Wanting to make a spring steel thread tension rod and can’t seem to find out what diameter rod to use. Any help would be greatly appreciated .

Frank,
Go to a hobby shop and pick up 4 or 5 different sizes of piano wire and use the one that suits you best.

[www.hyatts.com]

But, an even better idea is to simply wrap without the use of a tension rod and then you don't have to worry about using one.

I learned to wrap without a tension rod and have never ever found the need to have one.

Or:
You could purchase one of these tension rods from Mud Hole:

[www.mudhole.com]

Or:
You could purchase an ultra light fiberglass ice fishing rod blank and cut it to your desired length and use an ice rod blank for your tension rod.
[www.jannsnetcraft.com]

I agree with Roger; a tension rod is unnecessary.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

If you are talking about a reverse tension spring, they are quite handy and once you try one you'll be unlikely to go back. The guage of the wire will depend largely on the length involved for your particular wrapping machine. I would suggest trying .035 for starters and work from there.

............

Thanks for the reply’s, I started my rod building with the CRB thread wrapper that has the orange fiberglass rod and it recently broke. I guess i’ll try wrapping without one and see how it goes, I do find the rod convenient most of the time but sometimes it’s a pain in the butt. I will pick up some wire just incase.

I have tried them. I found them to be excessive, in the way and an over all annoyance while hand or power wrapping. Why have something in the way all the time, just so it will hold tension for a few backward wraps. Just my opinion.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Hi Frank, I made one out of some high tensile fencing wire and glued a tip on it. Works for me.

I agree with John on his comment.

Any time that I reverse my wrapper, I just grab the thread to maintain tension, clear the issue and flip the switch to resume normal wrapping and take up the slack from the reverse operation.

I always use a tension rod and wouldn't be without one.

I learned to wrap rods by running the thread through a telephone book to create tension on the thread. Now I have a tension spring thingy I use and I like it. I find I a great convienience to be able to back up my wraps and not fiddle with anything and maintain that tension.

And if you do have to fiddle with something, you have a free hand to fiddle with.

Most, if not all, thread tension rods I have seen are used on wrappers where the direction of thread comes from behind and over the top toward the front. I wrap the opposite direction; low and in front, up and over the top toward the back. This makes it immensely easier for intricate threadwork like adding and dropping threads and especially vine leafs where the thread and my hands are low and in front rather than up and behind. While my thread carriage could be modified to employ a thread tension rod, it would involve routing the thread through a maze of eyelets. While I suppose a tension rod would be nice when having to back-up to correct an issue, I simply do as Roger explained. Besides, I never need to back-up anyway… yah right!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

I am crazy but I use a hack saw blade an like Mark I come in low an up over the top of the blank wrapping away from me , Hand wrapping , stop any where an back up a turn or 2 an never loose my place ,
Ps the shorter the rod the more force on the thread ,

William Sidney
AK

Frank Domino Wrote:
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I started my rod building with the CRB thread wrapper that has the orange fiberglass rod and it recently broke.

Mudhole has the spare tension rod with tip top installed for $3.95. Not difficult at all to replace. I have installed it on a Pac Bay wrapper and it works well.

I too started with the little orange fiberglass tension rod and find a way to maintain tension without thinking about it, being able to back up effortlessly, an essential part of what I do. Although I prefer a tension rod, I also agree that you CAN wrap without one because I have. That means the tension rod isn't actually essential no matter how much I like it.

Another of the areas that individuals have different preferences. Seems I have heard it's a free country and it's OK to disagree.

I have been using a tensioner like these for years. Unlike a spring rod you don't even know it's there.

[www.amazon.com]

Larry

That's a tensioner for the spool (which is also quite useful and NEVER gets in my way). We were talking about tension device on the line feeding from the spool of thread.

Yes, it is a thread tensioner but the spring on the side holds tension on the thread going to the rod when backing up.