Hello again. Just building my first UL bluegill/crappie rod with micros. The Fuji micro top seems to have a vent of some sort at the top. Each time I try to slide it on, it oozes out all over the frame braces and guide ring. Its a hug PIA to get off.

Any tips to get this going without the glue getting all over the ring?

And how do you folks put the guides on to wrap? I'm thinking about using regular hot glue from the wife's craft box.

what type of glue are you using? I use hot melt adhesive. If there is any excess I just let it cool down and it just pops off with a little pressure.

If using 5 min glue - JUST CLEAN IT OFF before it sets -

Bill - willierods.com

I use hot melt tip top adhesive. I just let it go and had to clean up. I'm using 1/4" masking tape and cutting it in half width wise to hold the guides. Man these things are tedious to work with! I think they are gonna make a great rod though.

Like the others replied, I use hot melt glue for putting the tip top on. Specifically that from Flex Coat. They actually call it "thermal plastic tip top adhesive" on their web site. I actually find getting the tip top positioned perfectly to be the most frustrating part of the guide train, so I like it because it gives the user the opportunity to tweak the tip tops position a little later on, if need be. If you're concerned that it may not be strong enough under a load, don't be.

I tie the line around the frame of the tip top for static loading, And while I don't build super heavy action rods, I do build heavy action bass rods, and I have never had a problem with the tip top popping off or loosening. And I put the blank under a full load when static testing.

As far as working with the micro guides go ... I couldn't agree more. They can be a real pain. I first tried the 1/8" wide strips of blue painters masking tape that you mentioned. But found that to be difficult at times. I then, as a result of a tip from a member of this site, started using a elastic thread. I picked mine up at a craft store in the beads for necklaces section.

Wrap it around the blank, pull it so it stretches, and then tie an overhand knot to cinch it down on the rod blank under tension. I leave small tag ends so I can pull it up, and slip the foot of the guide underneath. It works really well for placing guides during static guide placement testing. It makes it very easy to slide the guide to its exact position. It's not quite sturdy enough to do test casting with though (at least I don't find it to be) so once I have the guides positioned, I take an appropriate sized piece of masking tape and wrap it over the guide and elastic thread to hold it on the rod more securely.

It (the elastic thread) works pretty well for holding the guides on in preparation for wrapping, but I would use two pieces to keep the length of the foot tight to the blank, and in using two pieces I found the tag end of the one would sometimes interfere with the thread when wrapping the very tip of the guide foot. Now I just use one piece of elastic thread holding the guide at the stem, and a piece of 1/8" masking tape to hold the guide near the tip of the foot.

It sounds more involved than it is, and it's what works best for me.

Although I will say that if you go back and do searches you can pick up a lot of tips that may be even easier. I'd suggest reading threads that may not pertain to the type of rod you build. I've picked up a lot of good tips by doing so.

Enjoy the addiction ....... it's very rewarding, and a lot of fun!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2016 03:46AM by David Baylor.

Randy,
Pretty easy solutions to your problems.

When I use hot melt glue for putting a tip on the rod, I do a couple of things.
I use an alcohol burner for cleaning with 100% denatured alcohol for fuel which I get from the building supply house in the paint section. Buy it by the gallon for about $18 per gallon. The 100% denatured alcohol burns clean with no flame and no smoke to blacken the rod or the glue.

I also use a small diameter piece of piano wire that has been sharpened on the end. I use a similar piece of wire that is sharpened on the end for guide and thread wrapping to hold the the thread during the pulling process to keep twists out of it as I draw the loop tight. I also use the sharpened end of the wire to move a thread or two when needed when wrapping.

---------
For applying a tip, I do the tip application when the rod is in the power wrapper. I heat up the hot melt glue stick a bit as well as the sharpened piano wire. Then, I get a bit of glue on the end of the pointed wire. I do this so that I don't waste glue and it also allows me to place the amount that I want on the blank tip and the inside of the tip with little issue.

Then, with a bit of glue on the end of the pointed piano wire, I heat up the glue a bit on the end of the wire and touch the end of the wire to the spinning tip of the blank to apply a film of glue to the end of the blank.
Then, holding the tip with a pair of tweezers, heat up the tip and the glue on the wire a bit to put a film of glue on the inside of the tip with the pointed end of the wire. Then, with the glue and tip still hot, I heat the glue on the end of the spinning rod a bit and slip on the tip. I keep a clean craft stick handy and as the tip spins, use the clean craft stick to wipe off any excess glue from the end of the blank, tip or tip top. One quick swipe with the craft stick and all of the glue has been wiped clean from the tip top, and blank. If need be, the tip can always be readjusted later if necessary by applying a bit of heat to soften the glue and to do the final alignment.

When using micro guides, it is very easy to hold the guides in place by using orthodontic ties. These are tiny elastic bands, that start at about .1 inch in diameter. Do an internet search to find one of thousands of suppliers for the banks and order a supply of bands in various sizes, starting at .1 inch. Then, before placing guides on the rods, slip on as many bands as needed plus a couple more for good measure and place the guides on the rods, slipping the guides under the tight band that is already on the rod. As needed, slip the unused bands toward the tip of the rod.

I took a small side cutter and used my belt sander to modify the side cutter to be a small cutter with very sharp edges, and a very sharp point. By using this side cutter, it is easy to cut the ortho band when the guide is 1/2 wrapped onto the rod.

I use a side cutter like this one:
[www.walmart.com]
Then I use a sharpener on the side cutter to thin the cutting blades a bit more to make the pint sharp and small to easily cut the bands when wrapping and not touching anything else.

When you have these items on hand, the wrapping of the small guides become trivial and easy. Also, by having the guides held in place by the tiny bands, it is easy to tweak or align the guides as necessary before wrapping.

Be safe

I second the orthodontic ties. Forgot to mention them before.