I was just curious . When closing the wrap how many of you have overlaping threads and how many threads. In these pictures it looks like they close perfectly like as if the last thread closes the wrap. I got pretty close I overlaped about 12 threads but some burnished away . I this is my second build and third attempt I closed in black so I think I can get away with it . I just want to poll all you pros just to see how far off I am I think I an waiting too long to pack.. thanks to those who answer..

Steve,

I'll be honest and tell you that just about every closed wrap I do has some overlap of the last few threads at the small end of the taper, no matter how careful I am with the layout. Here's how I deal with it; I always space my wrap 1 pattern longer than I really want, when I'm through with the dec wrap I make a few wraps of thread where I want the pattern to end then apply CP to the decorative wrap, after it's dry I cut back my loose thread ends flush with a slight taper and then wrap the end the way I want it to look, more CP and then finish.

I usually try to cram in as many threads as I can at the end of the decorative wrap so I can get it nice and tight, and that does usually cause some overlap near the small end. Depending on the thread you use many times the overlap would never be seen after epoxy, especially if it's rolled out or burnished as flat as you can get it.

There are a lot of really top notch decorative wrappers on this forum, I'm sure they'll chime in with their suggestions.

Walt Davenport
"Roadhouse Rods"

I'm sure we all face this issue at times. Generally, wrapping with light tension and packing after a few thread runs will give better results. Also, I've found that taking extra time with measuring and laying out the first threads will pay big dividends. Like Walt said, making the wrap one pattern longer than you actually intend to use is a big help too. Unless you close with black thread (or some other very dark thread) any over wraps will show too much to be acceptable.

It was going good till the last part i actually had gaps on the bottom. I think I wait too long before i pack I did 7 passes of the spider before I even packed. Fishing rod 3 steve 0 im getting shut out..

Don't get discouraged, you're not getting shut out. You recognize that it could be better and you're searching for solutions, I think that makes you just what this craft should be all about; men and women wanting to build the best rods possible.

Walt Davenport
"Roadhouse Rods"

Steve, The only one that will notice the threads is you . After the finish goes on they disappear unless you stacked them real high. The extra pattern is the way to go.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Steve,

Keep at it. You will find you will get better with every rod and wrap. Just keep going and keep asking questions!

Mike

Thanks for the in put I cut it off I gonna get this one im gonna use the same colors i did b4 it @#$%& but ill get it right.

As mentioned above, the extra patterns at the end of your wraps will help a lot in keeping your wraps tight through the patterns that will show in the final wrap. I also find that wrapping with more than one thread at a time helps to keep the threads tight. If you wrap with one thread at a time you have lots of crossovers that tend to spread your threads out and make packing more difficult. If I'm working a pattern that next calls for three green threads, instead of going up and down three times with a single thread I'll wrap three green threads up and down one time. I use some sacrificial thread to make a pass up and down the pattern for each axis, pull off an extra six inches, and then use that piece of thread as a "yardstick" for measuring cuts of multiple threads. This works very well when the thread colors can be all the same color but if you're wrapping a +1 type pattern you'll get a smoother pattern at the crossovers by wrapping single threads rather than a mix of colors. This pic [www.rodbuilding.org] demonstrates the effect you get with multiple thread wraps and shows the blockiness you get with multiple colors wrapped at once.

Steve Zayas Wrote:
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> Thanks for the in put I cut it off I gonna get
> this one im gonna use the same colors i did b4 it
> @#$%& but ill get it right.

That's the right attitude Steve. Just think of it as a learning experience and put what you've learned to use in the next attempt. Nothing beats experience and there's only one way to get it.

I nearly always have a few overlaps. It's just about impossible not to. I also tend to close it in with a darker color. If you are closing it in with black and no cp is needed, just overlap it a few times and call it a day. You'll never see the overlap points as they'll become invisible.

I used to be annoyed by it, but now I just fill it in and don't worry about it unless its really bad. One thing, since I've started using mainly madeira's whose lubricant helps greatly when flattening it I have had zero issues with overlap problems.