Im new to rodbuilding and have completed only 3 rods. My questions is, is there a better way other than masking tape to keep stripping guides in place and secured just before wrapping. It seems as if the masking tape allows alot of movement when Im trying to begin wrapping. Another questions is, I have gotten the guides close to alignment as I can when wrapping. I make final adjusments after the guide is wrapped with care of course. Is this common to use this procedure?

There are a few different ways.
dental rubber bands,
small surgical tubing cut into strips,
and masking tape, to name a few.
and I'm sure many others will have more ways to do it also.

sounds like what you're doing is just fine, and you will almost never get the guides aligned flawlessly while wrapping. There is always the "final tweaking" after you've gotten everything wrapped.

Ive been using thin strips of masking tape successfully for 15 or so years now. After I get it all wrapped up, I do my final adjustments, then epoxy.

For the smaller guides I actually don't use anything. I get a few wraps of thread going, then slip the guide foot under the next thread enough so it will hold it in place. The I do a few more turns, then wiggle the guide gently till the end of the guide foot slips under the thread. You have to have good guide foot prep to get the thread to just barely catch the guide foot on that first thread.

For most guides I use small zip ties (cable ties) this works the best for me once you get the wrap started on the guide just cut through the block on the tie with a pair of wire cutters and it pops right off. For micros sliding the guides under some thread wraps already on the rod works as already mentioned.

Rufus
Port Saint Lucie, FL

You can pick up tubing in various diameters at any hobby shop. It's used for fuel lines, etc on model airplanes and is very inexpensive. A few feet, a cutting board and a razor blade and you have a couple years worth. I always slide them on (with a few extras) the blank before I glue on the tip. Makes guide placement/adjustment a snap! Just touch with a razor and they fly off

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

I use rubber bands that have been cut, so more of a rubber strip. hold one end wrap around guide foot and blank a few times then do a quick overhand. You only have to use 1 band per guide, I do them on the tip side as I wrap from butt up.

lots of ways to skin this cat.

good luck

tom

--------------------------------

tom in indy

Hot glue or tip top glue is another Many have said it keeps the guide on and after wrapping you can still move to adjust it try a search here for more info

Bill - willierods.com

Flex Coat makes a "guide adhesive" that works very well! It is similar to the rod tip adhesive, but not as hard a grip. It is strong enough that it will hold large guides and is perfect for the smallest guides where there is less room for tape or bands, yet it allows movement for adjusting after the wrap. I use it exclusively for the fly rods I build.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2011 02:24PM by Phil Erickson.

thats what I meant Don't use any so ???

Bill - willierods.com

I started selling surgical tubing packs at NERBs Gatherings. 4 sizes to fit on any blank, 2 feet per size. The stuff isn't cheap, but regular tubing stinks as it tends to rip and wears out stretches if you leave it on a blank for a while. I've been using thi sstuff sin ceI started building rods., Clemen's used to sell it, best method I've found to adjust guides, nd hold them in place while wrapping.

I started selling surgical tubing packs at NERBs Gatherings. 4 sizes to fit on any blank, 2 feet per size. The stuff isn't cheap, but regular tubing stinks as it tends to rip and wears out stretches if you leave it on a blank for a while. I've been using thi sstuff sin ceI started building rods., Clemen's used to sell it, best method I've found to adjust guides, nd hold them in place while wrapping.

^^GO WITH THAT^^

I looked far and wide for methods, and when I saw Billy sold them. I WAS SO HAPPY! Couldn't find it anywhere!

bill boettcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hot glue or tip top glue is another Many have said
> it keeps the guide on and after wrapping you can
> still move to adjust it try a search here for
> more info

That's what I do.
Work well for me especialy for the tiny micro.
Yes you can adjust after wrapping, as easy as with no glue.
I use Fuji Hot Melt Glue.

