Guys,

I am familiar with the whole static guide alignment process on a medium or even heavy casting, splinning or plugging blank but I am building my first Tuna blank.....

How could I temporarily place the guides on the blank and hank down on it with like 20lbs of force and expect all the guides to not just pop right off?

I am building a spiral wrap but nonetheless I would think the masking tape with either tear or just pull off.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Joe.

Place the guides on with masking tape. Put your reel on and string the line thru the guides. Now, to do your static test, pull down as hard as you want but don't pull with the line. Instead, pull down holding just the tip. Now tug gently with the line just to get an idea of how the line will be in relationship to the guide placements. You don't need to put pressure onto the guides to see how the line reacts to the guide placement when the rod is loaded. If you like, take some heavy line and tie it to your tip and pull down with that to get the bend in the line. I will sometimes take a 5 gal bucket full of water to tie down the tip so that I can get a better view.

With spiral wraps this is much easier acomplished, I use small bands of surgical tubing & have no problems. On the upside down spinnig rod method of placing guides, it'sa major hassle, as even the slightest amount of pressure on teh guides makes them flip over on you. Even when using Mel's method, you cannot put any pressure on teh guides with this method or they flip to teh position they belong in.

Read the article in the online library on static guide placement. I think it will provide a method for you that will work without tearing those guides out from the masking tape.

...........

Guys,

All great suggestions. I never had much luck with the surgical tubing but given the technique of loading the tip-top that should work. Thanks again.

Joe.

Your are better off like Tom said and read, but using two " 2 " lines is the way to go. One line goes though the guides with a split shot on it for tension. Use another line to pull on the tip of the blank, or your hand and the guide line will keep tension along the guides.

I put the tip top on. Then run the line though it from the reel and it lets me know where the guides go.