Hi,

what method would you recommend to spiral a 6`6" ML 4-10lbs blank? A simpel spiral with only one guide on the side to prevent the line from touching the blank (that´s what I´m planing to do) or better two guides like o´quinn or revolver?

Thanks for your input

Max

There are no transition guides with the Simple Spiral. Don't mistake it for the single 90 degree transition guide spiral wrap - that's a different method (which also works).

On the O'Quinn and Revolver, the guide off from 0 and 180 aren't there to keep the line from rubbing the blank as much as they are to guide or transition the line about the blank to the bottom.

With the Simple Spiral, the line goes directly from the butt guide to a 180 degree guide. These guides would only be about 8 to perhaps 10 inches apart. If you object to the line rubbing the blank, you may go back and install a single "Bumper" guide at 90 degrees and halfway between those first 2 guides, but do not alter the spacing of those 2.

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Thanks for your input Tom. But which way would you go on a light rod like the one I´m building on?

Max

I use the Simple Spiral because it does all that needs to be done with the least amount of muss and fuss.

If you have time on your hands and want to learn some things for yourself, why not tape up a couple or three different set ups and go out and cast and retrieve with them a little bit. You'll soon know which you prefer.

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Max,
For most of the rods that I spiral wrap, I use two guides to get the wraps to the underside of the rod.
I also generally offset the first stripper guide a bit to keep the line centered on the reel.
I have found after building many spiral rods, that if I don't offset the first guide a bit in the direction of the spiral, that after lots of casts and retreives, the line will tend to stack up on one side of the reel.
By doing test casts before doing the final positioning of the guides, one can determine that optimum rotation of the first stripper guide to keep the line from stacking up on either one side of the reel or the other.
I generally have the 2nd guide at about 60 degrees and the third guide at about 120 degrees.
Again, by doing test casts one can determine the exact rotation needed to keep the line running though the center of each of these guides during multiple casts and retreives.
Due to the exact back and forth placement, as well as blank stiffness, there will always be a slight variation in the exact placement as well as rotation of the first three guide.-- (if using three guides to get the line from the top to the bottom of the rod. )

Roger

I would use one guide myself, but using two you can make the line pass no more than a hair's width from the blank if that's important to you.

Tom, am I to understand from your post that you no long use any transition guides? If so, do you do that for both light and heavy rods?

The Bumper guide is not a transition guide - it doesn't transition anything. The line on the Simple Spiral just goes to the bottom of the blank of its own, exactly where it wants to go if you'll only let it.

When I cooked up this method, it was due partly because I wanted an easy means of explaining how to do a spiral wrap to all the folks that call me on a daily basis asking how. Plus, it dawned on me that having all these guides to transition the line around to the bottom of the blank didn't make much sense - you don't have to take or transition the line to the bottom, it will go there naturally unless you stop it from doing so. That's where it wants to be - on the bottom of the rod.

Often I see someone who wants to show me their Simple Spiral wrap. But that's not what they have - they usually have a standard single transition guide at 90 degrees that is indeed used to take the line to the bottom of the rod. Under load, the line puts full pressure on the side of the guide. That's a transition guide, not a Bumper guide.

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So Tom, are you saying no guide at all between 0deg and 180deg.

You can use either a Bumper guide on the Simple Spiral, or a transition guide on those that utilize a single transition guide.

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I have built 2 different UL rods using the simple spiral. My butt guide and 180 are 10 inches apart on both. I use a bumper guide as i dont like the line rubbing the blank. Dont know why really it just seems wrong. LOL Anyway, I have a 2s70ulf2 and a 3s66ulf2 that i use with downriggers for trolling, and i love them. the simple spiral works great on them. I never really bothered to try different methods to test for casting distance as i dont use the rods for that purpose. I have cast them just for giggles and they seem to cast great.