Hello Everyone!

I have been buidling a fair amount of rods over the last few years especially within the last 1 1/2 years.

I have two questions about rod building.

Question #1 What is a good method for putting guides on straight?

Question#2 What is a good way to add tension to the thread while wrapping guides by hand without a jig?

To get my guides straight I use the tip top as a reference. After I wrap each guide I turn the rod upside down and sight down the blank making sure there are equal amounts of the tip top sticking out from either side. I then move the guide(s) that I have wrapped until they also have equal amounts of their guide frame sticking out from either side of the blank. I find it easier to straighten my guides with the blank upside down versus looking down onto the guides right side up.

Jay

Greetings John,

As a non-powered wrapper with a simple V block type setup, I can offer my solution on Q # 2.

Its the force of gravity from a 1.5 oz. or so spring-clamp..

Thats all the thread tension that I've found to need.

In addition to the 'bobbins with tubes', I use this spring-clamp which has a wide, flat jaw-face which can be clamped, easily, on the bobbin thread during any time-out. Its hanging-weight is enough to prevent 'slack' which almost always leads to one of those 'evil' and ugly crossovers.
If you, truly, mean "by hand without a jig";
No.1, I am impressed (:>) considering various 'timeouts' that I find to be necessary. To steal the appropo term, my personal 'attention-span' ranges from 10 to 40 minutes. Then theres the need: to answer the phone, potty, tool out of my reach, etc. Hence, the spring-clamp is among my vital hand tools.

For Question #1, I find 'sighting' from the handle toward the tip through the rings on consecutively installed guides 'works fine'. Always, of course, in relation, to your intended plan for guide placement (whether 'spine' or backside or whatever). Also, I assume you start with the largest ring and progress to the tip. I believe the topics (are not new) underlying Q#1 can be found by forum searchs, here.

Tite wraps,
Bob

Straight guides ....

This is the process of rod building that takes the longest for me. I've tryed many methods and came up with an amalgamation of a few.

First, get the tip top placed. Then I get the guides placed on the rod w/ surgical tubing or blue-masking tape (if the tube's to thick - UL's). I've also used the rod glue to hold them in place in a bind, but prefer the surgical tubing.

Then I tape about 1/4" below the guide foot as a marker.

The I start w/ the biggest guide, checking about three time if it's in alignment. I try for close, but not perfect.

I then work up the rod, wraping each guide, always checking until finished.

Clean the wraps w/ tack cloth, CP if needed, then before placing on the drying motor and adding the epoxy, one more final adjustment and it's done.

The more rods I build, the quicker this process takes.

Tension - get one of those tension adjuster things from a board sponsor and it's a no-brainer. If for some reason you have an adversion to those, put the thread in a big book and add more books to the top of the thread-holding book until you get the tension you like - or just sit on the thread.

I f ind that after the eyes are placed on the rod a secound rod blank thru the eyes makes a straight line. C.P.

John ; I use the thimble with tube,I use a large one that holds 1OZ spools .easy to use!

I use the Mark 1 Mod 1 eyeball to line up my guides. it works better in my case

For question #1 I use orthodontic rubber bands, sometimes I have to wrap them 3 to 4 times when I get toward the top. It allows me to adjust the guides before I start wrapping and I start from the bottom and work to the top as George mentioned. With this I only have to spend a couple of seconds moving the blank to start the next guide. I check to make sure I did not bump it and start wrapping if it is where I want it. After I get a couple of wraps up the foot, I double check to make sure it is straight by putting the guides to the top and looking down the rod (from above looking at the rod lengthwise) to see if there is the same amount of space on both sides of the guide opening centering the blank. If not I can move it slightly before finishing my wrap. I then check it after the wrap is complete by checking to make sure it is level and centered with the other guides. This was the hardest for me when I first started but now I can do all the wraps and centering on a 9 foot fly rod in just under an hour.

As for #2 I use a small bolt through my base with a felt bottom and add the tension with a bolt that has the finger levers (the name of them slipped my mind). The spring idea sounds great; I am going to make that modification to my wrapping station.


MI Builder

After gluing on the reel seat, everything needs to be in line with it. I cut off an old reel's foot and put that in the reel seat for a "gun sight". I wrap the rod, start adjusting the first guide using this sight and work towards the tip. Then I glue the tip top on and finish the rod.

Putter

My method is sort of combination. Like Putter, I use the reel seat to line up everything as I go. I found an old junked fly reel and use that as my sight. It work well because I'm looking through the 'tunnel' where the line should be. Before I put on the finish, I turn the over, guides on the underside, and check to make sure there's an equal amount on either side of the blank. This also allows me to more easily see if one is a bit cock-eyed on the blank. I never used to be able to adjust them after wrapping until I learned, right here on this site, that I was using way too much thread tension.

Gerry

I think Putter uses a 10x scope!

Jim Rippe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think Putter uses a 10x scope!


Hey, whatever works. LOL

Bill in WV

Lord, with these old eyes, I need all the help I can get!

Putter

John, I do the same as Putter. I dont put the tip on till last. I use a plastic clothes hanger, actually a small plastic clamp, although if you look at a plastic clothespin you can drill holes to run the thread through the jaws and go around the spring. I cut one leg short and drill a hole to mount it to my hand wrapper. Yes, I have to move it frequently and my wrapper is full of holes. when theres too many, I,ll make a new one. Oh, I mount the clothespin on the edge facing me, pointing up, so the thread comes off the spool below ( which is attached to my bench with a big woodscrew) up through the clothespin and onto the rod. Maybe a picture is worth a thousand words, I cant send one. I also hang a reel on the seat put the rod in the V's and let it find bottom center. Then I'll mark it, check it against my spine mark, take the reel off and start wrapping, before I epoxy, I use a cut off reel foot with a notch that I mount and look over it to the last guide before I mount the tip top. I like to put the tip on guides down on the V's cause I didnt once and my tip was all shifted and ugly. Gravity, doncha know. This seems like alot as I write it, but I dont do a bunch, and my guides come out pretty good. The plastic clothespin works well and is dirt cheap. (Like, free off my neighbors clothesline!) Respectfully, hope it made some sense, Levi