Okay, seeing the post and photos on rods breaking and the cork being too tight got me thinking. Can a guide wrap be too tight with the standard size A threads? The ones I have built have been pretty tight and I broke thread a couple of times on my first couple of rods until I got the hang of it. I just seems to me the thread would break first before it could damage the blank.

Absolutly!!
you can wrap them tight enough to actually push the guide foot into the structure of the blank causing failure of the blank at some future point.

Right - it's not the thread itself that causes the damage - it's the guide foot being bound too tightly into the blank by the thread. This is mostly a problem on thin walled graphites, not so much on heavier saltwater rods or older glass type rods.

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So how tight is too tight.....and how do you know when then tension is right.

Pull the thread off of the spool with 2 fingers. If it slips in your hands.......TOO tight. Light and yet snug will serve you well. The only thing that should be tight is the tie offs on butt wraps.

When you wrap a guide, you should be able to shift it slightly with firm yet subtle sideways pressure. If you can't shift it, your thread tension is too high. If it slips easily, your tension is too loose.

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Hey Tom,Can you find the thread bout my guide I wrapped to tight?
I cant find it.It was the story.
mikeb

Home Town,Gretna VA

I found the thread but I dont know how to link it here.
Do a search with "Thread Tightness"
its a good story.
mikeb

Home Town,Gretna VA

Mike,

When you bring the thread up on your computer, just to into the URL window at the top of your browser and copy that address and then paste it into your message.

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Thanks guys. Glad I ask. All of my rods so far have been for myself or friends and family but none have broken yet (knock on wood). I've always filed the backside of the foot to eliminate any burs that may penetrate the surface of the blank.

I always check the tension buy, if I can pack the threads with I guess is firm or medium pressure its OK if they give me a hard time I loosen the tension. Just my way of checking.

Bill - willierods.com

Also I have found that with the tension too tight it may be difficult to get the thread started climbing the guide foot.

I would also say if you are breaking thread just wrapping it is most likely waaaaaaay too tight.

Matt Smith
Greensboro, NC