Its time for more guide wrapping thread I like to use A nylon and on fly rods. The eyes are getting weaker and am using magnifying glasses. I thinking of changing over to C think it will it make that much a a difference in the appearance of the guides? Looking for thread suggestions. Considering silk but know nothing about it.

IMO the finer thread gives a cleaner look to the wrap.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

Marryann, I can relate to your problem and can only sugest that if you can find a supply of size "B" thread it would be a help. I myself keep a 4 oz. spool of size "B" black on my carrage at all times. I find that it is a great all around size to work with and will fit in well other color sizes.
Now, let me say that if anyone from Gudebrod and the other thread companys may be reading this: Please bring back size "B" thread. Thank You.
P.S. Anyone have 4 oz. size 'B" in black for sale , E-MAIL ME !

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Maryann,
Rather than going with size A thread - go to magnifying glasses with another over the head magnifier.

This will give you a magnification of about 4 or 5 which should be enough to take care of most vision problems.

Also, be sure that you have excellent light.

I use a 50 watt halogen swing light with the light about 5 inches from the work.

Having extreme bright light is a very very big asset in doing great detail work.

I know that the general rule of thumb for lighting was that for general office work lets say that the light needed to be at level one.
But for our factory areas where we did detail assembly work the standard was 20 for the light level on the pieces being worked.

So, the general rule for our company was to give the folks working a light level of 20 times the standard level for the folks doing the office work.

[www.engineeringtoolbox.com]

This is the light that I use:
[www.staples.com]
I keep it on a 3 lb coffee tin - which happens to fit the base perfectly. This elevates the base to the same height as my rods, so it then gives plenty of swing room for my lights.
I have my power wrapper on rollers, so I keep my tools, my self and light in the same place. Then, when working on a rod, I just roll the different parts of the rod past myself and the light to work on the various guides and butt wraps.

Also, since I am left handed, I always keep the light on the right side of the guide wrap. This keeps my hand from creating a shadow as I wrap.
I have two of the lights and for a while used two lights - one on the right and one on the left, but I was always blocking out the light on the left with my hand, so stopped using it for wrapping.

In addition to the very high intensity 50 watt halogen task lighting, I also have a very high light level in the overall shop. I have multiple light fixtures every two feet in the ceiling which gives excellent overall lighting in the wrapping area. That way, even when glancing away from the very bright wrapping area, I still have excellent bright light to view parts, and or other items which are needed in the shop.

By the way, I have used A, B, C, and D thread for various projects. My favorite thread by far for all possible projects is A thead. I just like the look much better with the finer thread. For some very heavy rods, I will use heavier threads, but the bulk of the work is with A thread.


Be safe

Roger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2012 11:55AM by roger wilson.

Maryann, Want to try a few spools of silk thread, send me an e-mail.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

IMO "C" will look very bulky on a fly rod. I believe the better solution is as others have advised, more magnification and better lighting.

Hi Maryann,
Your problem will continue as you get older, that I can vouch for, so increasing the thread size is only a short term fix. A head mounted magnifying lens and a good task light will solve your problems as others have indicated. There are a few other options so do a search and you will will find a fair bit. For me the lens and light has turned madeira into string when binding.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

I can sympathize with you. I've been out of rod building for a good number of years. Recently I got back into it. I realized my eyes were worse than I thought, A trip to the eye doctor got me fixed up with a new perscription but I still have a magnifier that can wear on my head and find myself taking the blank I am working on out into the bright sun to inspect my work for flaws etc.. Better lighting is in my future... I have to admit that it is not thread thing it's a age thing. I like "A" thread and if I started using larger diameter thread it may look good to me but not to somebody with better eyes... I've been laughing at myself about this dilema but the truth is that it @#$%&. I have to agree with the others. I think it amounts to magnification, better lighting and the realization that my eyes just aren't what they used to be.

You can also get a fly tying magnifying lamp makes A thread look like D

Bill - willierods.com

In addition to the points mentioned above.
Part of the issue about wearing head band mounted magnifiers is the focal length of the lens.

i.e. you like to be able to work at a focal length that is convenient for you to work.

An issue with using conventional drug store 1.5, 2 or 3 x reading glasses, is that as the amount of magnification increases, the focal length decreases.

So, if you like to work at a distance of say - 12 - 14 inches which is fairly common, you will end up working at a distance of 5 or 6 inches of you go to a heavy magnification reading glasses.

But, now, if you go to head band mounted magnifiers that have the actual lens removed from your eyes, the focal distance tends to stay nearly the same as with no magnification.

Also, if you are a person who heeds to wear multi vision lens like bifocal, trifocal, or progressive lens, you may find that the use of any of these multi vision lens be quite difficult to use when also using a magnifying lens.

