Good evening to all you guide wrappers ! Awhile back there was a post put up about using a piece of thread to square off the finish at the end of the guide wrap. Does anyone else remember that post and how it was done ? I just can't get my wraps even by using a brush no matter how steady I keep my hand .
Thanks in advance for all replies.
<<<DON >>>at <<<HOBBY RODS <<<

i read that and don't know how to find it but i have been using it with success. first, i gave up on brushes a while back. i use a toothpick and a spatula to apply epoxy and it gives me good control. if i slop a little over onto the blank i use A nylon thread like floss to clean it off. works pretty well but is not exactly what
the fellow was doing. he was using the thread to move some epoxy from the wrap onto the blank in a very straight thin edge. i don't want any on the blank. think it looks neeter. sometimes i have to use an
alcohol soaked coffee filter to clean up little slops especially on matt blanks where the shine in those little dribs show. somewhere in the back of my mind i think steve kartalia was the guy who posted that technique.

Donald,
I've read, and tried, the methods that some folks use. Basically, while the rod is turning, you use a piece of thread stretched tight or a dental floss tool to carefully push epoxy off the wraps onto the blank. While I can see the merits in this technique if done correctly, I haven't figured out how to do it correctly, or at least, consistently. I use a brush with good results, but I would have to say that whatever the technique, a steady hand and some patience is the key. If nothing else, keep a napkin wetted with alcohol to clean up the lines (although that also requires a a steady hand. On my shaky days, I use tape to get a clean line but you have to be careful to not remove the tape too soon or too late. Like so many things with finish, it comes down to what you eventually get comfortable with.

I think the post he's asking about referred to using the END of a piece a piece of thread DRAPED over the rod to spread the finish in a straight line around the blank - not held tight. As the blank rotates the slack between the end of the thread and your hand absorbs most if not all side-side movement (within reason now, come on...) and thus gives you a straighter edge.

Best thing to do is try it to find out whether iti will work for you. No, I don't use this method - I apply by spinning the blank manually while applying. Oh, sometimes 1-2 of the edges come out a little crooked, but thats ok, no ones complained (yet).

Lou

i would suggest trying a piece of plastic credit card, cut maybe a quarter inch wide as a spatula. place a block of wood or something else stable to rest your hand on close to the blank. use the plastic to "drop" finish. simply apply enough to the spatula for at least a revolution or two and hold the 'spatula" against the rod. the block will keep you steady. hold your breath if you need to ;-) my dryer turns at 6rpm and i think if it turned a bit faster, that would help in this area. this technique has been working well for me... so far.

eric
fresno, ca.

Here is the Post. You can follow the entire discussion by searching for Andy Dear and going to this date.

Joe Milligan

Posted by: Andy Dear (---.dsl.snantx.swbell.net)
Date: December 23, 2004 02:03PM


Hey guys,

Last week I was finishing two rods for christmas orders, and without even thinking I found myself doing something I had never done before to help get a PERFECT straight edge of finish against my guide wraps. After the actual guide wrap was coated, I took a piece of Size A thread and wrapped it around each index finger of each hand (as if you were going to floss your teeth). I then laid it in the wet finish of the guide wrap so that about 1 inch of it was soaked with finish. Then I gently rolled it off the edge of the wrap and proceeded to give the ol' Renzetti a few turns via the footpedal....VOILA! Perfect thin straight edge against the wrap! The beauty of this is that you can do the very same thing at the opposite end of the wrap (adjacent to the guide foot tunnell without disturbing anything. This (edge) next to the tunnel) has always been a problem for me to get to because the guide foot/frame seems to always be in the way of whatever tool I was using to make the finish edge. But with thread, you just roll it off the end of the wrap, give the blank a few turns, and your done. Need more finish? Just dip the thread back in the main wrap and roll it off the edge again. You can play around with different size threads for diffferent widths of edges. Works Great!

I'm suure somebody else has done this, but I hadn't seen it posted on this board, so I thought I'd share it!


Andy Dear
Lamar
210-865-3256

Edge Logic - After watching the Allstar Production staff at work I realized that the faster the rod is turning the easier it is to get a straight edge. It takes the shake factor out of the process. They turn at 200 rpm when finishing. If you watch someone that has skills, like Roger Seiders son, work with the Flexcoat 200 rpm machine, with the touch stop clutch, it will quickly demonstrate the ease of doing work when you have the right tool for the job. By the way, the Allstar guys do a six inch butt wrap and seven guides in just under 18 seconds with two guys working at the same time on a seven foot popping rod. If you build rods and have a manufacturer near it surely is an eye opener to watch them work.

Gon Fishn

Use any thing to rest your hand on, a piece of wood that can be moved as you go, small box, scrap blank cut to the right height

I use the spatula method and on my last rod I put some epoxie on the spatula and held it on top of the rod verticle and then lowered the spatula down to the wrap edge. This put on a line of epoxie that was very straight on the thread edge. I then used the spatula to thin the epoxie inward on to the rest of the wrap. I did use a toothpick on the guide side to start with and then used the above once the rod was turning. This has worked the best so far for me. I found lowering thr spatula was smother than trying from the side. May be it is like the thread if it hangs down, and held loose, it will dampen some of the hand movement. The spatula workes much better for me. Cheers Ron

Yes, yes yes thank you Joe Milligan that was the post that I was looking for. Now off to the work bench to see what I can do with it thanhk again.

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