I am looking for suggestions for wrapping the tip top on a fly rod. It seems I always mess this wrap up. Any suggestions for supporting the tip?

Hi, Robert,
I have a pdf drawing which I can email to you.
I don't know how to attach a drawing to this post.

I just posted the drawing(jpg) to Photos under Equipment & Tools

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
John in Wethersfield, CT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2010 10:06PM by John Repaci.

[www.backlashtools.com] this is what I use on my clemens lathe

Robert,
Here is a very simple support that works very well for supporting thin blank and tip sections.
It is nothing more than a solid piece of fiberglass blank section, that has had a notch cut in the end with a dremel tool.
Then, a hold is drilled into a base plate and the rod is inserted into the base. Make the height of the notch match the expected height of the tip being wrapped and you will be good to go.

Since the tip will simply rest in the slot, you need to be sure to have your thread coming from below the height of the slot to help keep the tip or blank in the slot:

Take care
Roger

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Support the tip as close as you can and use little tension. It is only for looks

Bill - willierods.com

Bill,
I have found that when wrapping some of these paper thin fly rod and ice rod tips, that I actually increase the tension.
When working with such tiny blanks, I have found that (sometimes) it works better to increase the tension to get a better grip of the thread on the tiny blanks and tips.
I will often, just use my fingers to hold the tip or blank from bending back and essentially doing the entire wrap in my fingers.

Take care
Roger

I agree with Barry. I use this tool on my wooden wrapping jig and it makes a troublesome wrap easy.

Roger
That is what I do. With lighter tension and keep it from bending with my fingers.

Bill - willierods.com

I took a piece of brass tubing that has a slightly larger I.D. then the berrel of the tip top. I marked the tubing, and cut the top half of the tubing off with a dremel tool. This created a half circle of the tubing that the barrel of the tip top could lay in. The length of the cut was just long enough that the tip top would fit, and a small section of the Barrel would extend past the end of the brass tubing. I make a wrap of masking tape around the barrel of the tip top, place this in the brass tubing, and continue the wrap around the tip top and the brass tubing. The brass tubing works like an extension of the rod blank when it is supported in the rod supports, and makes wrapping the tip top much easier.