the money!!!! with no shadows or lines. Thanks again

Henry

Ain't this site great!!!


Putter
Williston, ND

I once shared your plight. Same problem and once I learned better, same fix. Color Preserver gets a bad rap (no pun intended) and most problems we associate with it are usually the fault of the person doing the wrapping.