Aloha All,

Are there any other alternatives to Maderia poly 40 wt. Thread. I will mostly be using them for butwrapps not on the guides.

I spoke to a sweing store here who carries the mad deer and she said that she may have other poly type thread to suggest. Its supposed to be thicker so I am assuming easier to use.

I guess I'm asking ,why maderia.? What qualities seperate it from the others?
can I use another brand (of course there is gudeboard/holland/sulky/and all the others avail on the sponsors to the right)

Mahalo,

Allen

maderia poly neon #40 has so many options in colors is why I think that it is used more often. And they are usually cheaper than regular rod building threads. You can use just about any threads just as long as you use poly (polyester)threads. Just make sure that it does not have any silicon lubricant added to the thread. The silicon will affect the epoxy thread finish. Also stay away from rayon it will also have adverse affects on the thread finish. The maderia threads are a little smaller than size A threads and I haven found out how to keep it from twisting so much as it is pulled under tension (tension on the spool).

Thad
Dutchman's Creek Tackle

Yep,
Coats & Clark, Anton Robison, Mettler, YLI, and others.

40wt is slightly smaller then size "A" 60wt. even smaller. MADIERA is popular because
of the many many bright colors offered and the 40wt Polyneon works well too.

Nylon thread is not as prone to fuzzies as is rayon or cotton. I've tried all three and had
much less problems with the nylon. most any thread is strong enough for rod building
be it for guides or decoritive wraps.

Try any thread that suites your fancy. Just do a few test wraps (with & without CP and a coat
of finish) on some scrap or wood dowel before you start a new project with unfamiliar thread
so you wont run into any nasty surprises.

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

Stay away from cotton and rayon. And if in any doubt if the thread has been treated with something you don't want in your finish,,,, seal it with CP

Madeira Polyneon #40 = 350 great colors!!!!! Stck with a polyestor or nylon and be pretty safe.

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!!

Mad Deer is so popular because it has been talked up so much by those using it. I feel bag for Big Macs i Ohio, who were the guys I saw using it before I blabbermouthed all over the internet.

The question shouldn't be "why ?Madeira, it should be why NOT Madeira. Take a look at teh Photo Page and look at the guys using and recommending it. That should be enough to answer any questions. THt's not to say teh otehr brands don't work, and dont' work well, but if you're not sure what you're buying, why re-invent the wheel?

Allen,

Can not express enough, the use of CP with regular sewing or embroidery thread. Because of the use of silicon to make it glide through the needles better. If you don't use CP you WILL have problems with the epoxy adhering to it. Also, good advise to stay away from cotton and Rayon. Stretch is really bad along with fuzzies.

Bill in WV

I know of at least one builder (Jim Rippe) who udes a lot of Madeira WITHOUT CP and has never had a problem with fish eyes. I have never used it without CP as I like CP, but I hope that you guys are speaking from personal experience and not just passing along what may become one of those building "myths" that becomes "fact"! I have seen posts on this board where builders have asked particular companies whether lubricant was used on their threads and were told that NO lubricant was used.

I don't know one way or the other, but I, for one, would like to see posts from people that have actually experienced these finish adhesion problems. Pix would be a bonus!!

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!!

Mike, I've had all sorts of major fisheyes...beyond fisheyes, I've had large areas of thread in which the finish would not stick, adn the epoxy would settle up in one area forming craters. Each and EVERY single time I've tried using MAdeira without CP I've had this happen. One rod in which I applied finish over Madeira Metallics had it the worst...so bad that now when I see the rod (my friend uses it a ton) there seems to be an iridescent oils spot under the epoxy. I sold all my Madeira Metallics after that, as I couldn't deal with teh hassle of using it.

Several of the people who purchased MAdeira rom me experianced the EXACT same results. I cannot be sure, but I think teh reason might not be becasue of the lubricants in teh thread, but it might be the fact that I use Hugo's Tape to prevent teh spools from unwinding. I have not done any testing, but it's really, REALLY strange that everyone I spoke to for 3 years had the exact same problems that I had, and all of a sudden everyone else seems to have different results.

Now, I do not doubt Jim Rippe or Mike McGiveney, 2 rod builders who have done Tartans with MAdiera, even after I warned them that the thread will not become transparant, that it would actually darken, and that the thread woudl fisheye. I was wrong on both accounts, but I gave them that advice based on my experiances with teh thread. When I used epoxy over #40wt it never got transparant, it always seemed to get darker than what it was on teh spool. Teh sample butt wrap frm Charlotte last year, teh Pink & Purple one - I coated with Permaglos and regular epoxy and I did not experiance any Tartan-esque results, I got mud.

This is why I stopped posting MY experiances with the thread. All teh myths are pretty much exactly what I've been saying for years (including the "not strong enough for guide wraps" disproved by Mark with Laundry Detergent, lol). Teh problem is, that my other piece of advice for years has been to "TEST IT FOR YOURSELF AND SEE WAHT HAPPENS". Unfortunately, most people only took half my advice.

Thanks, Billy!!!! I didn't doubt it. It's just that you're the only one that I can think of that reported that they actually got those results. I just wonder when everyone says not to do something, BUT, they never said that THEY did them and had problems! You know how if you hear something long enough, it becomes fact!
lol!!

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!!

I have used Rayon with great sucess on at least 4 different rods. It was purchased from Michaels and is all the same brand. CP was used on all (two coats). With the exception of the holo-shimmer thread, this is 100% rayon from top to bottom.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Just like Billy said....your milage may vary. With this thread, I test wrapped twice before I actually used the thread on my rod and I would reccomend anyone do the same if its a first use of a thread not specifically made for rodbuilding.

I'm glad this is on PAge 2, since nobody is going to see it. MAdeira has a new thread, Xtra. Looks good. But it's a secret