Maybe some of these tips will help beginners avoid the mistakes that I made on my first rod.
1. Go slow and take your time. Do not be in a rush.
2. Make sure that all of the components match up and they are what you want to build this rod.
3, Have a good light which will enable you to see the wraps as you work. Re-wrap anything that does not look GOOD!
4. Taper the top end of the guide foot/feet so that the thread has a gentel rise to climb as the wrap is applied.
5. Try and get the guides aligned as close as possible so that a minimum of adjustment is required to line them up.
5. Put on two coats of finish with the first coat thin.
6. DO NOT touch the finish until at least 20 hours of drying time!
7. Point the guide ring at the thread supply when you make the Forham locking wraps and lift the thread back over the guide ring. Adjust tension after each locking wrap.
I also mixed up about 10 times too much finish for one rod.

Great advice, Dave. Who was it that said that "Experience is what we call our mistakes"? You are determined to learn the most from what you are doing, and that wil rapidly reduce these and other little errors or mishaps in the future. Keeping some simple notes on materials & methods may also prove useful later, as you keep watch of which brands work well in the rods you build in the long run.

Regarding the amount of thread finish epoxy that you mix: Making significantly more than you expect to need is always recommended. I'm not exactly sure, but I think that a measuring error of ~10% between the two parts will totally throw off the curing-set, and you'll be left with mush on your threads. The only remedy for that is usually to slice-off & re-wrap. Ouch!

A typical 3cc syring has the same absolute error in volume whether you fill & deliver 0.50cc or 2.50cc. If that error is 0.05cc (which is very close to fact), then that error is 10% on a 0.50cc delivery. But only a 2% error on the 2.50cc delivery. A 10% error in the ratio of the two-part epoxy for thread finish is a disaster in the making. A 2% error is within safe limits.

The epoxy adhesives, like ROD-Bond or PC-7, etc, tend to have much higher tolerances for variation from the 1:1 ratio ideal than do the thread finishes. In chemistry, a pipet or syringe is generally considered to have an absolute error of +/- one-half of the smallest marked graduation, until proven otherwise by direct measurement. And that is generally the rule in devices like a ruler, vernier caliper, micrometer, protractor or a weighing scale.

Mixing spoons are okay for some things, but may not work for thread epoxy because the surface tension of a liquid affects the degree of filling and too much material may adhere to the spoon. SPOONS are designed "TO CONTAIN" (TC) (that is, to HOLD) a set amount. But they are not calibrated to DELIVER a set amount. SYRINGES are designed "TO DELIVER" (TD) a set amount into your mixing vessel or onto your mixing plate.

If you want to deliver an exact amount, use the "BY DIFFERENCE" method of delivery. To deliver exactly 2.50cc of epoxy, fill a syringe to 2.75cc and stop delivery at 0.25cc. Or use whatever two marked starting graduations you have whose difference is the desired amount to be delivered. The greatest absolute error tends to be when attempting to totally expel the last 0.05-0.10cc from the tip of the syringe. The spongy rubber doesn't help here, either, since it may change volume under variable pressure.

Don't worry about the little bit of waste in the end of your syringes. You will have plenty of time later to deal with that while your epoxy is curing. From your unused epoxy in your mixing cup-plate, keep that sample as a handleable indicator of the progress of your epoxy's curing. You can touch it, bend it, etc and see & feel how things are going on the rod, without risking any marring to your beautiful handiwork.

The same is especially true for your epoxy adhesive under your reel seat. Don't stress test the reel seat until the sample is fully cured. Trying to poke into it with your fingernail or a toothpick or point of a fish hook (straightened or offset or kirbed) will tell you how hard things are. If the sample flows under pressure from your finger or a spatula; or impresses from the end of a rounded pen cover, it still needs (lots) more time to cure before you stress or use it.

Waiting an additional 24 hours after you are "sure" it's hard is often advisable, until you know that brand of adhesive well. And watch out for variations or large fluctuations in your room temperature. A more than 10 degree Fahrenheit difference can change the curing time by ~50%. A 20'F colder difference will at least DOUBLE the curing time required to reach full polymerization (curing) for the epoxy. The colder the temperature, the longer the curing time, just like cooking food. Keep that in mind as well.

So, always mix more epoxy than needed. "Never" mix less than 1cc of each component. And make sure to MIX WELL. The syringe delivery can be accurate, but if the mixing is poor, a ratio error can still occur.

Enjoy your Rod-Trek, ...
LOL, -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****
(Bach.Sci.Chemistry, 1983, UF.)