On butt wraps for large size blanks is size D thread used? It takes forever using size A.
Thanks

I try to stay with whatever I've used or will use on the thread wraps. This keeps the colors and overall look more uniform.

If you're using D on the guide wraps, I'd use D on the buttwrap. If you're using A, then I'd use A for the buttwrap.

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

If you like it better then A, use it. Your rod. Compare each one to see what they look like. After a while you will learn how to hold 6-8-12 threads at a time.

IMO, D looks bulky and not as attractive as A, which is probably used by the vast majority of builders, even on guides. Strength, even on guide wraps is really not an issue as A is more that strong enough. That being said, many use D on heavy salt water boat rods that take a lot of abuse.

A make take longer, but it's sure "purtier"!!

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!!

If you are talking about thread art Tim, I have used everything. Sometimes I will mix threads to get a certain effect. That is what is neat about the art part, it is left up to the artist. I even have snuck some D and E threads into weaves to get something out of a design that might require multiple A threads. Maybe that is the hardest part of decorative wrapping, the ability to think outside the box as it were. If you are talking about the flat work it is best to use the same thread you did on the guides because there are some not so subtle shade changes. Heck, even using the same size thread, You can have dye lot differences even with a different spool so it is best to check to make sure you have enouth for the job.

FOR VARIOUS GUDEBROD THREAD DIAMETERS:
[www.rodbuilding.org]

TITLE: "Gudebrod Thread Table: Strength & Weight of Guide Wraps for Size 2/0 - E" ... For general reference, a Table of Thread Diameters, 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. (Calculated values, not direct "in-situ" measurements. -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****

Like Doc (but with much less intricacy) I mix thread diameters on butt wraps and also on guide wraps. I like the look of A (and thinner) for underwraps and trim bands. It just seems to blend better. For overwraps use the same diameter or one size larger/thicker so the thread lays better and doesn't show "gap-osis" from falling into crevices.