I'm building a fly rod with single foot guides for my first project. I've done several test wraps, and I'm fairly comfortable with the Forhan locking wrap technique. The only problem is that the wraps get loose when I try to tweek the guide position very much. I think that the extra loops around the guide pull the thread that is wrapped around the blank. This causes the wraps to tighten or loosen depending on the direction I move the guide.

Any recommendations? I'm thinking that I need to be very careful to get the guide positioned correctly from the start. The only other option I see is partially wrapping the foot and tying off. Then, tweak the foot to the correct position. Finally start wrapping where I left off and finish with the locking wraps. That seems like a lot of extra work.

You already got it. Get them lined up as best you can before you start wrapping. This will leave you a bit of wiggle room at the end if you need it, but spending the extra time to line them up good first will save in the long run.

What might help is, after you do a static test, since you already have the guides in place, line them all up. When you get them where you want them, put a wrap of tape in front of each guide foot and mark it where the foot is. Then as you start wrapping, you have an easy reference to line up each guide.

Mike is giving good advice. I also make certain that I make at least five wraps over my tie off loop prior to beginning the Forhan wrap as the wrap alone doesn't hold the tie off thread well.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

You might consider a simple blocking wrap ahead of the foot. The guides can still be tweaked but the block provides most of the advantages of a locking wrap.