Hi,
New to rod building here. Wanting to start. My current interest is ice fishing rods. I read a couple comparisons of the DC777 against other power wrappers on here. The DC777 looks really interesting. I do have a question as to whether it ships full length or in 2 or 3 sections. I couldn’t find any info on that. I think it’s 93.5 inches long - if I had to guess I would say it doesn’t ship that long. Where my first few rods will be short, I don’t need to have the full 93 inches setup. Another consideration is my rod “building area” will be the formal dining room for as yet an unknown timeframe - so… subject to “moves”.

Thanks,
Mark

New to rod building
Starting with ice rods? I think?
Mark

I'm not sure how it ships but if you contact John Cates at Flex Coat I'll bet he can answer that question for you pretty quickly. He might also be able to cater to your specific needs with something there.

.........

Mark - I build 99% ice rods here in northern Wisconsin (Marion Lake Custom Rods). I’d strongly suggest building or buying a hand wrapper and honing your craft on that tool first. I have the Alps power wrapper, and while the features are very nice to have, I think the power wrapper learning curve is steep enough that it will frustrate a brand new builder more than necessary. Many higher volume ice rod builders have power wrappers and admittedly we don’t use the power all that much. Power wrapper, but turning the blank by hand for much of the work. Power is nice for basewraps on holo wraps, high speed finish application, and simply having the rod supported by the butt end. I hand wrapped hundreds of rods before going powered, I think most do the same, and I believe it is the best approach to gain experience on a hand wrapper before deciding if you need a power wrapper.

Tom,
Thank you for letting me know John Cates as the contact at Flex Coat.

Rick,
Thank you for your thoughts. Makes sense. Concentrate on the basics and process. My thought was, with power, having both hands free more of the time. Before joining here, I read some discussions of which power wrapper was better between a couple, and some guys would offer that they hand wrapped or hand wrapped most of the time on their power wrapper. I used to watch my uncle years ago. He would pickup old bamboo fly rods and repair and fish with them. He tied his own flys so he used his fly tying bobbin and a homemade “hand wrapper” stand (didn’t know what it was at the time) I guess to re-wrap eyes and other wrappings on the rods. I’m not sure what he put on the thread wrappings, but I know he didn’t have a dryer to rotate the rod after putting the liquid on the wraps. He may have been using whatever he used on his flies. The liquid was in one of those short square bottles that had the white brush on the bottom of the lid. He removed any excess liquid with the brush.

A hand wrapper, bought or handmade, has the benefit of making it easier ($$) to get into rod making.

Thank you again

Mark...that base will ship as a single piece.

As for buying a power wrapper...you could always wrap it manually if you wanted.

Mark

Normally we ship it in at a full length of 93.5", however, I have made several to be two pieces at 47" long to fit the needs of the rod builder. I would be happy to talk to you about this. Please email me at flexcoat@gmail.com

I am out of the office today but I can receive email and talk on my cell.

Regards
John Cates

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

yep, many a rod has been wrapped with a cardboard box with v cutouts and a phone book to tension the thread. Obviously the nicer the equipment helps to make the process more efficient, possibly more enjoyable, etc. I guess my point is not whether or not the Flex Coat wrapper is worth the money - it most certainly is! But - I'd suggest making sure you are going to make this a constant endeavor before you invest in such a tool. Another tip - build an open water rod first!! Ice rods - especially noodle rods as are in demand now - are definitely trickier to wrap than any size open water rod. The smallest diameter blanks I wrap on go from a 3.5mm butt down to a 0.7mm tip. The flex involved takes some getting used to!!! Open water - soooo much easier! It's fun though - enjoy your journey!

Hi Mark,

I'm new too and, as a new builder, I concur with Rick Handrick. I HIGHLY recommend hand wrapping first. Those videos (And, I've watched them all) make it seem like it's easy as changing socks. It's not! Don't get me wrong, it's not difficult. It's just that, if you're like me, you'll want to go slow at first and, if you make mistake here and there, it's easier to catch, and fix, by hand. Just my .02. Best of luck!

Hey Rick and Daryl,
Thank you for the replies. I’m definitely a detail person and going slow doesn’t bother me. Someone else may not know the mistake is there, but I will. You both give good advice. More thinking and studying.
Looking forward to learning from here at Rodbuilding!
Thank you again,
Mark