Hi All,

I was at a sewing store today and found a really nice thread. It's a #122 SS rayon 40wt. My questions are, can you use Rayon and is 40wt to small? I was able to break the thread very easily. It wrapped nicely on my blank though. I want to use this on a casting rod.

Thanks

Chris

G'Day Chris IMO rayon should not be used as you will find yourself with a lot of fuzzies on your wraps which you will have to deal with. As for the breaking strain I am not sure having never used it .I suspect if it breaks easily don't try it .If you want to use a sewing /embroidery thread use one of the poly type of thread e.g. Maderia ,Mettler ,Brother & Sulky poly threads .I use Mettler Polysheen on most of the rods that I build & never had a problem (I always use CP because of the silicon in the thread. Hope this is of some help.

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

leave the rayon alone will not only give you fuzzies but youll have some crazy looking finish that looks like its been burnt

Hi Barry,

This helps a lot! Thank You. I just really liked the color. It was a aged charcoal. Was going to wor perfect for my next build. I stripped a rod to the original graphite and that's the theme. All graphite color.

Thanks Wes, noted! To bad because it looks nice on the spool.

Hi Chris,
I'll third the above,definitely stay away from rayon. For any sewing or embroidery thread stick with the polyester. Stength can also be a problem but if it's over 0.8kg (11/2lbs) breaking strain it will be good for saltwater use. Madeira has at least 10 colours that are similar to graphite depending on the blank. If your able get a colour chart which has actual thread samples. You will find something that will match as their colour range is exceptional.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Thanks Col,

I guess the rule is basically stick with polyester?

Thanks

Chris

Hi Chris,

Nylon is just as good (IMHO better). Prowrap is nylon as isFish Hawk and Pac bay threads.

Mike Blomme

Hi Chris,

Good thread is perhaps the least expensive component of a rod build. Try to find that color in nylon and go for it.

Tom

Gents,
Prowrap and Fish Hawk have alleviated the problem with their colours but going back a few years then the colour range was marginal at best. Gudebrod was great rodbinding thread but their colour range was bland IMO and they never offered any new colours, perhaps that's part of the reason they went down the tube. The fantastic colour range offered by madeira was what attracted me to the stuff in the first place. There was a lot of speculation about the strength and strech of the stuff that turned a lot of people away. Along with Barry Chapman I did a lot of testing of quite a few embroidery threads and found that most of it was as least as strong as any rodbinding thread and the stretch was very similar. There are a few exceptions but a little bit of testing will show them up and you don't use them. Good quality polyester thread is fine for rodbuilding and the colour range offered by madeira, mettler and brother leaves most of the rodbuilding thread colours in their wake. For example madeira has 400 colours including about 50 different blues and you can come up with some great colour combos. Sure you have to use cp to overcome the silicon issue but that was never a problem for me. If using cp on guide wraps is an issue then don't use it and miss out on the colours available.
Nylon is fine for rodbuilding but so is polyester. Most of the polyester embroidery threads are made to be washed and to be used out doors so they stand up to being used on rods and all threads are protected by finish and will last a long time if reasonable care is taken.
Nothing new will ever be found if people don't try different things. Embroidery thread is also cheaper than most rodbuilding threads and you get plenty for your dollar such as 1100 yards of madeira per spool which will build a lot of rods.
To each his own but please don't stop people from trying different things.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia