Just getting started wraping rods and would like to know other brands of thread besides Gudebrod or Madera. Brand names always cost so much more than no names but are almost the same quility. Also what are the thread sizes and how are they measured.

Sulky is another. I have only used A size. Hancocks sometimes has Sulky on sale.

Hope this helps.

rhr

With somethings, there is a reason that people buy brand names. Often "penny wise is pound foolish" When it comes to thread in particular. There is a difference in sewing threads. Gudebrod, Madiera, Sulky, etc work fine as do others but you have to be aware of things. Nylon & Polyester are suitable for rod building, Rayon generally is NOT. 40 weight thread is close to size A thread. Threads like Madiera and other POLY threads that are made to be used in sewing machines generally have a coating for lubrication in the sewing machine and need to be coated wit CP or you are probably asking for trouble. There was a thread on this subject posted yeasterday, scroll down and reaad it.

IMO, thread is about the cheapest item in rodbuilding and to save about 50 cents a rod isn't really worth it unless you know it will work

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Tim,

Mike Barkley's comments are correct. All rodmakers seem to be in a constant search for that elusive perfect thread color. But the quality of the thread is important--the thread holds the guides on the blank, not the finish we put on them.
There are some other brands you might want to consider: Rice Thread Company, Fish Hawk Thread, and National Thread Company. I have used the Rice thread in the two color classic twist and the colors differ a bit from the Gudebrod colors. I hope this helps.

Mike Blomme

Regarding GUDEBROD Threads, Sizes, Strengths (Tensile or Wraps) & Weight:

TITLE: "Gudebrod Thread Table: Strength & Weight of Guide Wraps for Size 2/0 - E" For general reference, a Table of Calculated Strengths and Weights of UNFINISHED Gudebrod Thread Wraps for Sizes 2/0-E, for Silk, Regular Nylon, NCP and HT Metallics, assuming a thread wrap bandwidth of 1 cm, around a rod blank of circumference of 1 cm (OD = 1/Pi = 3.18 mm), is available at: [www.rodbuilding.org] (Calculated values, not direct "in-situ" measurements.) -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2006 11:50AM by Cliff Hall.

Tim - why don't you go out there and buy all the other cheaper brands of thread, tst them on rods, then come back here and post results so we know how they all compare? At some point, SOMEONE had to take a chance and spend $2 on 1000 yards of thread to see if it worked.

History of Madeira Polyneon on the Internet - I first heard of Madeira thread from Al Goldberg in Jan 2000 or 2001 at a Rodcrafter Conneticuit Seminar. He only used the metallics. I called teh company, got a few samples, liked it, bought more and wrapped a coupel of rods with it. I showed up to teh RC NAtional that year with a couple of test wraps with teh Polyneon thread. Another builder, Big Macs rods, had a few wraps which used MAdeira Polyneon, and after speaking with I think his name was Tim - I realized that there was a lot of potential with this thread. I ordered more, started telling people about it on the Allcoast board, then started posting about it here:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Unfortunately, the Allcoast board has changed & all the info I posted when I first started using it is gone. Here's some more info from SOL:
[www.stripersonline.com]

And some more from Noreast: [www.noreast.com]