Not really issues but...I did my first Tiger wrap, I used Gudebrod HT metallic silver and a generic nylon med-dark blue as the base wrap. One good coat of epoxy. The top wrap was done with the same med-blue. I haven't epoxied the top wrap yet,but I notice that the effect is kind of subtle. Will this change once the epoxy goes on? or should I use more contrasting colors?

I cut the first attempt off as it was way to subtle, it was done in Med blue/HT Metallic Electric Blue base and HT ElectricBlue top...

Any advice?

Did you not read the article? It plainly states that such a base wrap will create a very subtle effect, not a bold one as it appears you wanted.

Black and yellow or black and white on the bottom will provide the greatest contrast regardless of what color you use for the top layer.

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

The effect of this wrap really changes with any changes are made. One of then things that I have noticed is that using metallic thread on the top tends to tone down the contrasting chifting patterns created by the underlying threads. I believe the reflection of light away from the surface from the shiny metallic surface causes this. I have noticed the the most striking ones are the ones that use nylon thread on the top. It seems that the light penetration and dispersion down deep in the holo pattern magnifies the contrast of the underlying threads when the colors recommended in the article are on bottom and a nylon thread is on top. Black and white on bottom with black on top really develops a beautiful holo pattern.

I had mentioned this to someone earlier today, all of the wraps, each a different color, on the cover of the 10-2 issue were made with black and white thread for the bottom layer. That's why the effect on each of them is so bright and stunning.

Here's a quick link to the photo in case you don't have the magazine:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Now if you don't want such a bold effect, don't use high contrast colors for the bottom layer, but if you do, black and yellow is tops, with black and white a close second.

.........

Barton, I have tinkered and tweaked with the epoxy and thread suggestions to the tune of approx 30 tiger wraps now. Most of my creative potential improvements, to the original great explanations in the Rod Maker article, have ended up 'Ho Hum' or B- at best. My last four have ended up quite striking and they are based (like Tom mentioned) with Black and White or Black and Yellow on the bottom and a Nylon thread on the top. I have found it is very important to have the bottom two threads side by side but rather LOOSELY wrapped so you can move them later to create the wavy/holo affect..

Well, I guess that is that then, No Actually I didn't read the article. I just figured that if you want a blue tiger wrap you use blue tone threads,I also assumed that the metallics would enhance the effect...guess that's what I get for "figuring" and "ASSuming"

Thanks Guys!

Well if nothing else, you learned the way we often do - by learning what "not" to do.

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

Yeah, That's pretty much how this whole rod building thing has gone LOL:)....I started doing it, Just started wrapping and re wrapped till it looked right....found some stuff online (a lot from here)...Just got my Power wrapper about 3 mos ago...So far I've turned ouit about 5 rods...three of which are very nice,basic but nice, The other two were train wrecks. Anyway, I'm addicted now so there's no going back.

Thanks again, Till the next issue, Tight Wraps guys.

I made the mistake of not reviewing the article after several months of not doing a tiger wrap and when I put one on a rod in the way that I "thought" was right, I got the same very subtle effect. I went back and re-read it and found my mistake. You need to ensure that if you wrap the base contrasting colors from left to right that you do the threads on top from right to left. If you wrap them both the same direction, as I did, it won't quite be what you expect. I like to do 2 coats of high build between top and bottom then another 1-2 coats on top. So you can imagine the time that was wasted when I had to redo the rod.

THATS IT!!! I KNEW there was something I wasn't doing quite right! Good thing I haven't put the epoxy on the top wrap yet!!

Thanks Tom, for that piece of information on the base colors. I'm pretty new at this tiger wrap, but it is very fascinating for me. When I was in school I took a ceramics class and got captivated by the randomness that the process of building something can have on art. For instance Raqu. Plain objects glazed and put in a kiln, removed when they are orange hot and tossed in a pile of wet leaves and smothered. The accidental oxidation was the art to me, something it just did by itself. Needless to say after the first tiger and I was hooked.

Anyhow, metallics are hard to work with in the underwrap cause the slide back easily from the burnishing. But HT Electra Metallic Blue and Gold with HT Electra Blue Metallic over is pretty striking.

I took Tom's advice and read the article from the magazine carefully and took his advice and wrapped up my next underwrap with black nylon and NCP white and went nuts using about five different burnishing techniques on the same wrap and got some really good waves. Tossed on a thick coat of finish. Then I re-read the article and a couple of Tom's e-mails. "The top wrap is to color the wrap." That made me think for a minute, and few flashbacks later and a couple of lyrics that ran through my head and my next experiment was set. We all know how NCP thread and regular nylon behave when finish is applied. NCP pretty much stays opaque and regular nylon can darken or disappear. So one 1/2 of the wrap I tossed on some NCP yellow the other 1/2 Purple Nylon. I didn't have NCP and regular of either color on hand (well I found one of each of scarlet later - Doh).

The results were very interesting. The Yellow NCP side the wrap was basically an awesome tiger that was Yellow and Black (now I need to get a tinge of Orange in it Ahhhh!). The other 1/2 was Purple and White. I did not expect that.

I just need to work more on handling the thread better - Oh the Yellow and Black is going on a Seeker 665 that I'm finishing up this week.