Hey guys,
Am building my first eglass trolling rod (80lb), iv never worked on such blaks thats why i feel it strange between the guides. So is it better to wrap all over the blank or just to apply epoxy? Am afraid epoxy will be damaged when it bend.
Please advise?!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2022 05:39PM by Samy alxandros.

Don't wrap between the guides nor apply epoxy between the guides. Leave the blank alone.

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Why is that?

There is no need to do anything to the blank between the guides. Adding anything, whether it be thread or epoxy only adds weight which detracts from performance. A rod that heavy won't notice the additional weight as much, but thread and/or finish between the guides simply isn't needed.

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Thanx a lot for the advice brother.. this will save me of doing lot of work.
But am still little curios to know why people do it?!

Thanks again bro ????

For clarity, when you say “between the guides” do you mean the area under the guide itself foot to foot, or the area between one guide to another?

You’ll see decorative wraps between the grip and first guide / on a rare case on a very stiff rod maybe to the 2nd, but it’s not the norm


If you’re talking about under a guide, then this is done in heavy saltwater guides to provide some protection from the guide feet to the blank - or for decorative purposes

Hey thanx michael, no not under the guides, am asking about space from guide to another

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is no need to do anything to the blank
> between the guides. Adding anything, whether it be
> thread or epoxy only adds weight which detracts
> from performance. A rod that heavy won't notice
> the additional weight as much, but thread and/or
> finish between the guides simply isn't needed.
>
> .......
Tom,
what about underwraps? Good, bad, not needed?
Lance

Sammy,
Apparently you are referring to the section of blank between one guide to another rather than between the feet of a single, 2-foot guide (as in underwrap). There is absolutely no benefit in wrapping between the guides and in fact, is detrimental to the performance, even if barely noticeable on an 80lb rod. Additionally, it will become a nightmare to replace a guide down the road if required. Save yourself the time, effort, money and ending-up with a lumpy rod surface by leaving the blank bare between the guides. I have only run across one rod that was wrapped from head to toe and it was ugly and a PITA to replace a guide.
I mentioned “underwraps” and an 80lb rod is certainly a candidate for such. Whether it is required or not is an on-going debate = personal preference. I believe there is more to be gained than lost, hence I underwrap rods over the 50lb class. The underwrap is usually size A thread and given one modest coat of epoxy (and cured) followed by size D for the overwrap. Some builders double overwrap such a rod but I consider it unnecessary.

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

As Mark said, I'd underwap. I always do on saltwater rods of that class. I've never had a guide foot bite into a blank, and you can make some very attractive color combinations with your underwrap and overwrap. I recently did a 60# - !30# using Prowrap Fusion Variegated gray/black as an underwrap and the overwrap was gunmetal gray. Looked very nice.

Dave

Assuming you do a good job on your guide feet prep, underwraps are not needed. However, on very heavy saltwater rods they aren't going to upset anything. If you like them, use them. If not, don't.

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Whether to prep a guide foot or not opens another Pandora’s box = an ongoing debate / personal preference. To set the record straight, I am referring to “dressing” the ramp of a guide foot, certainly not any major grinding. I am fully aware that even dressing a guide foot removes a bit of the surface of the toe of the guide which can expose the underlying material to rust easier, whether bare 304, 316 SS, powder coated, passivated, Corrosion Control or not. I have not experienced any rust problem with 5 year old builds of mine used strictly in saltwater when having to replace guides with dressed feet for my barbarian customers. I have yet to find a guide which has a nicely ramped foot to suit my expectations, hence I dress all my guide feet. I know this makes Jim Ising and Norman Miller cringe, but my wraps look better, transition up the ramp easier, and I have had no ill effects. To each his own.

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

Wow thatnx a lot guys highly appreciate it ????

Guide foot prep also entails making sure the bottom of the foot is smooth and flat - the feet should sit perfectly flat on the rod blank. If only the tips or heels touch, then you have extreme pressure points on the rod blank. You want the force evenly distributed across the entire foot/feet, not just a single or couple of small points.

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Extensive wrapping, painting, and epoxying rod blanks draws attention to the builder's skill and the fact the rod was home-made, but unnecessary wrappings and adornment decrease the sensitivity of the rod, among other things. Trolling rods suffer the least from the results of purely decorative wrappings, fly rods probably suffer the most.

Mr, Ewaniki,
“Extensive wrapping, painting, and epoxying rod blanks draws attention to the builder's skill and the fact the rod was home-made, but unnecessary wrappings and adornment decrease the sensitivity of the rod, among other things. Trolling rods suffer the least from the results of purely decorative wrappings, fly rods probably suffer the most.” Show all of us your quantifiable data to support your claims; otherwise it is merely considered your sole opinion.

My .02.....I have built dozens of 80's and 130's. I triple wrap them all. One underwrap and 2 over....nobody using an 80 or 130 is worried about the weight an underwrap adds and it does afford some protection to the blank. As others have said...no need for anything between the guides.
I have seen blank damage caused by the guide foot first hand when I re-built rods my Dad wrapped in the 70's on Lamiglass blanks.
And....IMHO using E Glass for this application is the only way to go. Seeker makes some great blanks with a nice soft tip perfect for 80 stand up rods paired with 50W reels.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2022 11:15AM by Joseph Willsen.

I was gonna say ..... it's a trolling rod. A big water trolling rod at that. I have no knowledge of a rod like that, but I gotta agree with Joseph .... nobody is worried about weight from under wraps or double wrapping on a rod like that.