I AM A NEW ROD BUILDER,
ON THREADS FOR GUIDE WRAPES DO YOU NEED NYLON?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL THE OTHER THRADS YOU WOULD SEE IN A SEWING STORE?
MY LOCAL SEWING STORE HAS VERY FEW CHOICES WHEN IT COMES TO NYLON THREADS
AND MY LOCAL ROD SUPPLY STORE IS OVER AN HOUR AWAY .. IF YOU ORDER FROM A CATALOG YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THE ACTUAL COLOR WILL LOOK LIKE , THE PICTURES IN THE CATALOG CAN BE OFF.
ARE THERE ANY THREADS THAT YOU WOULD NEVER USE FOR ANY REASON?

I would not use cotton or rayon threads, too many problems. I, and many others, use polyestor thread but since most sewing threads hace a silicon lubricant to aid in sewing machine use, CP needs to be used to seal it before finish is applied. The colors displayed on vendor web sites is pretty accurate. I would guess that the great majority of builders buy their thread (and all other supplies by mail order/internet

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 Barkley Wrote:
The colors displayed on vendor web sites
> is pretty accurate. I would guess that the great
> majority of builders buy their thread (and all
> other supplies by mail order/internet.

Yep! It helps if you get the color cards provided by some of the Mfgr's.

Try any thread you find really. Just do a couple test wraps first to see if
it will work for you. You will have fewer problems and less learning curves
if you stay with metalics, poly, & nylon, & silk though.

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

And whatever thread you buy, check each spool with a good light and a strong magnifier.
The first rod I wrapped, the thread was fuzzy.
I didn't notice this until I put the epoxy finish on it. I thought I was doing something completely wrong as the finish seemed to gall up.
To fix the problem (which took several days), I had to rub the finished epoxy with a finger nail board and re-apply epoxy finish, keep doing this until the fuzz was no longer created a problem. The end result was acceptable, but I check each spool carefully before wrapping. I am not a happy camper with gudebrod at this point in time.

Good luck in your venture, This is a great place to learn, and there are lots and lots of people here who are willing to help, and again, I thank them.

Roy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2008 08:36AM by Roy Zeringue.

I would not recommend any thread not designed for rod building-too much risk of unforeseen problems, like the lube in the thread mentioned before.

I've used Gudebrod nylon exclusively with no problems, but inspecting each spool is probably a good idea. One thing about nylon that might not be noticed is that it is stretchy, and because it is stretchy, it retains winding tension well, and with a lot of winds around the guide foot, really ties the guide down tightly. Without that stretch, the guide would be less well attached. Cotton would not provide this.

One thing that I often do is to use gudebrod's regular nylon and not use CP on it. It opens up a lot of new colors. Do a test wrap and wet with alcohol to see what the color would be without CP.

If you are doing a glossy rod and like the subtle appearance, you can find a thread that almost matches the blank, finish them without CP, and have the wraps almost disappear on the rod. With small, black, guides, and a little metallic trim, you get a very subtle but elegant rod. This approach doesn't work as well on matte finished blanks since you have the matte/gloss contrast.

I think the concern about colors int he catalogs is not as bad as it first seems. For example, the colors shown in the Mud Hole catalog for the Gudebrod threads are actually a good representation of what you do get on the spool.

Another alternative would be to go to the Show in the spring and see just about every thread color and type imaginable right there for purchase at some very good prices, but the most practical solution seems to be to make that 1-hr drive to your local rod building store.

But follow the advice above and don't use stuff that's not intended for the purpose - you'll spend more time messing with the results than it will ever be worth to have not stuck with the purpose-made products in the first place.

There are three brands you can trust: Fish Hawk, Gudebrod, and Madeira. Even then, as some of the folks mentioned above, the color and fuzzies and such can vary spool-to-spool, but these problems are generally minimized if you saty within these brands. Also, look online at the various sponsor sites under their thread listings and just look at the colors. Compare what you see on one vendor's site against the same illustration from another vendor's site. For example, some very good color renditions are at the @#$%& site.

If you want, I might have some samples I could lend you so you can get a feel for the "real thing".

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2008 10:40PM by Russ Pollack.

If you use a sewing type thread you have to put a couple of coats of color preserver on the thread. Sewing thread is lubricated with a silacin, so it well slide threw the needle.
Good Wraps Bob

Trilobal, Coat' & Clark and Madiera (as well as other POLYESTOR) sewing threads are pretty widely used in rodbuilding without problem as long as you play it safe with a couple coats of CP (I use them often without any problems) As always, when trying something new, test on scrap just to be 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!!

A couple of quick points

Re colour charts:
i) Printed colour charts are fairly colour correct but still have variations to actual thread in some shades.
ii) Colour charts viewed on a computer screen are a mixed bag & unreliable for colour correctness.
iii) Manufacturers sample cards ( actual thread samples ) are the only truly reliable colour correct way to select threads.
- without sighting actual thread spools.

Re fluffy thread:
i) Every thread wrap should be inspected prior to application of CP or finish coat.
ii) Where fluff is encountered , careful application of heat can shrivel the fluff and typically reduce lumps & bumps to the point where the finish coat will be perfectly smooth......................... This is a significant advantage when using manmade threads such as nylon & polyester etc rather than natural threads.
- care with the amount of heat applied is the key issue
- essentially its too late to use this technique once CP or finish coat has been applied.
- The heating will not remove the fluff completely it merely melts it down to a more compact lump which finish coat is able to self-level on top of.

Jeff, your local rodbuilding store is an hour away? Good grief, I would be living there! My primary supplier is nine hours away, and I get there probably twice a year in person. The colors you see on a Gudebrod chart are pretty much what you get. Fishhawk is the same way.

One thing I havn't seen mentioned yet is when using the sewing thread with silicon, beware of cross contamination even after cp is applied. Handling other unfinished rods or spools of thread can redistribute Contaminates to the unfinished rod.