I am curious what the thinnest rod wrapping threads that are commercially available are? I currently use 3/0 silk threads made by a couple different brands (VooDoo Rods and FishHawk). I wonder if there is something thinner that I might experiment with?

Hitena sells 6/0 silk thread.

Hitena also list 8/0 (AAA) on their web site but only in 100 yd spools and their NCP is only to 6/0 (AA).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2022 04:06PM by Ronald Atchley.

Eric,
May I ask why you want to wrap with such thin thread?

Be careful what you ask for. Really thin thread is very difficult to wrap, in my opinion.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I have some 6/0 and 8/0 Hitena on order, and look forward to working with it.

Roger, I want to experiment with thin thread because I am trying to minimize the weight of my micro guide wraps. The thread itself has marginal weight, but when I apply finish I try to do it in a way that soaks the thread but does not leave any buildup over the wraps. I figure that wrapping with thinner thread will mean less epoxy finish. I will do some experiments to see how big of a difference this actually makes.

Use Permagloss and not epoxy, very thin, very little buildup, very light, yet tough.

Thanks Michael, I will look into PermaGloss. I have never used that product.

Eric, if you've never used Permagloss, you'll find it very different from epoxy. It does not build, so it looks different, sort of like vintage guides where you can see the texture of the thread instead of a deep, clear, covering. It has bad vapors, so have good ventilation. It dries very rapidly, and you want to work quickly and not fiddle around with it. Put it on and leave it. You will likely want 2 or more coats. I suggest you try a test on a scrap rod before putting it onto your project.

I would be interested in physical measurements which support the contention that thinner wrapping threads produce rods that cast farther - or more accurately?

I suspect that in the world wide scope of things - worrying about 3-5 grams of weight added to a rod or subtracted from a blank - is likely to be virtually impossible to detect on a days fishing. Yes, it is detectable on a scale, but other than that - very difficult to make in the hands of a fisherperson using the rod for a long day of fishing.

For example - one could run a test and have two identical blanks where one finished rod weighs 2 grams more than the other. Then, each rod has an 8 oz reel mounted in the reel seat. If the person were blindfolded and asked to make 20 casts with one rod, and then make 20 casts with the other rod, do you suppose that the person making the casts would be 100% correct in choosing the rod that weighed 2 grams more out of a total rod and reel combination of say 11 ozs? I wonder.

Then, if one could not reliably tell the difference in the two grams of weight - is it really worth the effort and $$$$$$$$$$ to build in such a way to save the 2 grams of weight in the first place.

After all, the idea of a fishing rod is to put fish in the boat. Will the rod that weighs 2 grams less put any more fish in the boat for you?

I wonder.

Eric's attempting to do something in the lightest possible manner. Why argue the practicality of this. Eric, Permagloss requires a bit of an education, read up on it.

Roger, these are magic wands it doesn't take much to screw up the magic..lol. Or

But when you get a feel for using permagloss, man it that stuff awesome to work with.. i use it in place of varnish on alot of restorations.. watch what dish you use if using plastic... its a very hot chemical.. meaning it eats almost everything

Thanks Michael for the technical details. I am going to hold off on playing with Permagloss for now, mainly because I build rods on my kitchen counter in my apartment and it sounds like the fumes would send me for a loop.

I have used perma gloss on ultra light and light rods. It can require 6 to 8 coats to build depth and has a kind of egg shell sheen. It doesn't level like epoxy. if you don't wait long enough between coats it can out gas leaving very small bubbles. It is way tougher than epoxy and will not crack or yellow like epoxy.Threadmaster used to make a similar finish called Lumiseal that I loved and I think CPxtra is similar,

Eric, the lightest wrap epoxy procedure is probably to use a "lite" version of wrap epoxy and put on a thin coat. Let it cure and see if you like it. If yes, you're done. If not, put on another thin coat.

Keep it thin, avoid "footballs" which IMHO look ugly, add weight, and don't really add any value.

I've used Permagloss a lot and I haven't experienced the problems mentioned here by others with vapors, and if you let it set for about a half hour it thickens a bit in the cup and builds up a bit better.

I don't think you will save as much weight as you think, because with the thinner thread it will require more wraps to cover the same distance.

It would require some high-tech, big money weighing equipment to establish the amount of weight your 8/0 thread and Permagloss will save on your finished rod. Even more difficult will be the task of how much your 8/0 - permagloss will actually out-perform a rod built with the same components but with 3/0 thread and epoxy finish. This measurement may well be difficult to the point of impossibility.