I use the tiny dental bands to hold the smaller (fly) guides in place. I then make a small thread wrap starting about halfway up on the guide foot for 10 or 12 turns and tie it off (I temporary wrap all the guides onto the blank). Then I align all the guides with the short wraps on. Then I start the real guide wrap as usual wrapping up to the temporary thread - cut off the temporary thread and finish the wrap. More of a 3 step process than a two step one. For the larger (spinning) guides I use masking tape to hold the guide and still use the short thread wraps.

Rog

I use the guide foot adhesive. Best advice I've read about using it was from a thread here. Heat the foot of the guide and slide it across the adhesive. If you heat your adhesive, you get the adhesive on thicker and can be too much, which I don't like doing.
jwr

I still us tape to wrap the guide. I use 3/4 wide tape with a narrow slit for the eye to go through so you end up with less than an 1/8 on the guide foot and the rest behind.. For static testing I use hair bands. As far as getting them straight, the only way I can do it is clamp the rod on horizontal at eye level and sight down from tip. I then take it outside and point to the sky. This is a must for me.

Sliding tubing up and down the length of the blank is inconvenient, and so is obtaining a variety of sizes of tubing. Positioning guides with tape is complicated by the tendency of the guide to "jump" when adhesion is broken, making small adjustments difficult. I use elastic thread, available at any sewing supply store. It's inexpensive, strong, allows easy and precise guide adjustments, and leaves no residue. I stretch the thread in three or four turns around the guide foot, keeping it under tension, tie it in a reef knot, and trim the ends. Positioning the guide both laterally and longitudinally is quick and easy. When I have wrapped the working thread half way up the guide foot I just touch the taut elastic thread with a razor blade and the elastic thread literally leaps off the blank, leaving no residue. To align the guides I use Brandon's "point at the sky" method, adjusting the guides until they line up like a row of concentric peep sights of decreasing diameter.

Pretty simple.
1/4 inch wide masking tape for large guides and 1/8th inch tape for small guides and 1/16th tape for micros.

There is a secret though when you use tape to hold guides in place.

1. Be sure to wipe down your blank with DNA, before starting your build to have your blank free of oil, wax, mold release or simple dirt.

2. Before starting to do any building for the time, be sure to wash your hands well with soap and water. About every couple of hours or so, wash your hands again with soap and water. The idea of the washing, is to remove loose skin cells as well as excess skin oil from your hands.

3. Before starting to put guides in place, I will cut a bunch of lengths of the appropriate tapes, only using my fingers to get the first piece of tape started. I then leave the end of the tape sticking off of the edge of the bench - leaving both ends of the tape free in the air.

4. Now, when you tape the guides in place, grab one end of the tape, and put the guide on the blank using the opposite end of the tape that has never touched a finger or any skin.
If you do this, you will find that the tape will easily secure your guide and keep it where you want it.

The problem that frequently happens, is that someone grabs the end of a roll of tape and cuts off a piece of tape. Then, the end of tape that has been grabbed by the fingers end up getting put on the guide and blank first. If that is the case, it is likely that there is a bit of skin oil on the tape that prevents the tape from sticking to the blank and guide. Thus you have issues with loose guides when wrapping.


The typing of these comments take longer than the actual doing of the job.

Keep your hands clean, keep your blank and equipment clean, don't let any skin oil get on the guides and or tape and you will be in good shape and you will easily be able to get the guides wrapped.

Tape is inexpensive, Tape is easy to work with, Tape does not need to be cut off of the rod after use, Tape does not need to have any special orders or shopping to obtain.

Good luck and enjoy the work of building special rods.

Take care
Roger

Brian, all the methods listed work well, but here's a simple one I started using this year. When I get down to 10mm, I just use a 1 ft. piece of 4 or 6#mono. Tie a uni-knot on the blank, cinch it down almost tight, slip the guide foot under the loop and tighten. Easy, doesn't cost anything much, you can wiggle the foot and adjust or even move up or down the rod, yet it's held tightly in place. Perfect for micros.

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