What’s your technique?

I’m currently slicing tape about a 1/4 wide and fiddling around trying to get these #5s on.

[youtube.com]

This is how I do it - hope this helps

Try Walmart or hobby lobby for wooden doll house miniature spring loaded clothes pins.

Old school. Rubber band through a bead.

@ Chris - I feel your pain. I'm working on my 1st build. All my running guides are 4's so very small for my clumsy fingers. I started trying tape and that didn't work. Next, I was able to round up the small rubber-bands my kids had used for their braces and those work pretty well. Just have to double or triple them up out near the tip where blank diameter is small. I was also looking at a couple things on Mudhole that would also work. I'm going to try and paste links but not sure if they will work...

Search for "Guide Tubing" [mudhole.com]

Search for "Micro Guide Bands" [mudhole.com]

I would say both of those would also work. I think some guys use a little bit of guide foot adhesive (different than tip-top adhesive) as well. Hope this helps.

Easy.
But these:

[www.amazon.com]

The dental ligatures and the gun used to apply them.

Also procure a pair of very sharp nosed scissors or a very small sharp cutting pliers to remove the bands once the wrap has been started.

Best wishes

p.s.
In particular with very small diameter rods - especially near the tip where the tip size is very small - these excell.

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For the folks who use tape, consider purchasing some 1/4 inch, 1/8th inch and 1/16th inch wide striping tape used by auto detailing folks.

[www.amazon.com]

I use that blue painters tape. I cut it into very thin strips. Cheap. And it works and one roll lasts a long time.

I use super small micro guides with the shortest foot I can buy, usually less about a 1/4" long, so whatever I use has to be thin enough to hold guide on rod while I start the thread wrap. So the thin strips I cut are less than 1/8" wide and about 2 inches in length give or take depending on diameter of blank.

And since I'm so cheap, I'll reuse them until the sticky comes off or no longer holds.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2022 06:11PM by Kent Griffith.

On very small diameter blanks like ice rod pan fish noodle blanks I've had very good success with the micro guide bands that Mudhole sells. They're not brutally expensive. When the taper gets really small, like 2mm or less, sometimes I'll use two to keep the guide from shifting around. Anything greater than 2mm I'm using dental ligatures and may have to double or triple wind them to decrease their size so they hold the guide. I've got 1/4" tape, but rarely use it except maybe for the stripper. Don't like the residue it leaves sometimes and I'm clumsy enough that small guide feet and small strips of sticky tape aren't a good combination. To remove the bands once I have the wrap well started, I use a dental pick with an end that has a small ~90 degree bend, carefully slip it under the bands, pull them up a little off the blank and cut them with an Exacto knife. That's just my system.

Elastic beading thread from Michels or JoAnns.
Comes on a spool - get it in 0.5 mm.
Wrap it on under tension - 2 overhand knots - finished.
Herb

Flex Coat guide adhesive.

Could also try guide foot adhesive.
[flexcoat.com]
Norm

I use bands as per Roger often using 2 for runners. After my 2 line stress test and much stressing over perfect alignment I will go along the blank and place a TINY! drop of super glue on each side of the guide foot. This is tedious and I know ! I'm not supposed to do this, however super glue breaks down after 30 min. when kept wet, and I'm not concerned about removing them for future repair/replacement should it become necessary. Once wrapped with Forhan lock wraps you can't reposition guides and keep the foot parallel to the blank. At least I can't.

I guess I’ll mention guide foot adhesive- I tried it again after watching a Flex Coat video- seems to work pretty well.

I took care to make sure the guide feet laid flat on the blank, then after pressing the foot down slid my finger off the guide straight down the blank, rather than lifting my finger off.

I don’t have the experience with super tiny guides, however.

I use a roll of pinstriping tape from an auto paint store.

I think I'll look into Herb's idea. I've got some of that elastic thread that you use to tie spawn bags that doesn't require knotting; that might work as well.

The easiest thing I’ve found that works for me is tying a clinch knot with 6# mono and securing the guide. Make a loop around my finger, spin it around 5-6 times, run the tag thru the loop and into the second loop. Tighten the knot up and slip the loop over the rod blank and tighten it down on the guide.

Herb's idea or Orthodontic elastics have been great for me. On small blanks just loop it 3-4 times to achieve the right tension before sliding it down the blank. You can make small adjustments to the guide but holds well enough to wrap. I have some of the ligatures Roger mentioned and they are great for small blanks like he mentioned.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2022 10:00AM by Al Jones.

A soft piece of copper wire or a twist tie wrapped around the guide foot to help you get started, then use for the next guide.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

I use those twist ties that come with the bread storage bags. Works for me.

Cut a rubber band wrap it twice around and hold it with a granny knot thread comes near it snip it off and finish and do the wrap around the guide and tuck it in