I've been looking at all the different wraps and I'm wondering how do you put just a single strand of color in? I assume you have to weave it in with you main color since you can't tie off just a single strand?

try here
[www.rodbuildingtutorials.com]

I have a technique that works for me, but it may be hard to describe. If you are going to be at the Rod Expo, look me up and I will show you in person. It's not too hard and avoids the crossover of the base wrap color. You end up with a single uninterrupted line of color.

I'll try a written description. This may be too confusing, but I'll try it:

Start your base color wrap as normal and wrap to the point you want your single inlay thread. Back up (or un-wrap) five turns and insert a nine inch piece of the inlay thread. Leave a two to three inch tag on the backside and six inches forward. Wrap over this piece five turns or to the point you want your inlay. I prefer not to pack the thread too tightly as I wrap over the tag end of the inlay. I want a little wiggle room in the thread. Just wrap side-by-side with no extra packing. This makes cutting a flat tag easier later on.

After you have secured the inlay thread, angle the rod a bit like you are going to spiral the thread on the next wrap, but don't wrap it. Just hold it tight. The base wrap thread should be tight on the top of the blank at a 30-degree angle or so.

I do not turn the blank for this part: Take the inlay thread in hand (grabbing it from under the blank) and wrap tightly around the blank close to the base wraps; keep the inlay thread on the INSIDE of the base wrap thread that is at an angle. The inlay thread will cross over the base wrap thread near the bottom of the blank. Wrap the inlay thread tightly about a quarter inch past the beginning point.

Here's the tricky part: Whike keeping tension on the inlay thread angle the blank back to perpendicular and slide the inlay thread under the base wrap thread. (I keep tension on the inlay thread by pulling with my fingers from the underside of the blank.) The threads should cross a few millimeters beyond the beginning point of the inlay. The base wrap thread is now over the inlay thread. Continue to hold the inlay thread tight and wrap the base thread over the inlay thread two or three times to secure it tight.

You do not need to have the threads perfectly close together at this point. Just get them as close as you can; you'll pack them down in a moment.

You should see that the inlay thread has been captured INSIDE of the base thread wraps. You can let go of the inlay thread at this point. Now, take a thread packing tool and pack the threads together. If your inlay thread is loose then you can gently pull it away from you to tighten it.

You want the inlay thread to overlap its starting point by just a couple of millimeters and be held in place with two or three base wraps over it. Next, pull gently on the inlay thread to get the two ends to meet. Watch it slide out from under the over wraps of base thread. You want to GENTLY pull until the two ends of the inlay thread meet with no visible overlap. I pull at a bit of and angle away from me so I do not move the base wraps too much. If you go too far you can back off the over wraps and try again. (With metallic thread you can often see tiny segments. I pull one segment at a time and go slowly! If I go too far then there will be a gap in the band color and I'll have to start over.)

Once you get the ends to meet cleanly, make a few more wraps over the inlay thread to scure it and pack the thread to create a single band of color. Trim off the forward end of the inlay thread and finish the wrap.

To remove the tag I Gently! pull it up the blank (in the direction of the wrap) to create a tiny gap in the overwraps. This is why I don't pack these threads super tight. I then pull the tag straight up away from the blank with a bit of tension. I use cuticle nippers to cut it as close to the thread as I can without damaging the other threads. I'm careful not to pull too hard and move the inlay band I just make.

Burnish the entire wrap and you are done.

I thought of another way to do this same inlay by holding the inlay thread on the inside of the base wrapping thread and making one turn of the blank. Then overlap a bit and cross the inlay under the base wrap to hold it secure. Pull the inlay thread to match the ends and there you go!

This may be too confusing to describe without pictures. But I tried. Play with it and you'll figure it out.

Les



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2010 12:18AM by les cline.

Craig,

Read Tom's article in the Library on trim bands and thread inlays. When I first started building, I was puzzled at how one could get a single thread inlay on a wrap. After reading Tom's article, not only did I understand it, but it was easy to learn and it takes very little time to do.

jeremy

The part I'm confused about is when you say to take the two inlay threads and pull the ends together. You do this to cover up the crossover base thread? Or why do you pull the two ends together?