So, to avoid that issue as well as many other issues, I use multiple single vision lenses when doing dedicated tasks.

I have posted this before but I will do it again.

For every day use, I use m progressive or trifocal glasses. But, if I am doing a dedicated task like reading, I use single vision reading with a focal length of 12-13 inches which is idea for reading. then, I can read a newspaper from top to bottom - never tilt my head and only move my eyes as I scan the top to bottom of the paper.

If I am doing computer work, I use single vision computer glasses, that are calibrated at 25 inches which is my preferred distance for the computer monitor. Again, top to bottom view of the monitor with no tilt of my head.


For watching TV, I use single vision glasses calibrated at 10 feet, so that I can be upright, prone, or anywhere in between and easily see the screen without having to turn my head.

-------------
Now, using these different sets of glasses and using a 3X head band mounted magnifier, I can use any of them and use them for rod building. But, if I use the reading glasses, with the magnifier, I have a focal distance of about 4-5 inches - which is too close - but very big.

If I use the computer glasses, my focal distance with the magnifier is about 12-13 inches which I consider to be perfect for wrapping rods. I end up with a magnification of about 4X when used with the computer glasses and the 3X head band magnifier.

If I use the TV glasses, I end up with a focal distance that is about 2 feet or more than the easy reach of my arms so are not usable for rod building.

But the normal single vision computer glasses with a focal distance of 25 inches gets reduced to about 12-13 inches with my head band magnifier and give me excellent field of view with no tilting of my head to accommodate different lens power as is the case with using multi vision glasses when wrapping rods.

I always have two or three pairs of glasses on my rod bench and I have to swap them back and forth as needed. i.e. I can not do guide alignment with my computer glasses, because the end of the rod is out of focus. So, I have to go back to my multi focal glasses to do this part of the job.

I also try to keep all of my necessary supplies within arms reach, because if I ever have to search a far shelf or drawer, I have to go back to my other glasses. But just a way to do the job and do it in the best way possible with the least strain on my eyes or the rest of my body.

By the way, I go to Walmart to get my single vision exam and glasses. So, when I have the exam, I ask the Dr. to write prescriptions for reading - 12 inch distance, computer - 25 inch distance and TV - 10 foot distance.
Then, I purchase single vision plastic lens glasses for about $30 per set of glasses. So, the overall cost for the added single vision glasses is typically less than $100 above the cost of my multi vision glasses.

Be safe
Roger

Good lighting is as important as the magnification, IMO. Years ago I bought a magnifying lamp. Basically, it is a large magnifying lense surrounded by a circular fluorescent bulb. It is mounted on an adjustable swing arm. Originally, I purchased it for fly tying. I don't know that my eyes were ever up to the task of tying #22 midges. When I started building rods, I found it essential for aligning thread wraps. It magnifies and thoroughly illuminates the work area. Personally, I think it is a much better solution than a larger size thread.
Slainte,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2012 05:52PM by Hunter Armstrong.

Hunter, Right on target!! Randy

Maryann: I use an immitation Ott light. They sell them in sewing stores. I have the "Day Light" bulbs which are very bright, and color correct. The light is on a long goose neck, and can be moved and adjusted to fit your needs. I wear bi-focals, and have the plastic lenses in these. When I wrap, I use a set of flip up magnifiers. These are also plastic lenses and don't weigh much. They come in different powers from around .5 to 3X or so. I use the 2.5x and sometimes go to the 3x. When properly adjusted, you can go from the regular prescription to the 2.5x or 3x, and then go to the bi-focal on your regular glasses (mine are 2.5x) and get 5x or 5.5x. If you already wear bi-focals, this doesn't take any time to get used to. Light weight, clip to your regular glasses, and you can look to the end of your bench without flipping up the head mounted lens, or changing glasses. Works for me.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

Dennis,
Size B thread is not a common size thread.
The only problem is that it was not widely used in rod building. When Gudebrod was in full swing, we did make size B for other thread applications and when customers asked for a thread size a hair bigger in diameter and a little stronger, size B was the answer. There were only a few builders/manufacturers that used size B in bulk and it didn't warrant stocking allot of an color. Size B is only 1 or 2 thousandths bigger in diameter than A. Sewing threads might work out if they come close to the diameter you are looking for. The only thing different is rod buidling threads are constructed in a tighter twist.

Brad
Former production manager
Gudebrod

Brad,Thank you for your reply.I was not aware of the size"B" situation. Almost everyone listed "B" as an option of thread size when it was available. I only use black. As I said, I keep a 4 oz. spool on my carrage. I do alot of repairs and "B" is what I think works the best. Others may think that it adds bulk but, it does'nt. There is a slight differance between A and B but nowhere near as much as C and D would show. I'm still in the market for 4 oz. spools of "B" in black nylon if you know where some is available. Thank you.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)