My son, Patrick, is having some problems wrapping on a Rainshadow blank, which by the way is an awesome looking blank, but is very smooth. The probelm he is having is that the threads keep slipping on the blank while he wraps the threads and the tighter (more tension) he wraps with the threads, the more the threads tend to move on him. So, could he rough up the blank under the wrap section with the grey Scotchbite pads to help hold the threads onto the rod? If not, are there alternate ways to keep the thread in place?

If he can get the first cross wrap where he wants it, try using a toothpick and put a dab of CP on the cross threads. That will hold them in place.

Mike

I sand the area with 220 grit. No slip and the threads stay in place better when packing.

Michael,

I never thought of that!!! It doesn't affect the look of the blank awhen done (on an open wrap)

Mike

Richard,
If your son will practice a little and learn to hold the thread by putting his finger on top of the thread until there are three or four wraps and not wrapping quite as tight I think that he will be better off and avoid anything drastic like sanding the blank that can lead to other complications.
You might also want to just use a small piece of masking tape to temporarily hold the thread on the blank and then start the wrap about an inch away from the tape and wrap back over the thread toward the tape until there five or six wraps and the the tape can be removed and the end of the thread cutt off.

i'm with emory on this. if it's a glossy finish, i imagine that rainshadow is similar to many other blanks and he'll encounter the "problem" often. it would be good to learn how to do it correctly and it only takes practice. i had the same problem, dang start of the threads would slip and rotate round and round. now i carefully make that first wrap with the right amount of tension (takes experience to figure out what works for you) then continue carefully . sanding just for the start of wraps DOES sound drastic and unnecessary, at least for my needs.

eric
fresno, ca.

Time and practice is all that's needed.

With that, if you decide to re-wrap a guide that you haven't epoxyed yet, they'll be hard to get to unwrap!

DR

Just for the sake arguement...How will lightly sanding the blank in the dec wrap area cause complications? It takes three seconds and another benefit is that you can mark your starting cross points on the blank with a fine point Sharpie...and be able to see those marks ALOT better (my vision isn't the best these days)

I started doing this to gloss blanks after noticing that thread holds its position much better on matte blanks than on gloss blanks. Even with an open crosswrap, after applying finish, you'll never even notice that the blanks been roughed up.

fricroughulate (fric-ruf-u-late) v. the action of lighly sanding a smooth surface in order to increase surface friction.

(sentence)..."Before I start a decorative wrap on a high gloss blank, I FRICROUGHULATE the wrapping area with 220 grit sandpaper ." LOL..............whatever...it works for me!

Emory, great to have you back !


PS.....if its when he's wrapping guides.......practice more and often!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2005 08:55PM by Michael Joyce.

I wouldn't think that that would be any different than a water break free surface. He's talking about lightly scuffing the gloss not actually sanding the blank material. How would that result in any damage??

FRICROUGHULATE!!! I love it!

Mike

I have built a lot of rods on the Rainshadow blanks both matte and gloss and have no trouble with getting wraps done. I wrap both with a hand made bolt and spring tensioner and with a Pac Bay rod lathe. I would never put sandpaper to a blank for prep for thread wrapping. The methodology of making the first complete wraparound with the thread and taking the tag end and making about three to four turns around the blank to hold the initial crossing in place while you hand turn the blank to get the first two or three passes in place is something that will become second nature. It will be a little tricky to get the hang of it but it is a skill the will easily come if you take the time to practice. This can also be made a little easier if you have the blank sitting in a V block or on wheels that have some resistance to free wheeling and spinning. I have some Velcro on my V blocks that hold the blank rather tightly and offer some resistance to turning.

Take a postitve attitude and make some changes to your system until you can easily start the thread wrap with an initial crossing - you will learn how to do it quickly and there will be no need to place sandpaper in contact with the blank.

Gon Fishn

I've watched many beginners do this and have the same problem. There is a little trick which I'll try to explain for you here.

1. When he makes the first cross, putting the oncoming thread over the tag end, take that tag end and wind it around the blank about 3 times, in the direction toward the guide ring - this is key. Now you can peg that tag end with a finger and prepare to wrap.

2. On the second time around the threads will cross again. But it won't slip because you have that tag end around the blank a few times and pegged with a finger.

3. On the third time around, the threads cross again and it's still staying put due to the tag end being around the blank another wrap or two and the finger still pegging it.

4. By the fourth time around, you've pretty much got it locked and can let go of the tag end and proceed as usual. Cut the tag when you've crossed over about 6 or 7 times.

The book I did for Amato shows this in photos that are probably easier to understand than trying to explain it in words here. I can almost guarantee him that it will solve his problem of the thread slipping and moving on him. I've seen far too many people have the same problem, and this procedure has put all of them back into business with no slippage whatsoever.

.........

I solved this problem with a little bit of a twist. I saw the pics in Tom's book, but didn't seem to have enough fingers to hold the thread down. My equipment is not all that good, and it was real hard to spare a finger. So, I keep a little piece of masking tape, about 1/2 inch long, stuck on my wrapper frame. I just stick the thread end down until I make the 2-3 wraps to lock it firmly in place. This doesn't seem to cause any problem, but maybe adds just a little bit of time.
Steve Broadwell

An excellent idea. If you can make those few turns with the tag end and then peg it in place, your thread slipping problems will be over.

..........