-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a technique that works for me, but it may
> be hard to describe. If you are going to be at the
> Rod Expo, look me up and I will show you in
> person. It's not too hard and avoids the crossover
> of the base wrap color. You end up with a single
> uninterrupted line of color.
>
> I'll try a written description. This may be too
> confusing, but I'll try it:
>
> Start your base color wrap as normal and wrap to
> the point you want your single inlay thread. Back
> up (or un-wrap) five turns and insert a nine inch
> piece of the inlay thread. Leave a two to three
> inch tag on the backside and six inches forward.
> Wrap over this piece five turns or to the point
> you want your inlay. I prefer not to pack the
> thread too tightly as I wrap over the tag end of
> the inlay. I want a little wiggle room in the
> thread. Just wrap side-by-side with no extra
> packing. This makes cutting a flat tag easier
> later on.
>
> After you have secured the inlay thread, angle the
> rod a bit like you are going to spiral the thread
> on the next wrap, but don't wrap it. Just hold it
> tight. The base wrap thread should be tight on the
> top of the blank at a 30-degree angle or so.
>
> I do not turn the blank for this part: Take the
> inlay thread in hand (grabbing it from under the
> blank) and wrap tightly around the blank close to
> the base wraps; keep the inlay thread on the
> INSIDE of the base wrap thread that is at an
> angle. The inlay thread will cross over the base
> wrap thread near the bottom of the blank. Wrap
> the inlay thread tightly about a quarter inch past
> the beginning point.
>
> Here's the tricky part: Whike keeping tension on
> the inlay thread angle the blank back to
> perpendicular and slide the inlay thread under the
> base wrap thread. (I keep tension on the inlay
> thread by pulling with my fingers from the
> underside of the blank.) The threads should cross
> a few millimeters beyond the beginning point of
> the inlay. The base wrap thread is now over the
> inlay thread. Continue to hold the inlay thread
> tight and wrap the base thread over the inlay
> thread two or three times to secure it tight.
>
> You do not need to have the threads perfectly
> close together at this point. Just get them as
> close as you can; you'll pack them down in a
> moment.
>
> You should see that the inlay thread has been
> captured INSIDE of the base thread wraps. You can
> let go of the inlay thread at this point. Now,
> take a thread packing tool and pack the threads
> together. If your inlay thread is loose then you
> can gently pull it away from you to tighten it.
>
> You want the inlay thread to overlap its starting
> point by just a couple of millimeters and be held
> in place with two or three base wraps over it.
> Next, pull gently on the inlay thread to get the
> two ends to meet. Watch it slide out from under
> the over wraps of base thread. You want to GENTLY
> pull until the two ends of the inlay thread meet
> with no visible overlap. I pull at a bit of and
> angle away from me so I do not move the base wraps
> too much. If you go too far you can back off the
> over wraps and try again. (With metallic thread
> you can often see tiny segments. I pull one
> segment at a time and go slowly! If I go too far
> then there will be a gap in the band color and
> I'll have to start over.)
>
> Once you get the ends to meet cleanly, make a few
> more wraps over the inlay thread to scure it and
> pack the thread to create a single band of color.
> Trim off the forward end of the inlay thread and
> finish the wrap.
>
> To remove the tag I Gently! pull it up the blank
> (in the direction of the wrap) to create a tiny
> gap in the overwraps. This is why I don't pack
> these threads super tight. I then pull the tag
> straight up away from the blank with a bit of
> tension. I use cuticle nippers to cut it as close
> to the thread as I can without damaging the other
> threads. I'm careful not to pull too hard and move
> the inlay band I just make.
>
> Burnish the entire wrap and you are done.
>
> I thought of another way to do this same inlay by
> holding the inlay thread on the inside of the base
> wrapping thread and making one turn of the blank.
> Then overlap a bit and cross the inlay under the
> base wrap to hold it secure. Pull the inlay thread
> to match the ends and there you go!
>
> This may be too confusing to describe without
> pictures. But I tried. Play with it and you'll
> figure it out.
>
> Les

He is talking about the ends of the inlay thread stopping and starting on the same axis point after going around the blank , making sure the ends meet, preferably on the bottom of the rod where it won't be seen as easily.
Look at Tom's tutorial in the "Library" on "Trim Bands and Inlays". Look at photo # 18 and see how the single trim thread comes together. You will see the ends of the single thread separated by one wrap of the main wrap.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2010 09:15AM by Jay Hunt.

Thanks, Jay. That's what I meant about the ends meeting. And, as you said, they should meet on the bottom of the blank where you'll not see it....though if you do it right it is very hard to tell.

Les