Hi,

I'm currently planning a build on a metallic green blank using black framed guides.
I'm relatively new to rod building and have only used color treated thread to date.

Was wondering if there was a way to blend the wraps with the blank and hide the guide feet at the same time?

Assuming a white nylon would show everything, but would a green nylon thread do what I'm looking for?

Cheers,
Paul.

Green nylon with no CP will turn somewhat translucent. The feet will show through.

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

Tom is right.
However, with black feet on the guides - there will not be much in the way of the guides showing through the thread.

Actually, your suggestion is how I generally like to finish a lot of rods. i.e. nylon thread with no cp that starts with a shade a bit lighter than the blank. Then, when finish is applied the thread darkens a bit and really tends to blend well with the blank.

To check on your thread color, just do a test wrap on the blank, and wipe or brush on some denatured alcohol. The alcohol penetrates the thread and darkens the thread in about the same amount that the final finish will darken the thread. With good thread color selection you can get a near invisible thread wrap on your rod.

Note:
If I have a need to prep a guide and thin the foot near the ends, the guide foot will be silver in color where the guide foot has been modified. If that is the case, I just take a black permanent marker or sharpie and color any of the shiny spots on the guide foot black to match the rest of the guide foot. to better blend the guide foot into the color of the blank.

Best wishes

A green metallic thread as close as possible to the blank color may be what you are looking for. Metallic threads stay true to spool color when finished.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2021 10:02AM by Ross Pearson.

Ross,
True enough.
But for me personally, I have said that I will never use metallic thread for a main guide wrap and I don't believe that I ever will.

I simply don't care for the look of a metallic thread main wrap.

But, it is a big world and everyone can choose what they wish.

Take care

As Roger stated a regular green thread will blend nicely. The regular thread will darken and become somewhat translucent, but not transparent. With a green blank and dark guides, there will be minimal guide foot show through. You can minimize show through even more by packing tightly and/or using a slightly heavier thread such as B or D, vs A. The heavier thread does not really add additional weight to the blank it just takes fewer wraps to get the job done. In addition, the regular thread tends to be thinner than the NoCp version, so moving up a size makes very little difference and it is easier to wrap. If in doubt, do a test wrap on a scrap piece of blank and see if you get what you want.

Norm

I don't think we should discourage Paul from trying metallic thread, it is a no cost to inexpensive experiment and as close as his neighborhood fabric store to directly compare his blank to a multitude of metallic embroidery thread they will have available. I myself have used a Sulky green thread on many Lamiglas Perigee rods and it makes a beautiful compliment to the color and tiny gold flecks put on the blank at the factory. All my customers of those rods love the results.

You can paint the feet green after proper prep if you really want them invisible under finish. Your prep will remove the black and you'll end up with the bare metal showing anyway. When I use black framed guides, I touch them up for the same reason that I don't use CP most of the time and don't want half silver feet showing. Just have to test wrap one or two to be sure you know exactly how far to go, if you go green.