Having read as much as I can on this subject. I have a rookie question. By all apearances the guides that came with my kit look like they are tapered and shaped very well, even when I look under magnification they seem well shaped. Can I assume that the material I'm reading is dated and guides are produced better nowadays? Or that I just received very well made guides ? Also should I still
file lightly to remove any unseen burrs (they feel very smooth) so I guess I should rough slightly for better thread grip? Guidance please.
thanks Eric

P.S. I did a practice wrap on a foot on old piece of rod and ramp looks smooth.

I doubt they're prepped as well as you think they are. Many guides have always come "pre-ground" but nearly all require touch up work.

You'll know if they're good enough the first time you wrap the thread up onto one. If it climbs up easily you're okay. If it doesn't, you have some work to do.

You neither need nor want to roughen them anywhere.

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

Eric,
I ordered some that came the same way and I am new to this so maybe this is not a good idea but... I file and sand my guide feet down considerably more than those pre ground ones are. The lower edge of my guide feet are so sharp I have cut myself with them. The sharper they are the smoother the thread transition onto the guides I think.
James

Pictures are worth a thousand words:

The degree of guide prep is related to the size of thread used -

A professional at work:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Eric,
I use a 1 inch wide belt sander loaded with 240 or 320 grit sanding belt.
Then, I place the sander at right angles to me and use the spinning belt to shape the guide feet.
I shape the guide feet, so that the end of the guide end has a knife edge. Then, I continue the taper so that there is no sudden change in the ramp of the guide.

This makes it very simple to use A sized thread to wrap guides on with minimum effort and little hassle.

If you have a "step" at the end of the guide, or a "steep" ramp - up the guide, you are sure to have issues with thinner thread. If you are using D sized thread, you will have fewer problems, because the thickness of the thread can easily be equal to the step on the guide foot. If so, one wrap of thread will act as a block for the next wrap. However, if using thin thread, the thread at the edge of the guide will be too low to stop the first thread on the guide foot from slipping back off the guide. Also, if the ramp on the guide foot is too steep, the thread will tend to slip back down the guide foot - especially with finer thread.

Take care
Roger

p.s.
To hold small diameter guides - that are really too small to be held with your fingers; I use a tapered stick like the stick of an artists brush to hole the guide. I insert the stick taper into the guide until it is a snug fit on the inside of the guide and then use the stick to hold the guide during the guide prep. Simple and easy and inexpensive.

Eric, the picture link in Bill's post is in my opinion a little extreme for guide prep. Like I said, it is just my opinion, but I feel a guide foot ground to that extent loses some stability by being narrowed so much. If the lip is sharp like a knife and there aren't any edges along the sides to make the guide wraps uneven, then it is prepped well enough. Be sure the lower side of the lip, the part against the blank, hasn't built up a burr from grinding or filing.

Hmmmmm. Positioning the belt sander sideways could help you see the angle of attack you are taking on the top of the feet.