I obtained some help and now it is time for me to give my first butt wrap a try. I find I am having a hard time trying to visualize what the finished wrap will look like. I’m seeking suggestions on thread color choices, how many axis to wrap on, and open versus closed warps. Keep in mind I’m a beginner at this.

Perhaps it is best I provide some information. The wrap will have to be fairly short. I have about seven, maybe 8, inches maximum to work with. The circumference of the blank is 56 mm at the midpoint. The taper is slow enough I don’t think I need to worry about any offset spacing. I will go with a diamond, or chevron, to start with. The rod is already built and my guide wraps are as follows:

I have a gold metallic under wrap which extends past the guide wrap so appears as a trim band at the extreme ends. The under wrap has a 3 turn black inlay in the middle The guide wrap (from outside in) is a 3 turn white band, 3 turn purple band, 3 turn black band, then purple up the guide foot. In the middle of the guide foot I introduced a black thread as a 5 turn spiral inlay along with the purple. The white is NCP A, the black and purple are regular D and the gold metallic is A. No CP was used. Blank color is natural graphite.

My questions are what color choices and pattern would you guys suggest? I don’t know if I should start with my darkest color and go lighter as I work out or the other way around. I don’t know if I should put down an under wrap first, perhaps the gold, and then wrap over that. I’d rather go with “understated elegance” than gaudy. I could see something like 6 strands of black, maybe bracket that with a single gold, six strands of purple on each side of that, bracket with a single gold, six strands of white on each side of that bracketed with gold. At that point would I keep on repeating that pattern or stop? If I were to stop and wanted to close it in I’d think my diamonds would be rather small. Should I consider four axis at that point or use 12 strands rather than 6?

Any and all help is appreciated. I don’t mind spending a lot of time on it but I’m not the type that enjoys wrapping only to cut it all off under the guise of experimentation and learning. Call me lazy:)

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Threads layed on top of other threads are not as easily moved around so I often suggest not to use an underwrap. Besides, it sounds like your primary color on your guides is purple and gold and a gold underwrap on the butt wrap with stand out like a stop sign unless you cover an awefull lot of it.

If you keep the purple primary (more of it) in the butt wrap you keep the balance. Not to say you have to but...I would try & stay with the same color ratio that's already present on the guides. Guide wraps are purple so the tie-off wraps should be purple.

Double wraps look better than single especially in a short wrap.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Thanks Ray. When I use underwraps I coat them first so it is easy to wrap and move over them. I also thought it would make it easy to scribe layout marks. But yes, a gold underwrap would be rather loud:) I'll go with a double wrap. I think I can figure out how to lay that out.

I suppose I'm just going to have to play around and get the hang of it. Just isn't my style. I guess that is because I do a lot of electrical work. Playing around to figure things out leads to a lot of burnt up stuff and possible fire and injury.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

When I do a "simple open" double cross-wraps I only mark the crossing point for a single wrap. I wrap the single then wrap the double by wrapping down the middle between the centers of the single. Then I straighten up the centers and put them all at 1/2 the circumference spacing from each other. Marking all the centers before starting the wrap just don't seem necessary most of the time.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..