So I built a couple fly rods recently. Nothing fancy, (helpful posts from this board), plain-jane guide wraps, no pretty 'inlayed' feathers etc . But I'm damn proud of 'em anyway. The next rod is going to have gold trim wraps. ( I know— gettin wild annd crazy here). I dug up an older post on doing trim wraps after the guide wraps were wound. Seems fairly staight-forward, but can anyone point me to some informative visuals or descriptons of installing trim wraps at the same time as the guide wraps? A rod builder showed me this and a technique for metallic 'inlays' at the Chicago Fly Fishing show yesterday, but it was a bit like asking a stranger for travel directions— you think you heard him say 'take a left at hiway 17, then a right at the third bridge, and another right at the big mailbox that used to be white.... Well, you get the idea. Manging two threads at once— especially that slippery metallic— feels like playing a piano, and I don't play the piano.

Jim.

L. A. Garcia's book "Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod" has step-by-step instructions and excellent pictures about how to do this type of trim wrap. Basically you start the wrap with the trim color, then capture the trim thread under the first wrap of the main color. It's not too difficult if you keep the right tension on the trim thread. I do the transition by preventing the blank from turning, then I slide the tensioner to the right to create a small V between the last trim wrap and the trim thread. Then I start the main thread, grabbing the tag end through the V, do a few wraps to secure both threads, the trim them both and continue on normally. I know that is confusing, so look at the pictures in the book (bookstore or library eleiminates having to purchase)

Jim

Jim.

L. A. Garcia's book "Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod" has step-by-step instructions and excellent pictures about how to do this type of trim wrap. Basically you start the wrap with the trim color, then capture the trim thread under the first wrap of the main color. It's not too difficult if you keep the right tension on the trim thread. I do the transition by preventing the blank from turning, then I slide the tensioner to the right to create a small V between the last trim wrap and the trim thread. Then I start the main thread, grabbing the tag end through the V, do a few wraps to secure both threads, the trim them both and continue on normally. I know that is confusing, so look at the pictures in the book (bookstore or library eliminates having to purchase). BTW, if you unwrap the trim thread a turn or so after starting the main thread, you can get very narrow trims (1-2 wraps only).

Jim

That's funny. I have that book. I must have been staring out the window when the teacher was talking about that chapter. Good thing there wasn't a pop quiz. Thanks for pointing it out.

I don't use a fancy power rod wrapper. Inlaying a highlight band inside a main field color is fairly simple. Start your mainfiled color going, having first cut a short piece of the desired highlight inlay color if a highlight band is wished, I figure out which hand the person using the rod will hold it and start the short segment highlight band thread such that it can not be seen (far side of the rod) Starting the segment thread just involves trapping the left end of the segment thread under the main thread as it is tensioned and wraped onto the blank/guide let 3 inches or so of the trapped segment thread hang out to the left and the greater length of the segment thread to the right. Turn 5-7 main field wraps to secure the segment thread. The long end of the segment thread will wrap around the blank, unravel this and let it hang down on the far side of the blank just under where the new tensioned main line thread is being wound onto the blank/guide. Be ready to use the thumb on your left hand to hold the mainfield wraps tight when you let off tension birefly, which you wouldn't need to do on the 1st wrap of the segment thread. (Only when you start a new revolution) Grab the dangling segment thread under the blank with your right hand a bring in toward you and up over the blank and then to the LEFT SIDE of where the tensioned main field line is being wound onto the blank/guide. Let the segemnt thread dangle straight down once again. Move your right hand round and back under the blank and grab the dangling segment thread (all this time keeping tension on the main field color) I then move my left thumb over the mainfield wraps to hold them tight while I inch the blank toward the thread spool to knock some slack into the main field color thread, at the same time my right lifts the segment thread up and to the right keeping my hand on the far side of the rod, thus making sure the segemnt thread moves under the main field thread and trapping it again as I then inch back with my left hand adding tension to the main field thread again. Lifting my left thumb I use the thumbnail or pad of my left thumb to move the segement thread to the left and up against the now tensioned mainfield thread on the 1st wrap and up against the previous revolution of the segment thread if multipule revolutions are desired. Multiple revolutions produce a thicker more pronounced band. I like to use 4 wraps for a statement, one or two for a more subtle statement. Once tension is applied and the segment wrap straightened I tug on the right end of the segment thread to tighten things up. Then Your right hand with segment thread in tow brings the thread toward you and up over the blank to the LEFT SIDE of the tensioned main field thread and then lets it dangle again (start to 2nd revolution) , left hand then back tracks and reaches under the blank to grab the segment thread again pulling it again up and to the right on the far side of the blank while the left thumb moves over the main field threads securing them as slack is again knocked into the main field thread and the segment thread is trapped, left hand pulled back and tensioning the main field thread again then remove your left thumb and .repeat the right hand wrapping of the segment thread until you get a desired thickness. Once this is achived just wrap the main field color over the segment thread 6 or so times to trap the right end of the segment thread. Pack all the threads to the left with your left thumb nail. Continue wrapping the main field until you finish it off and secure the main field color. Pull on both ends of the segment thread to tighten things up a tad and then trim off tags both ends of the segment thread. Hard to explain but a pic is worth a 1000 words, but if you follow this step by step it all there.

Tag end/bookend highlights just envlove starting the tensioned tag thread over a pull loop making sure the starting tag end to be trimed is at 12 o'clock on the blank and the pull loop is toward you when trapped (if the pull loop is situated away from you, and the left starter tag end toward you, the pull loop will pull loose the starting tag end you have already secured) I wrap 4 starter wraps, trim left starter tag, wrap on three more wraps, then feed the right tag end through pull loop, Pull through, tug on it to tighten, pack threads, pull on right tag again and and trim tag end.

Hello JIm. I use the same method and it works well. Until I get better I found that using a outside border of tape makes it alot easier. You can pack the trim and main wraps tighter against the tape edge. Also, I put a piece of tape a couple of inches from the wrap, on the blank, and I attach the trim wrap tag ends to the tape to keep them straight and out of the way. After the main wrap thead has been packed real nice to the trim I take all three tag ends and pull them up verticly and pull pretty tight, and then cut the tag ends, remove the tape and finish my wrap. I found that when I start my first wrap of trim (first cross over) I need it pretty tight, and the faster you let go and let the blank wrap the trim the tighter it stays. Kind of hard to explain. Tom

Jim, I was only talking about an outside border wrap as shown in Garcias book. Good Wraps!

Thanks for the excellent post Chris. Good job explaining the details. Pretty simple now that you have explained it so well.

Leon