There is a book out by Jeff L. Hatton "Rod Crafting, a Full Color Pictorial and Written History From 1843 to 1960" Have never personally seen the book, but it might have something to offer pertaining to this topic.

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

Here is the book! [www.antiquetackle.net] Looks like quite a book 900 photo's but looks like it only deals with Bamboo Fly Rods.

Mike

Michael Joyce Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
I recently gave the first book
> away to a new builder with building in his blood,
> but I would never give away my coffee and beer
> stained copy of CRTA.

Thanks for the book. I'll pass it on to someone else that starts wrapping

Good to see you posting again, Yoda! How is your recovery going?

This is a great thread, guys. Wished I had been near to some of this stuff; first custom rod I ever saw was the first one that I built. Before I went to Charlotte, I'd only seen two custom rods other than my own; one a diver friend found and another that Bob Probst (old walleye pro) had in his arsenal when giving fishing seminars. And that spanned 24 yrs. of building.

Putter
Williston, ND

I know there were lots of Custom rods in Nw Yorkway back when. I do not know the tie frame, but I know Sheepshead Bay had Mike's Tackle and one of the men who post great wraps on the Photo Board, Ralph might be able to shed a lot of light on this subject from this particular area.

I started building rods in Gainsville Fla. in the mid 70;s. There was a small rodbuilding shop in one of the malls and they offered lessons and compnents. Basic diamonds and chevrons were well established on most of the saltwater rods. We started to do fancy butt wraps on some of our fresh water bass rods and even a couple of our fly rods. fly fishing in salt water was a real radical thing and some people thought of us as nuts. At any rate I remember a couple of pamphlets on butt wraps but can't remember who they were by. I think one was the fenwick pamphlet and the other I believe was by gudebrod. They say the first thing to go is your memory and I can;t remember the second thing.

Boyd Pfeiffer's Tackle Craft, first published in 1974, does indeed have crosswrap instructions. But nothing very elaborate. In fact, he shows using the old braided thread for making a quick diamond wrap. There are some additional photos of crosswraps included, but nothing beyond very basic wraps.

The George Herter book, Professional Fly Tying, Spinning and Tackle Making book does not have any crosswrap instructions (but it's one heck of an interesting book nonetheless).

The Bullard publication would seem to be the earliest publication of various crosswraps, but we'll see what else turns up.


............

I started building rods in Gainsville Fla. in the mid 70;s. There was a small rodbuilding shop in one of the malls and they offered lessons and compnents. Basic diamonds and chevrons were well established on most of the saltwater rods. We started to do fancy butt wraps on some of our fresh water bass rods and even a couple of our fly rods. fly fishing in salt water was a real radical thing and some people thought of us as nuts. At any rate I remember a couple of pamphlets on butt wraps but can't remember who they were by. I think one was the fenwick pamphlet and the other I believe was by gudebrod. They say the first thing to go is your memory and I can;t remember the second thing.

Interesting thread, indeed! The thread artists of custom rod building through through the years seem to fall in the late Rodney Dangerfield's "no respect" category, at least when compared to fly tyers who are famed for their original patterns. We know who is credited with the Deceiver, the Crazy Charley, the Wulff patterns, and so on. But do we know who first did a plaid wrap, a pattern on multiple axis, and so on? As Tom mentions, it would probably be impossible to research this topic. But, darn it, it sure would be interesting. I can recall when I first became interested in rod building, some time in the early '70s. Bought the books. Joined Rodcrafters. Then, learned about a guy building rods for his bass club members just across town. We got together. He had never heard of RodCrafters and bought all his materials from Gene Bullard. This fellow did one butt wrap: a continuous diamond wrap. It was the first one that I had ever seen, and to this date I still haven't seen anyone else doing this. He, too, is no longer around. And I still wonder if he came up with this wrap on his own, or if he learned it from someone. Custom rod building's past: the great unknown!

I think it would be safe to say that the Custom Rod Thread Art book by Dale Clemens was not the start of decorative cross-wrapping, but rather the result of decorative cross-wrapping that was done before and up to that time. I believe it was first published in 1983 so most of the patterns anyone saw before that time certainly pre-dated the book. It seems well established that many builders across the country and beyond were doing these wraps at least by the middle 1970s.

I don't think anyone has claimed that was the start of Thread Art, but it was the first to get everything from everywhere & "everyone" and compile it in one source of reference.

I believe Michael said that he had always believed the people who put the book together were the originators of most cross-wrapping thread art. I do not believe the book even got close to getting "everywhere & everyone and compile it in one source of reference." I am not knocking the book, but there was a ton of wrappers and patterns going on that Dale Clemens probably did not even know about. One source would not have been likely to cover it all. I do not recall seeing anyone from overseas listed and there are some prominant builders and wrappers from this country that were also not included. This is not a knock on the book, but just a reminder that it was a book of thread art from within Dale Clemens sphere of knowledge and friends.

Thanks for all your responses and emails. Its just one of those things I think about when I'm hunched over a rod...."who started this!"

Based on your responses, my thoughts are leaning toward (but not committed to).....

1)A factory rod comes out with a rod with a simple crosswrap (two threads or something) in the late '60's.

2)Some where between the late '60's and early 70's the creative rodbuilders take this first crosswrap beyond the" two thread factory deal"....beause they CAN (not worried about production costs).

3)In the acknowledgement section in Custom Rod Thread,(1982) Dale Clemens thanks Gil Rowe "for the last three years at California RodCrafter seminars, Gil spent long, late hours photographing the thread work of rods on display. Many of these appear in the color plates here"...(say '78-'81)

.................................Now I say to myself, Why the threadwork at the California seminars? Was it because this is where it was blossoming the most?

Lastly....in the late '60's early '70's , wasn't there some kind of Pop Art/Drug culture thing going on. :) ...had too add that.

There probablly won't be a definative answer. It probablly doesn't really matter. I just want give credit where credit is due and seeing Toms post on the "west coast rods" and Doc Ski saying they were his from the early 70's...its just more for me to ponder when hunched over a rod.

Thanks again.

There was similar threadwork around the rest of the country as well. It just didn't get photographed and put in a book. I'm anxious to see what Tom finds in the old Bullard thread book. Wonder if it was just simple diamonds or was there more in there too. If it had more, then it might be the earliest book out there on decorative thread work.

When did the Flex Coat wrapping pamphlets come out? They had several patterns listed in two different pamphlets. I'm guessing 1980? Earlier? Later? I can't remember when I first saw them offered for sale.