I don't know if anybody remembers but I just started and wanted to refurbish some old fiberglass rods... anyway had a few problems on my first one and am looking for reccomendations.

1. Decorative butt wrap. It was a failure, I tried a simple open wrap of 4 silver, 2 blue, 4 silver. Ended up coming loose the first time and wouldn't stay tight the second time so it got crooked, by that time my patience was gone so I tied it off the best I could and let the epoxy flow.

2. Trim bands. Oh my. I tried using the method where you wrap them around your finger and the rod stick the tag ends through the loops and pull tight. At least 10 of them let loose when I was cutting them. One even after the guide was on. There has to be a better way to do this or I'm doing something wrong.

3. Wrapping guides. These are big guides and I only have size a thread in black, I assume this is not well suited for this as I could not keep it in line going up the guide foot and coming back down.... I also think I wrapped them too tight now that I've read more on it.

4. Epoxy. I used pro-kote that I got in a kit from mudhole. I decided I would coat the whole rod (not at once) anyway I was unable to get it perfectly level.... maybe the epoxy was not a light enough build for that? Or maybe I just put too much on? I also got quite a few tiny bubbles that look like dust in it.

All in all I don't know if I would consider it a failure as the rod is still useable but it surely doesn't look like something I would pay for, which is what I want to be able to come up with in the end.

Rod wrap epoxy does not do a good job coating the whole rod! Too, bulky, soft and heavy.

Give the blank a coat or two of Perma Gloss first before you do your wraps and then coat just the wraps with your epoxy. Allow the blank to cure for several days before wrapping.

There are many videos on-line that you can view. Some of them are even sponsored by some of the suppliers located on the left hand side of this screen. My suggestions would be to view as many of those as possible and practice and practice and practice... The next thing is to maybe sign up for a rod building class that might be in your area or check with some of the community activities that might have them near by.

Before you do your next rod I would suggest you find some PVC pipe or wooden dowels and practice with them before you move to the rod blank.

You most likely will need to re-work the guide feet to produce a better transition from the rod blank onto the guide foot. There are videos for this. There is nothing wrong with using size A thread for guide wrapping. Some may say to use a larger size for some applications and that may be true.

There are also articles in the Library located on this website that contains useful information that will help you.

Good Luck!

Chester

May your line be tight and your beverages be cold!

G'Day Shawn just don't get to disappointed I'm sure there a large number of us on this site that have done the same thing or very similar when just starting out I know I did & it's all part of the learning curve .You are very lucky to be starting out on your Rod Building journey with the amount of help that is available that wasn't when I started around 30 yrs ago.If you are not sure what to do there all sorts information out there as Chester has alluded to all you have to ask .You will be given a heap of different answers to a question & every one will be correct you just have to pick the one that suits your method of working .Good luck with this addiction .

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

These are big trolling rods... Epoxy is not used on them? I know I scraped like 2 lbs off before I painted it.

Shawn
Try to find a builder close to you. Failing that MudHole has excellent on-line videos on trim bands; guide wraps etc. 1/2 day spent with a good rod builder will be worth your time and travel money.

Shawn,
We have all made the exact same mistakes (learning opportunities) you made on this rod. I think it is better to get some cheap blanks to start on, or as someone suggested, pipe or dowel rods. It gets better the more you do. Don't get discouraged. There is a knack to it all and experience is the best teacher.

You can find someone local to help. Where do you live? I've built several rods and you will run into trouble. I would post here where you live and hook up with one of the guys

G'day Shawn,

I'm not a super experienced builder but I'll tell you what I do and some of it might help you out.

1/ Butt wraps. Double some masking tape back on itself to hold the end of the threads. When you get a few threads on the tape it starts to lose its stickiness. Put another layer of tape on and go again.

