I look at the book and see so many different threads .Im new at this and need some help There must be some type of formula on what type of thread to use on what and when . I see Sulky Thread ,Metallic Thread, Matallic Twist, ,Nylon and Polyneon .Also when to use color preserver or not. size in C,D and A . Alot of you guys have been doing this a long time and Im sure that you have made mistakes as for the thread goes in the past Thanks for your help Jack.

Jack, you need to be more specific with your question There is no "formula" much is personal choice. If building a specfic rod, questions about it would be easier to respond to.

Hi Jack,
Phil is correct, there is no formula for selecting the type of thread to use and personal choice has a lot to do with it. Gudebrod was undoubtedly the best rodbuilding thread around and was my choice for a lot of years. However I became bored with the colours offered and was looking for something different. Bought another well known thread that had some nice colours but the thread itself was not that good. Stumbled onto Madeira and the colour choice is awesome. Built a couple of rods using it and after a couple of technique mods I was very happy with the results and have been using it ever since. The only down side is the silicon that needs a few coats of cp to cover. I've used it for a lot of saltwater rods from ultra lights to heavy game rods with excellent results.
You need to do a bit of experimenting on an old blank with a few different threads and see what suits you. Leave the metallics for trim and highlights for a while. It's like a lot of stuff nowadays and there is a lot of choices and you have to find something that suits you and your builds. Pay attention to thread tension when you are binding as it has a large influence on the results obtained

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Most all rods are wrapped with size A thread Regular nylon usually has CP or Color Preserver put on it to keep the color If just finish then it gets darker but also transparent and you will see the guide feet though the thread A nice look
NCP thread is a thread that does not need CP and finish can be put straight over it

Saltwater rods or real heavy fishing rods usually have a Base Wrap of A thread and then another wrap of D for the guides

Check out the Search Function on top for questions that most of the time will be answered - with a little reading

Bill - willierods.com

Myself I gave up on anything but metallic thread. You save a step and a chance for things to go wrong by not having to mess with color preserver, and the colors are much brighter and more vibrant than any nylon or polyester thread. Of course I like bright vibrant colors, some people like dark subtle colors so they would prefer something else.

Sulky and Fish Hawk both make excellent metallic thread.

Madeira for butt wraps. Lots of colors and extremely cheep. It also packs really really good.
NCP for guide wraps
I may put one strand of metallic in y butt wraps for shimmer.
I packed away all my size D thread. Maybe one day I'll build some big rods and get to use it.

Make it very simple on yourself.
When starting out, use simple nylon rod building size A thread with no cp for everything except very heavy builds. Simple straight forward and it always works very well.

Then, if you want - you can add other threads.

Take care
Roger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2012 08:40PM by roger wilson.