I've got a question in regards to the guide foot. On some stripping guides the top foot towards the ring has two edges that stick out. Almost like one end of an arrowhead. Does the guide wrap stop at this point or do you go beyond it? If you go beyond it how do you keep from getting gaps in the thread? I hope this makes sense!! Thanks for the help!

Scott,
The guides that have an arrowhead are really great guides. Basically, the arrowhead creates a guide foot that makes the guide nearly bullet proof with respect to being pulled off of the rod blank. The shape of the arrow head, creates a lock for the thread that really helps to keep the thread from slipping off of the guide.

But, some of these guides tend to have a high spot that makes it difficult to get a nice smooth wrap on the foot. To solve this issue, just prep the guide as many feet are prepped. Basically make a nice smooth surface running from the guide vertical to the end of the guide foot. It is nice to have the end of the guide very thin, so that the thread just runs up the guide foot from the rod blank with no jumps or changes in elevation.

I personally use a belt sander to prep the guide foot in just a couple of seconds. I sand the foot with the paper running perpendicular to the guide foot. These tiny sanding scratches leave a surface that has tiny grooves in the surface which further helps to keep the thread from slipping off of the guide foot.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2015 11:48AM by roger wilson.

Roger,

Seems like you would need to grind the shoulder width down too. Seems like when you reach the very end of the arrowhead the thread wants to gap for two reasons. It's going from the larger width to the smaller width, plus you can never get that last wrap at the end before it falls off. Sorry, I just don't know how else to describe it. Still interested in that DC motor for my renzetti as well. Just can't get the motor and bracket to you yet. Heading to Idaho in 4 weeks and trying to finish a build. Thanks for your help.

You might want to modify that area to "soften" the size of the "arrowhead".
We usually just gently sand or file some of the material so the change in the width is not quite so dramatic.
The idea is to keep the advantage of the resistance to being pulled off the blank, but making the thread wrap a little easier and neater.
Hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Thanks Ron! I definitely see the advantage of having it. Just curious how to make the transition as neat as possible. I was assuming some grinding is what it would take. Thanks for your time.

Unless your stripping guide is a single foot guide, there is no rationale for having the arrowhead shaped guide. If your stripping guide is a single foot guide, there is some rationale as Roger explained. When I prep my single foot guides, I try to eliminate the arrowhead shape as much as possible. I always use the Forhan locking wrap to eliminate any possibility of a guide coming undone. As yet I have not had such an occurrence.

You can try both ways and see which you prefer.

Mike Blomme

Scott,
When I prep the guides with the belt sander, I just make a constant taper on the guide foot from the vertical guide foot to the end of the guide foot. I don't have a sharp drop off at the end of the foot, the taper begins at the vertical foot and tapers to a very thin edge at the end of the guide foot. Along the way, due to this shaping the width of the arrow will automatically get narrowed a bit to maintain the constant taper. No issue with the last wrap on the guide foot, since there is essentially 0 thickness at the end of the guide foot.

Also, I alway wrap my guides by starting the wrap on the rod blank and then wrapping up the end of the guide foot to the vertical part of the guide. As you wrap from the blank end, the wrap that you are making is backed up by the previous wrap on the blank, so that backing helps to keep the first wrap on the guide foot from slipping back onto the blank.

On the other hand, I do wrap from the vertical part of the foot for a few different reasons. When I do this, it is always much more difficult for me to get the guide foot to blank transition without really slowing down my wrapping.

Be safe

Thanks for all the feedback, gang!