2/ Trim bands. I think the secret with doing the trim bands the way you describe is the way you cut the tags off. I tighten the trim band, then push it hard up against the end of the guide wrap, then tighten again. To cut the tag furthest from the guide wrap I hold the razor blade parallel to the end of the trim band and perpendicular to the rod blank then just roll the rod under the razor blade until the tag is cut. For the other end, hold the razor blade flat against the trim band and sort of pull the thread back against it with light pressure. It will cut the thread without disturbing the band.

3/ Thread - A will do but D would be better. It sounds like you are having trouble keeping the thread packing together nicely. Just take your time and persist. What sort of wrapper are you using? Also, when double overwrapping, I tend to wrap up the foot and tie off, then wrap up the foot again. Wrapping "uphill" is easier.

4/ As mentioned by others, you are better off coating the rod with somehting like a polyurethane before wrapping, then epoxy only the guide wraps and butt wrap.

I hope this helps. Good luck going forward.

Cheers

Jason

Good suggestions, Jason. I'll add a tip on trim bands. Use the end of a finish brush or any other cylindrical object about 3/16 inch in diameter instead of your finger. Fingers are way too big.

Good suggestions, Jason. I'll add a tip on trim bands. Use the end of a finish brush or any other cylindrical object about 3/16 inch in diameter instead of your finger. Fingers are way too big.

I'm just using a hand wrapper. The crb one from mudhole. I was trying to wrap up the guide and back down. Thanks for the tips.

Not sure how many wraps you're doing on the trim but I've had problems with trim wraps of 3 or less turns loosening up and falling off with Pro-Wrap metallics. I have much better luck with Gudebrod.

For trim - with Pro Wrap - I start a trim 2 - 3 turns -- Then i make at least three -- large turns -- over the tag end around the blank I then put a small piece of tape over the last turn Cut the trim thread from the spool
Then put 5?? turns of the main wrap over this
Pull tag ends of trim Pack Cut trim ends off 2 - 3 more turns of main color Them trim main wrap end
it is all about the tension And wetting the thread some times helps

Sounds harder then it seems

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2014 02:43PM by bill boettcher.

Scott Kelly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not sure how many wraps you're doing on the trim
> but I've had problems with trim wraps of 3 or less
> turns loosening up and falling off with Pro-Wrap
> metallics. I have much better luck with Gudebrod.


Hmm I'm using the pro wrap metallic. I did 4-2-4 wraps.

I'd say the "nail knot" method for trim bands is something better suited to light rods where one wants a very narrow, 3 to maybe 5 turn, trim band. It isn't something suited for a big trolling rod.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

If VERY CAREFUL you can pull a tage end off and wind up with 1 turn
If too tight and you pull too hard you do get a gap in the thread trim

So ya do over with a little less tension
More then one way to skin this cat

Bill - willierods.com

A couple of thoughts:
Use a tool, grinder, sander or dremel tool to thin and taper the end of the guide foot. Start from essentially a razor edge and gradually taper the foot up to its full thickness. This will take care of the problem of thread slipping off the foot.
When starting a wrap on a guide, start on the blank and use the thickness of the thread on the blank, to prevent the thread from sliding back onto the blank.

When I do trim wraps, I tape a couple of pull threads onto the blank, and also tape a length of trim thread or threads onto the blank. Then, I start my wrap. After I get about 10-12 wraps of my main thread, I put on the trim band or bands. When, I get the trim wrap or wraps completed, I just use the exposed pull thread/s to pull the tag end of the trim band back under the main wrap. This means that each end of the trim band has 10-15 wraps over it. Whether it is a single wrap trim band or a multiple wrap trim band, there is no slipping of the tag end, since there is a very generous amount of each trim tag end back under the main wraps.

I have tried the nail knot and other variations, but for me, this is a fool proof way of getting the trim bands on rock solid every single time, no matter the number of wraps on the band or bands.

Be safe

Do the Search Funsion on this site
You can find a lot of info

Plus get some books on How To Build a Rod many of the suppliers have them Or get CD's

Bill - willierods.com