what do you use to hold guides in place to check for proper placement and test casting?

i have used a few different kinds of tape. It holds the guides well, but when you need to adjust guides up or down on the the blank it is a real pain. you have to untape, retape, and it's time consuming, tedious and leaves the blank a sticky mess. must be an easier way...

High Patrick,
Try some elastic sewing thread as it works well and the guides are easy to move about. Strong enough for test casting.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Patrick...alot of us use Surgical tubing...available from Mudhole Custom tackle...Fast...effeciant...i have yet to find anything better...hope this helps..Cheers!!

Patrick,
Here is a very simple way.
Just use pieces of 1/8th inch tape.
Use the tape to mark the locations of the guides. Just stick the tape on one side of the blank to mark the location.
The tape does a much better tool for visualizing the guide locations.
You can then flex the blank both shallow and deep to simulate a light or heavy load on the blank.

By just checking the placement of the tape, you can dial in the locations of the guides very very close.

Then, it is just a matter of determining the guide size.

But, in these days of 2 to 3 guide sizes, that selection is essentially already completed before you start.

The tape can be quickly moved from spot to spot on the rod, and it makes a very visible and easy thing to see and or move.

The key thing about any tape is that you don't leave it on any blank for more than an hour. If you take the rod, mark it for location, tie on the guides and wrap the rod, it is generally less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

The big reason that a person has adhesive residue left on a blank, is because a piece of tape is left on a blank for several hours or several days. But, if you keep the tape on blank time to be measured in an hour or two, you will likely really never encounter any issues with excess adhesive on the blank.

Roger

Hi Patrick,
I'm going to disagree with Roger on this. Masking tape has a lot of uses in rodbuilding but holding guides on isn't one of them. It's best use is for picking up bits of thread off the work bench. To each his own but if Roger tries the round elastic he'll never go back to tape. The use of tape for holding guides is a real PITA. Difficult to move the guides around especially if you forget to double the end of the tape, guides come loose when test casting and as you have found out can leave a residue on the blank. The elastic allows you to move guides around easily, doesn't loose it's holding power, is easy to remove, doesn't leave any residue on the blank and you can leave it there for as long as you like. After you've done your testing and are happy mark the ring position with a china marker so you can see if anything moves. If you not doing an underbinding you can go straight to binding. After the guide is secure just touch it with a razor blade and it all flies off. Give it a try and you won't ever go back to tape. I used tape for years and all it does is makes you frustrated, sticks to everything except what you want, especially guide feet and shiny blanks. Probably the best improvement I made to building in a long time. A HUGE thanks to the gent on here who suggested it. My wife wasn't happy as I nicked hers and when I found out how good it was she never got it back!!

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2012 02:45AM by Col Chaseling.

Col,
That is what is great about this world.
There are so many ways to do a given job.
Yes, I do have elastic for holding guides. I used them on a few guides but have give up on using elastic except for very small diameter rod blanks. When working on ice fishing rod blanks that have very small diameters, then the use of elastic make a lot of sense to me.

The biggest bother that I have with the elastic bands is that you have to slip them on from the tip or the butt of the rod. Then, if a band breaks, all of the guides above that one need to be taken off, so that a new band can be put back on to hold the guide.

Yes, the bands do work very well if you want to use them. But for myself, for the bulk of my work I find that tape works very well and I won't go back very soon.

By the way, when using tape to hold guides, I use painters tape which has a low tack and leaves next to no residue. Also, I get tape in 1/4, 1/8th and 1/16th inch widths. Especially for using smaller guides, the use of the thinner in width tape works very well.

But at the end of the day, if a person uses a system or combination of system that works for him, allows him to work as fast as he or she wants, then that is the system that he or she should use.

Be safe
Roger

Hi Roger,
Not elastic bands but round sewing elastic which you can tie around the blank as tight as you want, also works great on micro's. The bigger the guides the more wraps you use. A new spool will last for ages and it's cheap. Painters tape is probably better than masking tape but the smallest I've seen it over here is half inch and I'm not wasting my time cutting it up when the sewing elastic is better and quicker.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

[www.amazon.com]

Hi Roger,
Obviously to each his own but if I was you I'd give the sewing elastic a try and you might never go back to tape, know I won't. It also easy to change guide sizes just pull one out and slip a new one in. Just don't give a hoot to the looks you get when your buying the stuff. I don't even bother to tell them I'm using it for rodbuilding , I just let them wonder what an old fart is doing with sewing elastic, definitely not sewing!!

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

I'll second the elastic, you can get it right at wal-mart for a buck or two.

Everyone has their favorite, but I'm a firm believer in "quick, cheap and easy!!

You can pick up vinyl 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) on the blank before I glue on the tip. Makes guide placement/adjustment a snap! just slip the guide foot under the band. It holds the guide in place, yet can be easily moved during static testing/casting! Once you start wrapping, 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!!

Mike's method, ALWAYS

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
John in Wethersfield, CT