Getting ready to wrap. My guide placement puts a guide close to the ferrule. If I wrap my ferrule as I have in the past then wrap the guide I will have only about a half inch gap between the two. Cannot deice if I should wrap it all as one or leave the gap. If I wrap as one I will have a little over two inches. Other than my visual preference any concern of having that much wrap over the ferrule? As for visual appeal what do you think looks better wrap gap wrap or just one solid wrap?

I would try to place the guide as close to, (or on top of the ferrule) as possible and kill 2 birds with one stone.

It is the third reduction guide so I am pretty set on the placement. Just don't know if I want a band of thread that large middle of the rod. Just want to make sure there is nothing to think bout other than the look.

Moving the guide some is the best solution. Then make one wrap.

Agree 100% with Lynn , if you're going to wrap the ferrule do it for a good reason and a good reason is to place a guide at that location . I used to wrap the ferrules but after reading so many recent comments by blank manufacturers indicating that ferrule wrapping is completely unnecessary and will only add weight i stopped doing it.

I didn't just take their word for it though because i was still not convinced so i called and talked to the blank designers on the phone and again they were adamant that their ferrule technology has become so advanced that there is nothing a builder could add to it afterward that would make a difference whatsoever . They were so confident that a split/crack in that area would never happen that they made it very clear that the blanks are fully warranted against it . After those phone calls i am very happy to say that not only do my rods look much more streamlined in that area now i can also clearly feel the lack of extra weight caused by ferrule wraps halfway up the rod which is such a welcomed difference to me .

Of course there are guys who will always wrap ferrules regardless and thats perfectly fine , by all means enjoy , all i'm saying that for me i'm thrilled that i bought blanks that have made that practice obsolete .


I should make it known that i'm a very anti bling guy regarding fishing rods , i am exceedingly careful and measured regarding keeping weight to an absolute minimum meaning the shortest guide wraps i can get away with , thickest thread i will use is size A for anything , titanium frames , torzite rings etc ... so if a ferrule wrap is not needed i'm very happy to avoid it.

Do what Lynn recommended but if not i would go " Wrap gap wrap" not a solid wrap lol.

Depends on the blank, if it light weight low power and you want to make the build as light as possible move the guide closer to the ferrule. A heavier more powerful rod I would just leave the 1/2 inch gap. Casting performance is more important than aesthetics in my opinion. Another thought is to move the guide further away slightly , in some spinning guide setups it helps to smooth the line flow.

Incorporate the guide and ferrule wrap then static test it .

Make one wrap.
If you have the guide an inch away, just make the wrap and inch and a half.

But, when I do this, if the guide is to be that close, I will put the guide right on the ferrule and just do the typical wrap.

Good luck

I'd use one wrap for both, the bit of extra thread and finish is of little consequence on most builds.

Or, wrap the guide where you think is best, with whatever color you choose,
wrap the ferrule with a color that will blend into the blank color after finishing.
Use some alcohol dabbed on to the ferrule wrap first to mimic how it will look when finish is applied.
Then you can have whatever length ferrule wrap you like,
but not have the visual of that same color as the guides at that ferrule.

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

Good suggestion Ron! I'm starting a 3pc 7ft. travel rod in a day or two and this topic could not have come up at a better time. It's an MHX blank and do I even have to wrap the ferrules? Might drive me nuts if I don't.

Pretty sure with MHX blanks they still recommend wrapping the ferrules , not all blanks manufacturers are on the same page with this stuff.

i once e-mailed mudhole and asked if my warranty was voided if i didn,t wrap the ferrule on their rods..they said it was still good..

I do not take the chance and always make a small ferrule wrap.

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

Priorities vary. Some value attractive decoration at the loss of performance, others sacrifice looks for improved performance. A 1/4" wrap next to the mouth of a tip-over-butt ferrule should provide enough strength if not sufficient decoration.

Phil Ewanicki Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Priorities vary. Some value attractive decoration
> at the loss of performance, others sacrifice looks
> for improved performance. A 1/4" wrap next to the
> mouth of a tip-over-butt ferrule should provide
> enough strength if not sufficient decoration.


If i was selling rods and building for customers i would continue to wrap the ferrule simply due to the fact that customers expect that area to be wrapped & will question why it's not wrapped . Just wrapping them is far easier than fielding a ton of questions as to why it wasn't . I should have made it clear i was talking about my own personal rods ( Long surf rods) NOT people who are in business selling fishing rods as a business .


I just like the much more blended and streamlined look of no ferrule wraps . If the blank designers i talked to even hinted to me that it would be beneficial in any way i would wrap the ferrule but they made it very clear that their ferrule area is the strongest part of the blank and adding a wrap does absolutely nothing but add additional weight . Most will always wrap them just like most still insist rod spine orientation is critical including the largest rod building supplier in the country , to each their own.

A 1/4 ferrule wrap i don't see as a big deal at all but 99% of ferrule wraps i see are far longer than that just like 99% of the guide wraps i see are far far longer than whats needed to hold guides in place and it's clearly done for aesthetics and thats OK , those things matter to some people much more than to other people .

Thanks guys, I will not be driven nuts!

Wrap the reinforcement wrap as you prefer, but do it with the best match thread for the blank color. And experiment as suggested with alcohol. With some colors without CP the wrap will essentially disappear. Others with CP they will essentially disappear.

I believe the wrap is good insurance. Yes, most blank makers don't require it, but it has to toughen that area against misuse like getting a a crush, or a ferrule coming loose while casting. The weight has to be insignificant if you don't over-do it, keeping the wrap short and the epoxy thin. And you really won't see them unless holding the rod in hand and looking for them.

i always felt that the thread and epoxy used to make ferrule wraps would best be used to add one or two more running guides..

I use as many runners as I deem needed. Ferrule wraps would have no influence on that. (for me)