Hi folks,
I’m getting the ball rolling on a 3 piece 3/4 weight, translucent melon colored fly rod. The tip piece is a bit cockeyed by not so great work when it was manufactured. It’s an inexpensive blank purchased on that big name @#$%& site. I was planning an inexpensive build to get my start on doing some fly rods. Can the spigot be heated to straighten it out? Is it just junk that I should’ve passed on buying?

Anyway, I recently watched a video of bamboo rod being built. The builder used a thread that became nearly translucent once finish was applied. Is that something I can do with epoxy on a fiberglass blank? Or is that solely for the bamboo builder and can only be done with a varnish?

Thanks-

-Raymond

Hello Raymond.

The thread he is probably using is Silk, which goes translucent when coated with a liquid like an epoxy or varnish or even (I believe) water or alcohol.


There have been a lot of articles on Ferrules, here are some:
V-4 / I-1 / Pg. 16 Repairing Plug & Spigot Ferrules.
V-4 / I-4 / Pg. 22 Ferrule Making.
V-5 / I-3 / Pg. 22 Ferrule Lapping.
V-13 / I-1 / Pg. 22 Ferrule Fighting & Restoring.
V-13 / I-1 / Pg. 26 Ferrule Integral Assembly.
V-16 / I-2 / Pg. 12 Making Multi-Piece Ferrules.
V-17 / I-1 / Pg. 10 Ferrules Past & Present #1.
V-17 / I-2 / Pg. 10 Ferrules Past & Present #2.
V-17 / I-3 / Pg. 10 Ferrules Past & Present #3.
V-17 / I-4 / Pg. 10 Ferrules Past & Present #4.


Hope that helps.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

Bridgeton, NC.

Thanks, Bob.

Interestingly enough, it was on an episode of How It’s Made on Discovery. The end result was a wrap that looked like there was no wrap at all. As for the articles you referenced, I’m not a subscriber to that mag...yet. Are those past volumes available in PDF format...or only in paper format?

Thanks,
-Raymond

there is a DVD out [ 2 ] that should give you what you want , it is put out by the magazine I think . look to the left under Rod maker Magazine,

William Sidney
AK

As to your question of making your thread wraps go invisible:

I have used "White" silk on Clear/Natural Fiberglass with Threadmaster Lite, these blanks had no color added to the Pre Peg Cloth and they were Translucent White or an Off White color, Kabuto's, McFarland, CTS Quartz, Epic Nude and Livingston Rod Co. The more translucent the blank was, the better the invisible thread looked.

On a "colored" or "painted" blank, (some Fiberglass Pre Peg is colored, like a Steffen Brothers or some McFarlands, yellow glass) I used "Natural" colored Silk with the Threadmaster Lite. I experimented with White Silk and on pieces of these blanks and they looked like crap. Some of the thread would go invisible and in other places you could see thread. With Natural Silk, they went invisible.

I know a couple of other builders that use Marine Grade Spar, like Man o War brand and their results are like mine, but I have never used Spar myself.

My advise, get a couple of different brands of Silk, in White and Natural and do some test wraps, use the section of the blank where your cork will go, that way you can just scrape them off once you find what color Silk gives you the result you are looking for, I'm betting the Natural silk will work on that Melon colored blank.

If you just want a translucent look to the thread, go several shades lighter than the blank color, Nylon will work for this, again, experiment with several colors, you'll be able to see the wraps, but they will blend into the blank with a slight color transition.

I do quite a few completely transparent wraps using Pearsal Gossamer white silk thread. When done right, it appears there is no thread on the wrap.

The process I use is this, after wrapping apply a coat of epoxy thinned with DNA or acetone to almost water consistency, after it cures, apply your regular coat of epoxy. It will work on any type of blank, bamboo, fiberglass or carbon fiber.

I have had customers insist that I did not use any thread on the wraps!

You should be able to find the thread from suppliers on the left.