Hello,

Is it easier to do a cross wrap over an under wrap or on the blank itself? Going to give it a shot and was wondering the easiest technique.

Thanks, I can only hope to achieve what I have seen you all do!!! AMAZING!!!

Mike

Myself, I find it easier on the blank. Before I even attempted it on an actual rod though I practiced on a couple cheap $1 wooden dowels. Practiced chevrons and diamond wraps in several color combinations just to see how they looked before putting it on a rod blank. Practice practice practice I always say...

In my experience, and I am no expert, I find it easier to do over an underwrap. This has some positive points and some detractors. First the positive; it is easier to mark the places you want your threads to intersect. Blanks have to be scratched or marked with ink. I have never been able to keep the ink spot small enough to work well and sometimes it smears on the aligning tool. Second, it gives more friction for the threads so they hold in place better. The negative; the added friction makes it harder to pack the threads as tight as I'd like them to be. I'm sure there will be others here with more experience that will have differing opinions, but this is what has worked for me. Good luck.

I never underwrap a closed wrap. Has no benefits and will make it harder to pack and align. If doing an open wrap it can be used as a contrast and will hold the threads tighter. It will however trap air that will come out when finish is applied.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)