Thanks Mark about the optical illusion! You are so right about every reply being good. I feel like I’ve just taken a class!
Ben - Totally Way Over My Head? Wasn’t me that came up with that Sis N Law.

Micky, that,s it! that,s eerie..she got every word..get her to pick all your lotto numbers..she,s plugged into another dimensiion..there are people like that..thanks..

Different strokes ......the fish I go for have a tendancy to rip the rod right out of your hands. All the lightness and sensitivity in the world won't get that fish in any easier. I like pretty....and bling....sometimes so pretty that I just have to hold the rod over the side and the fish jump in. Trim bands, weaves, decorative butt wraps rule!

Grant, that,s so funny..your killing me!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2021 07:18PM by ben belote.

Well, they won’t be jumping into my boat anytime soon if bling is what it takes. I’m still trying to get my wrap lengths the same. Lol. I am however interested in trying a weave.

With answering a question about the number of wraps, I simply reply with this answer.

Put the number of pre guide, guide and post guide wraps so that you are comfortable with both the appearance and the strength of the rod and guide foot besing secure in the wraps.

That may mean that one uses 1 or 2 wraps before the guide and 0 after the guide. Or it may mean 10 wraps before the guide and 10 wraps after the guide including the locking wraps that are a favorite for many rod builders.

As the saying says, " if the wrap looks right, it is right."

However, I would guess that the average number of pre wraps is 2-8, and the number of wraps after a guide is 2-8 depending on how many locking wraps one desires.

Best wishes.

p.s.
For butt wraps - depending on how much bling that one uses on a rod, the number of wraps may be 1/2 inch in length or it may be 15 inches in length.

There are those builders who really enjoy the skill that they have with their weaving and are able to tell an entire story on their rod with their skilled weaving.

For myself, I use very very short and narrow butt wraps, because I simply consider that a fishing rod is simply a tool to catch fish.

If there is one butt wrap or 500 butt wraps, that number will have essentially 0 effect on catching most fish. But, if a skilled artist puts on 500 butt wraps, it is likely that there may be an entire story spelled out on the butt wraps and puts this beautiful rod into the wall hanging queen - since the rod is too pretty for a user to feel comfortable fishing with such a rod.

Best wishes

If you look through the photos section on this website it will become readily apparent that the overwhelming majority of guide wraps are exceedingly long . Much longer than what one would consider minimal but as many have stated already it's custom rod building and each builder has their reasons for how a build turns out and if they approve that's all that matters.

I just build rods for myself and keep things very minimal . I don't want to build a dull looking rod so I use catchy colors in my thread choices but there is no excess of anything and all wraps end very very close to where the guide foot ends. When you first start out building you will be surprised how not paying careful attention to things can really add up when the build is finally completed . Unfortunately it's not really possible for someone's first build to be their best build even though I'm sure we all want to do an impeccable job on our first build .

As with most things in life you get better the more you do it so enjoy and try not to beat yourself up too much , it's a learning process .

One last thing , I have always eyeballed the wrap lengths and at times made tiny adjustments to length but the vast majority look identical to the eye without needing to break out precision measuring equipment .

Thanks Roger! Lots of good info in your reply. I don’t understand what you mean by “wraps after the guide”.

Howdy Chris, I like your philosophy! Thank you for replying. You are correct on my first build. It’s pretty sad but boy have I learned a lot!! Same thing I would tell my shop students when they were disappointed with how their first project came out. I’m just having fun learning a new hobby.

Happy New Year to all my new friends and teachers!!! Let’s hope that ‘22 is better to all of us.

The number of wraps depends upon whether you seek form or function. For some builders appearance is paramount: lots of wrappings, different colors, multiple coats of finish. For others where performance is foremost the shortest wrappings to cover guide feet and the thinest possible coat of finish over wrappings. And all points in-between.

Micky,
This is what I mean by the statement "wraps after the guide.

I start wrapping below the guide, i.e. closer to the rod butt.

Then, I will wrap up the guide foot starting from its thinnest end.

Then, if I using a locking wrap, I will put in a pull thread as I near the point where the guide begins up.

Now, if I am using a locking wrap, I will go above the guide foot after the full guide foot has been covered.

I will then, do a locking loop, by winding above the rod, and following that with a full wrap around the rod blank only. Then, I will continue another wrap around the rod, but when it comes time at the rising portion of the guide foot, I will put a loop around the rising portion of the guide foot. Then, I continue adding locking wraps - all above the rising portion of the guide foot, and each time wrapping the thread around the rising portion of the guide foot causing the operation to form a locking loop to prevent guide pull out of the wrap. At the end of the locking wraps, I pull the thread pull and using the loop, finish the wrap

roger wilson Wrote:

>
> I will then, do a locking loop

> operation to form a locking loop to prevent guide
> pull out of the wrap.


Mhmm.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2022 10:45AM by Kent Griffith.

Thousands of fishermen do have guides pull out from under the wraps. This is typically the bane of bass fishermen who get in a bit of a hurry to put rods in, or pull them out, of boat rod locker storage areas. While many solutions were attempted over the years, it was the locking wrap developed by noted rod builder Rich Forhan that proved one of, if not the very best, in terms of performance and ease of implementation.

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

What he said



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2022 10:45AM by Kent Griffith.

If anything a locking wrap provides a better surface for the epoxy to adhere to...maybe. I see no need I have never pulled a guide. First step when I finish a guide is completely filling the guide tunnel with epoxy. Then bring it onto the guide wrap. See a lot of rods factory and custom where the tunnel seems an after thought. Wrap is finished nice but the finish is stopped at the guide leg and if any epoxy makes it's way forward of the leg it is minimal and certainly not done in any meaningful fashion.

i do not think epoxy seals tunnels very well..it pops free of the blank in time and water can get in..if the tunnel were left open so air can freely move in and out it would quickly dry out..i,ve been usig Seymo sealer and leaving tunnels open to dry..the sealer is water resistsnt..i leave the tunnels open on both ends of the guide..water can get but also comes out and air gets in to dry the tunnel and the wraps..

Another issue rarely addressed is thread tension in the guide wraps.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2022 10:46AM by Kent Griffith.

Kent, for over ten years alli did was flipping mmostly from a float tube in delawares mill ponds and caught soe really nice bass..no one else flipped..i hadbit to my self..anyway i would flip till i got hung up and had to go in and unsnag it..my rods took a beaten from poking in tree limbs and such but to this day there is not a single crack in any guide finish at the toe where all my commercial rods are all cracked..all my flip rods use the locking wrap which keeps the ring end of the guide very stable..that,s the end that gets all the bumps if the ring end can,t be moved the toe will not move and cause cracking of the finish..i use the locking wrap to stabilize the guides not just prevent pul outs