I am in the process of wrapping a surf rod on an "unsanded" blank and the problems that I am experiencing are
1) After wrapping the guides using C thread and after appliying colour preserver part of the binding lifts up onto the adjacent threads. This does not happen on all of the wraps ? also 2) On a couple of other guide wraps a noticeable space develops between the threads as the thread is drying from the colour preserver application.
In all instances the threads appear to be hard up against one and other and no spaces are visible to the naked eye prior to applying colour preserver. I do burnish each completed wrap.
There appears to be sufficient pressure applied on the thread carriage as the guides do reguire a bit of finger pressure to fine tune rhe guide alignment.
I am obviously doing something wrong and I would appreciate any advice that could help to eliminate the problems mentioned.

Regards Mick

Hi Mick,
On unsanded blanks you can get a problem with the thread following the spiral of the blank if you have that sort of blank. However sounds to me like you don't have enough thread tension and you are not packing the thread sufficiently. If you are doing underwraps then get a burnishing tool up against the thread as you are wrapping it and keep forcing back against itself. This is not as easy to do on overwraps as the guide feet can upset it but it can be done. Do some test wraps on the blank if possible and see how you go with more tension and packing. "A" thread will give you a better finish but is a little more difficult to use but magnification solves that problem. I use madeira which is smaller than"a" and with magnification and discipline I get uniform wraps on unsanded blanks such as Pacific Composites. Try increasing your tension as guides should be difficult to move for alignment as the fact that the wraps are getting on top of themselves indicates you don't have anywhere near enough thread tension.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

G'Day Mick Col's spot on with his advise crank up the tension & pack regularly.Burnishing tends to flatten the thread & make it look like all the threads are packed tight & when you add CP to the thread it can act like a lubricant & thread can move .If you have sufficient tension on the thread the stretch will overcome it's tendency to move.

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

You could have ran some 600 sandpaper and water over the blank to take the ridges off to make it easier to pack the threads

Bill - willierods.com

Mick,
The best solution is NOT to use unsanded blanks. It doesn't take much to sand them and then the bulk of these issues will disappear.

When I sand a blank, I do it in a bucket of water outside.

I use wet and dry sand paper starting at 100 grit. Then, I go on down to 1200 grit and the surface is matte smooth. If you have the butt of the rod in the bucket of water, the bulk of all of the sanding material simply falls into the bucket as you sand. And, since you are sanding wet, there is no dust.

Be safe

Col,Barry.Bill and Rodger thanks for the advice.Its very much appreciated.

I did consider sanding the blank back to a smooth finish,but I do like the look and feel of the unsanded blank especialy for a surf rod.

I will experiment with thread tensions and ensure that each thread lies firmly up against the previous threads layed.Obviously a few extra minutes spent ensuring that the binding process is of a higher standard will reap rewards.

I will purchase a magnification lamp so that,in future, I can check that all is ok prior to adding colour preserver

Thanks Mick

Roger

appologies for mispelling you name.

Cheers Mick

G'Day Mick I've just checked how much weight it takes for my thread spool to start turning & it's 101 grams .This might give you a starting point for your problem

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia