Have question
using gudebrod # 411 hot pink for my wraps and everything looked good and tight until i put the cp on them and you can see the black blank as if the thread is transparent
my question is ( would thread tension have anything to do with this not letting it pack tight enough together or is it somthing to do with the color of the thread

Light thread on a dark blank (or vice-versa) can be a challenge. Usually the issue is with packing and burnishing.

I am going to assume you are fairly new to rod building (please forgive me if this assumption is incorrect)...

Packing the thread meticulously is a good idea all the time. You can do it as you go, or pack once after the wrap is complete. It is not enough just to have the threads lay up right next to each other as you wrap the rod, you must pack the thread with a tool afterward to push the threads closer together. After this you want to burnish the thread. Burnishing is like polishing the top of the entire thread wrap to "meld" the threads together and smooth out the surface. You should pack one more time after burnishing.

Walt Natzke
Ripon, CA

Just a thought. If you are seeing the dark of the blank through a light colored thread, which as Walt above indicates is common and not just between threads, you could consider an underwrap of white thread and wrap over that, if it is a closed wrap. If an open wrap is used the white thread will show between the centers of your pattern. The latter can look good as a contrast but is up to individual choice.
Doug

Most rod wrapping thread is a circular, and not flat. While the two threads may be touching, there is less thread material at between the centers of the two threads because of the cylindrical nature of thread. there are two methods to overcoming this issue. You can either flatten the threads (burnishing), or push the threads together (packing) the two methods are normally used in tandem, but there are a few points i would like to make concerning thread type that might help a bit.

I consider packing to be the opposite of burnishing, for two reasons. the first reason is obvious. Packing threads means you are adding more thread material to a given area, vs more evenly spreading the existing material. The other reason i consider it to be opposite, comes from experience working with different kinds of thread. I have found that threads that tend to pack well, do not burnish as easily as other threads. Likewise it is my experience that thread that burnishes well does not pack easily. The reason for this is thread construction. This is where my observations are a little less than obvious.

If you look at Gudebrod Nylon under a microscope, and compare it to Prowrap Nylon. You will find that Gudebrod is more tightly wound per millimeter. I also believe Gudebrod's component threads are are pre-stretched in addition to being pre-wound unlike Prowrap, The result of this difference is that gudebrod is a harder thread, as compared to prowrap which i consider to be a "soft" thread.

You can see these differences without a microscope if you unwind the end of both Brands, and hold them side by side. Gudebrods component threads are left with a tighter wavy pattern, (you will also notice it does not unwind as easily)

In regards to thread behavior the two threads could be considered polar opposites. And in my experience they are quite different. And i have been forced to change my technique as a result. Before making the switch to prowrap, i did not have need to heavily burnish my decorative wrap's because i employ a certain technique of spacing that made thread packing a breeze. Unfortunately this technique is not nearly as effective while using prowrap. Quite simply because of the differences in thread construction. Prowrap being a softer thread does not pack nearly as well as gudebrod Now instead of packing only i HAVE to burnish. As a result i have found that prowrap burnishes extraordinarily well. Filling gaps that would've required significantly more packing to allow for additional threads. These differences are simply a matter of taste.

i hope my observations help u develop a better technique,

Did the CP dry all the way. give it about 3-4 hours and then check if the color returned. but, sometimes, packing is the problem.

Did the CP dry all the way. give it about 3-4 hours and then check if the color returned. but, sometimes, packing is the problem.

I did light blue on a black blank one time and even with 2 good coats of cp, it still did not quite show the true color of blue. The black just darkened it a little. I ripped it off, underwrapped with white, problem solved. Now I underwrap my butt wrap almost all of the time.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

David Dosser Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did light blue on a black blank one time and
> even with 2 good coats of cp, it still did not
> quite show the true color of blue. The black just
> darkened it a little. I ripped it off,
> underwrapped with white, problem solved. Now I
> underwrap my butt wrap almost all of the time.


also this^ i do silver when i know its gonna close, or if the design uses silver. If it is going to be open i use as light of an underwrap as possible. sometimes going 3 to 4 shades lighter than any element present in the wrap.

On lighter colors use NCP thread.

thanks everyone first time i have used this light of a color so i didnt know what the problem was
THANKS again

I sometimes will spray a white on the blank to offset this color change or just double wrap with the same color. You really don't need white either just a lighter shade of what your wrapping with.