Good morning Guys,
I have looked but haven't found any information on what to clean my thread with after wrapping. There must be hand oil and masking tape residual left on my wraps after I'm finished. Do I use denatured alcohol or is there something else I should be using befor putting on color preservative? Sorry if this has been answered 100 times befor, newbe, ya know!!!
Thanks

Snooker Pete

Dont use anything!

You can take a roll of blue "painters tape" and "tack off" the dust on the threads, do nothing more.

DR

Hi Newbe Pete.....I mix up a jug of denatured alcohol with a few drops of liquid Dawn dish soap and was my hands often, I also use this liquid to wash down all blanks I begin to work on. I would not advise washing down any un-finished threads. If you are concerned with dust on the threads you can use a tack cloth...but make sure you get the tack cloth with no silicone or waxes in it....your paint stores and also Mudhole carry this product.

Tight Lines
Tight Wraps
Fishin'Stix by Fred

Anything you add or use on the thread only increases the chances that something will go wrong in the sealing and/or finishing stage.

Your thread should not be dirty nor contaminated with oils and that sort of thing. I have noticed that many rod builders spend much too much time handling their thread or even allowing others to run their hands and fingers all over it. You don't want to do that.

The thread on the wraps should be as clean as the thread was on the original spool. Clean hands are all that's required and even then, your hands should not be coming in contact with the thread while you're wrapping. A thumbnail to pack the wraps and a little handling at the tie-in and tie-off is all that's required.

If you need to dust off the threads, brush them with soft bristle brush and let it go at that.

If you do have oily places on the thread, for whatever reason, strip it off and rewrap.

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

Thanks guys for your help! Clean hands & stop touching the thread. Tom, thats great info for newbee's who like me are probably toutching the thread way to much! I will practice trying to keep my hands away from the blank & thread before any epoxy is aplied. One more thing, I use the blue painters masking tape and sometimes stick it on the wrap itself. Is that a no-no also does this type tape leave anything bad on the thread??
Thanks again!!!

Snooker Pete

Not necessarily. A good Color Preserver would seal in anything like that anyway.

By the way, why are sticking tape onto the thread? Just curious - you may be doing something that isn't at all necessary.

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

I use a PC air spray duster to blow off dust. while turning the rod.

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

Tom said it best, as well as all the other responses, but if you think about, you don't really ever need to touch the thread....... except for the tag ends, which you should cut off. I have always be aware of that and I try to keep my hands off the thread un til I seal it with one coat of PG..........

Terry

Some of the PC sprays contain an agent that can leave a residue on the thread. Tom's advice is best, but Gary and I use one of the Goo-Gone-type products to clean our hands before we even start wrapping. It also helps to use this on the rod itself where the wraps will be made, to ensure there's nothing nasty in that area either.

We use one of our Squzzl Sticks to pack each wrap but there are a number of packing tools out there also, and the point is to not actually touch the thread except, for us old timers who've always used our thumbnails to do it.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Use a piece of the painters tape to tack off the dust on the wrappings, never stick the tape to the wrap, just lightly touch it along quickly to the thread and back off again in one motion. You're using the tape like a tack cloth is all.

DR

I have used my fingers to tension the thread when wrapping for a lot of years and have not had any problems with contamination. I do try to remember to wash my hands before wrapping but have often forgotten and not washed my hands before handling the thread and still have not had any problems with contamination.
I guess some people could have more natural oil on their fingers but I suspect that if you have washed your hands then any contomination is probably coming from somewhere other than from the natural oil from the skin on your hands.

I make sure I wash my hands with dish soap and water and then I have a bottle of soap and 10% bleach that I spray on my hands and wash a second time, bleach will leach the oils out of your paws.

I also try to avoid touching the thread as much as possible by using a large fly tiers bobbin and as stated above a couple of good coats of CP sure does help. :)

Snooker,
I go over all of the thread wraps with masking tape before finishing.

The masking tape seems to remove any necessary contaminants.

With respect to thread handling etc.
Yes, the fingers and skin do have lots of junk on them.
I like to make a point to wash my hands several times a day, when wrapping rods. I also try to minimize the contact of the thread with my fingers. I use a power wrapper consistently, so I have less thread contact than if I were hand wrapping.
One can look at thread before and after wrapping and if the hands have not been recently washed, one will notice skin oil as well as skin cells being deposited on the thread. It is rather remarkable how many skin cells and crud get wiped off your hands if you haven't recently washed your hands.

The use of gloves doesn't work because you lose too much feel with cloth gloves and any type of rubber or latex gloves won't allow the thread to nicely slip through your fingers.

Take care
Roger

p.s.
If you think that "stuff" doesn't get on your thread during wrapping from your fingers, use a microscope to look at the thread on the spool without touching it, and again, after it has been wrapped on the rod, using your fingers.

you guys using denatured alcohol and bleach on your hands will be sorry in the long run. Your body absorbs these chemicals and they can play heck with ya.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Fred,

Thanks for the tip on the de-natured alcohol. i use it only after applying epoxie, so i naturally am through handling the thread. My question to you is, Will it hurt down the road or is it OK after washing hands?

Also, with the mention of blue painters tape, is it any different than masking tape as far as building real seat arbors?

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Bill,
Actually, the blue masking tape is quite different than standard buff colored masking tape.
The primary difference is the adhesive on the back of the tape.
The blue painters masking tape has a different adhesive, such that it remains slightly tacky (but only slightly) for a long time.
The advantage of the blue tape for painting and masking is that you can leave the blue tape on a wall for a few days, and still have it peel easily without tearing off the subbase to which it is stuck.

Buff colored tape on the other hand has a considerably more agressive and "permenant" tack. i.e. if you use the buff tape for painting and leave it on for more than a few hours, you are likely going to pull off some of the subbase when you remove the tape.
i.e. if you do use buff tape for painting, you should remove the tape as soon as the paint is not tacky. If you leave it on longer, you might remove some of the wall with it.

Now, for the very same reason, you should NOT use the blue painters tape to build up an arbor, if you want to use tape to build up an arbor. You would just as soon have a semi permenant build on the tape arbor for a fishing rod.
The buff tape will do this. However, the blue tape is much less tacky on a long haul basis, and is used for better things.

Also, since the blue tape does not have an agressive tack to the tape, it is very very good to "tack off" the guide threads before coating. i.e. the blue tape has enough tack to nicely remove any "junk" from the guide thread, but not so much that you loosen the threads due to excessive tape tack.

Take care
Roger

Thanks Roger,

i suspected the painters tape would not hold up for arbors but was not sure. i tried it on one I made for me but, I have not had time to try it out.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Bill

Give thanks today and everyday. We have been so blessed.

None of us are gettin out of this alive Fred. (Grin)