Im wrapping guides on a trolling rod I want an under wrap that has a center band and im having trouble figuring out the lengths for each part. Im using fugi bhnng guides one foot is a little longer than the other and the ring is not in the center of the guide. Ive wraped it several ways tring to make things equal and come back to the point of making my reveals the same and every thing else will look ok. what does every one else do?

I used to put my center band under the ring, rather that in the center of the wrap. But this is just personal preference and you may prefer to put your's in the center. Do one both ways, step back, and see which one you think looks best.

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I do just the opposite of what Tom does. I wrap the band in the center just because it is more appealing to me.

I also do a center band. Jim, you're right. Some guides have dissimilar feet length. I usually pay that no mind and go about business in a normal fashion. Here's my method...hope I don't confuse too much!

Get a pad of paper and make four headings at the top: GF (guide foot), UW (under wrap), GW (guide wrap), TL (total length), and M (middle).

I first measure the total guide length foot to foot with a set of calipers. Let’s say we have a total length of 30mm foot end to foot end. Write 30 in the column labeled GF.

I then turn to my underwrap and decide how much of a 'trim band' I want to extend beyond the ends of my guide wrap thread. In this case, a saltwater rod, lets say I want a 5mm band of underwrap to extend on each end. We have two ends so we need to double our 5mm to 10mm. Write 10 in the column labeled UW.

Now we want to decide how much of our guide wrap thread we want to wrap on the blank before we begin climbing the guide foot. Let’s say we would like 3mm of thread down on the blank before we reach the foot. Again, we have two guide feet so we need to double our 3mm to 6mm. Write 6 in the column labeled GW.

Now what we have on our paper so far are all the measurements for our guide wrap from end to end. You need to add the first 3 numbers to arrive at what will be our total underwrap length. In this case we have 30+10+6=46. Write 46 in the column labeled TL for our total length. To find the midway point of the wrap divide that number by 2. Write 23 in the column labeled M.

When using double footed guides I mark my blanks at the midway point so that "M" number is important. I use index cards to make templates for the entire guide wrap. To begin you simply need to make a small mark along one of the long edges of the card...make the mark in the center of the card along the edge. I then lay my ruler down and mark each end of my underwrap, where my guide wraps begin, and where my guide feet should be placed. In this case I count from the middle mark 23mm in both directions and make another mark. This is the length of my full underwrap. From those two marks I count in 5mm and make two more marks (one on each side please). These are the marks where I will begin my guide wraps. From those two marks I count to the inside another 3mm and make two more marks. This is where the guide feet will go.

You can test your card out by laying a guide on the card as if it were the rod blank. The feet should touch the two inner marks (or come real close). If they did, you got it right.

Transferring these lines to the blank is easy. I roll the blank so my scratch mark, which I usually put on the bottom, is facing up. I then take my index card, hold the edge to the blank, and line up the blank scratch and my 'middle' mark on the template. At that point I take a pencil and mark the blank where the two outer card marks are...these are our underwrap marks. Make the underwrap.

I then turn the blank as if the guides were up. Again hold the template up to the guide and line up the underwrap to it's marks on the card. Place a pencil mark along the inner two marks where the guide feet are supposed to go. I tape on the guide in this spot. Normally eyeball the spot where my guide wrap mark is and begin my wrap. After a turn or two I hold the card up and adjust the distance as needed (in this case my guide wrap is supposed to measure 5mm from the end of the underwrap). On many guides there is one foot that you can not wrap up as far on. On your BHNNG guides I think it will be the side facing the reel seat where the tri leg merges into one. I wrap this side first. When I get that wrap done I hold my template card up to the wrap. I line up all the wraps I've made so far to the marks on the card. I then make an additional mark where my guide wrap STOPPED. We already have a mark where the wrap started. Now I can wrap the other guide foot and I have a new template that tells me how long to make it so both wraps are of equal lengths.

This has been a long post, but by doing this we should be assured our wrap will be centered and any trim we put in the middle of our underwrap will be where we want it. Everything 'should' be equidistant from one end to the other.

I got the idea for this method from Clemmon's book.

Best of luck to you. I hope that I didn't bore you or confuse you. Now I have to re-read this post to be sure I don't confuse myself!!!


Jay



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2005 08:41PM by Jay Lancaster.

jay thanks for the explanation it is almost the way i do it except for the card i will try that. on these guides your right about the try leg but that is the longer of the two feet. this is were my problem comes in and i think its just wich method or look i want to go with the ring is not in the center of the guide. were does the center wrap belong under the ring or center of the wrap. both ways have ups and downs . when the rod is done the wraps look good but its a perpective with the taper of the blank and change in guide sizes that make this work,

Try your guide wraps one way making sure you mark the first guide wrap so the second will have a template. If it doesn't come out even, cut them off & do the opposite leg first. Mark the measurment and do the other leg to see if then they come out even.

The reason for this is that on many two leg guides it is possible to wrap further up the leg (toward the ring) of one side than it is the other. I usually try to first wrap the leg that will allow me the shorter of the two wraps. Then I'm able to measure it & do the other side identical to the first.

Best of luck.

Jay