I'm curious what are the commen lengths, number of repeats, size of blank you normally work on. Also - do you mostly do square patterns, compressed, elongated, etc. Any info will be helpful.

For me, I usually do 5 repeats of a pattern, and the diameter of the blanks I work on range from 40-52mm - but I have done a few on much smaller diameter, and larger. The length of most of my wraps in front of the foregrip is between 175 and 250mm; again, I've done a few longer than that.

On a split grip where I put a wrap between the grips, I try to squeeze in 3 full patterns, on the top side of the blank, and 2 full on the bottom. The space between grips for most of my split rods has been between 100-140mm, and the diameter has been between 42-48mm.

If you don't keep exact records of everything, that's fine. Any info you are willing to share will help me out. Even if you say I do 8 repeats on Musky rods, or fly rods - it will help me out.

OK.....I do 8 to 10 repeats on 11' lamiglas graphite surf rods (fat) that works out to be about 18 or so inches in front of the foregrip, longer if I wrap multiple patterns.
As far as patterns...I'm working my way through Dale's book, skipping around, and sometimes altering the pattern with thread colour.

That's hard to say, at least for me, because depending on the rod type I've often had to conform to the space I had to work with. On some trolling rods or stand up rods, you don't have much room between the grip and the first guide. So I can't get in as many repeats.

I like elongated patterns so I rarely compress anything. I really just go by eye as to how long the pattern needs to be to look good per the diameter and length of the blank. I've done 14 inchers on long surf rods and 4 inchers on freshwater UL rods.

I do generally make my tie-offs so that the pattern is split on the same side of the rod. I usually do it on the side opposite the guides. Of course, this means that on a spinning rod the guy is looking at the split pattern side when fishing. Oh well.

The idea of doing a large, very intricate non-repeating pattern (just one large one on top, two split patterns tied off on the bottom) has always appealed to me but I've never done it. Just never got around to it. It would have to be a very large blank in order for it to come across well.

On another note, in the volume 9 #3 issue of RodMaker due out next month, I'm running a photo of a wrap Buddy Owens did many years ago. It's a nice wrap, but nothing earthshattering by today's standards. Just a closed multi-pattern with chevrons. But... and what you can't tell just by looking at the wrap in the photo, it was done with 00 thread on a tiny ultra-light blank that has a diameter smaller than a pencil - just under 3/16th inch OD. I used 4X magnification to take the photo. You can see each individual thread. It's perfect, but only really impressive when you know the scale it was done on. I'm sure most who see the photo will assume it's D thread on a much larger blank.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother doing something like that on such a small blank - most guys over 40 don't see well enough to appreciate it. Not sure I could do it that well anyway. I don't see that well anymore either.

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

Usually small fly and spin blanks. Try with name and rod info, to keep the wrap about 4-6" long with about 4-6 repeats. Like the pamphlet and definitely will get the book ?? Collecting info for it.

Thanks. quite a few people do long wraps on the surf rods. I guess all that space between the foregrip & first guide "has to" be filled.

Yes Bill, I'm compiling info for something I want to try and add for the book. I know what I do and most of my friends do, but I now see I have to expand what I was planing on to accomodate the surf guys. hopefully I'll be able to figure something out because I think it would be a great addition.

Most all my butt wraps are somewhere between 4 and 6 inches. I generally run 5 to 6 repeats of a pattern. I like elongated and square patterns.

I don't do many closed wraps, because I don't have many customer's willing to pay for my time. So most are either chevrons or diamonds done on 4 axis to match the wraps..

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

SW stuff:

square spacing 6-7 patterns 250-280mm in length, generally around 15mm diameter

FW spin/cast

Square, again 6-7 patterns 160-180mm long, around 10mm in diameter

Fleaflickers

square, 6-7 patterns, 120-140 mm long, 5mm diameter

...I see a common "ratio" there.

What sort of blank are you wrapping that has a diameter of 52mm? Baseball bat?lol.

Tom, looking forward to seeing the next issue with a Buddy Owens wrap. Did you take any shots of the wrap next to a 10 penny nail or pencil for reference?

Uh....I meant circumference, lol. I think those bats do have about a 52mm diameter though, 2 3/4". Calstar's withe 16-18mm diameters = 50-55mm.

What a great idea that is. I didn't but maybe after it runs I can go back over and take one that way for the photo board. It's his personal rod so he's still got it.

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

I dont do but a dozen rods a year and am always trying
different things right now so I dont have a standard or
regular way right now. I do like long butt wraps and about
8 - 12 repeats are common and spacing depends on pattern
of course. When possible, I like to do all or most of my thread
art BEFORE the seat and grips are permently installed. This
means many more patterns are wrapped then are actually
seen sometimes.

I build U/L, L, and M/H rods. A large tip would be a 6.5 and
butt diameter of a bit over 5/8 or smaller

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I try for 5 to 7 repeats on butt wrap, and they are usually around 7 inches long. Butt diameters, quite a wide range, ice rods 1/8 inch, fly rods 5/16 to 3/8", md lite walleye rods 7/16:, MH pike rods 9/16", and a musky rod I am working on now a bit over 3/4" and doing this one split grip(lotsa thread). I usually wrap square patterns. The really small diameter ice rods are strictly chevron work., way to small for anymore detail than that.

Thanks again, I'm glad I asked because I need to do a little re-thinking with all these long wraps.

One more...4-6 repeats, always closed on, most on 12-16mm blanks.