I'm about to re-wrap single leg guides on my lovely 45yo Fenwick SP-783 light spinning blank. I'll be using an A weight under-thread to protect this delicate blank, and an A weight top thread.

I'm after inspiration for a colour scheme to go well with this old yellow fibreglass. Anyone care to share some examples?

I wouldn't use an underwrap. No need for additional weight on a light blank. Just make sure your guide feet are flat and free of burrs.

.........

Traditionally Fenwick fiberglas was wrapped in brown.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2023 10:25AM by Chris Catignani.

I agree with Tom, and also wouldn’t recommend an under wrap. In addition, I certainly would not reuse the old guides on that rod, they are inordinately heavy. Use a lighter modern guide concept which will bring out the best performance for your rod. Back in the day I remember using Gudebrod’s goldenrod color, with a black trim. The goldenrod color was a close match for the blanks yellow color. I tried to keep it simple.
Norm

While it is a very nice rod, it is substandard by todays standard. When I restore those old rods, I always pay respect by researching and building it back to its original glory as close as possible. It should live the rest of its life as a rod rack queen.

Tony,
I totally agree with Tom and Norman = there is absolutely no reason to underwrap the guides on a rod that light = too much extra weight. I doubt the original was! Additionally, I agree with Norman in replacing the old heavy guides with a modern replacement. If you would like to keep the original look of the guides, consider Fuji LY for a COF or NGC guide train. But why not employ KRC with Fuji’s KL-H, KB, KT!?!? It will transform that rod into an immensely superior rod to the original so you can thoroughly enjoy actually fishing it rather than it becoming a “rod rack queen” as the other Mark suggested (with all due respect).
The thread colors you choose are simply that = your choice. It really doesn’t matter whether you match the original color scheme for a more nostalgic look or whatever colors suit-your-fancy.

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

Fenwick ordered a large amount of special color brown thread from Gudebrod in the late 60's or early 70's. It became a mainstay in their rod production. Gudebrod sold the same color to consumers under the name of, what else.... Fenwick Brown.

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

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fenwick ordered a large amount of special color
> brown thread from Gudebrod in the late 60's or
> early 70's. It became a mainstay in their rod
> production. Gudebrod sold the same color to
> consumers under the name of, what else.... Fenwick
> Brown.
>
> ..............
If I remember correctly...seems like rods were brown with white trim bands.
I really miss that old Gudebrod color preserver...#111 (not #811).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2023 07:33PM by Chris Catignani.

Maroon and black, no under raps.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Lamiglas did a Gudebrod Garnet wrap with double single gold thread inlay on their honey SR 705 C crankbait rods. Pics pasting doesn't seem to be working on my new laptop. If you unhide your email I will send you a picture.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2023 11:56AM by Spencer Phipps.

Can I just say what a pleasure it has been to join this forum, on a topic I’m familiar with, but have not dealt with for many years, and receive the level of friendly advice as I have so far.
Advice, opinions, alternative opinions but all very friendly and civil – just how a good forum should be. Thanks for welcoming me into your world.

…now a few clarifications about my rebuild. My SP-783 spinning rod was never a Fenwick built rod. It was the second rod I ever built from scratch when I was only 14 years of age, after learning the craft from a dear friend of my Dad. Parts were all purchased mail order at the time from a small business that claimed this Fenwick blank as one of the finest of its day.

Binding was black under-binds with black overbinds. Threads were sealed, and then coated with Erskine Crystal Clear.

The build included a Varmac seat post, foam grips, all still in really good condition. Guides were the glow-in-the-dark Fuji BSPHG single leg, which are by no means heavy guides.


This resulted in a very light and responsive outfit, well matched to my little Daiwa GS-1 reel and 4 or 6lb line, and easily fished for hours at a time lake wading/shore fishing for Brown and Rainbow trout.

Guide bindings are tired, and I’d like to refresh, and have something a bit nicer than just black. Now the crunch – do I keep this beauty to its original spec by re-using my existing Fuji guides which are still fine, with slightly reduced weight by using no under-binds? ….or go with a more modern build, with the aim of improving performance. I’ve done some measurements with my GS-1 attached, and choke point is near bang on to my #3 guide location. After measurements, I confirm that Fuji LY25, LY 16, LY10, L8 (Choke), L6, L6, Tip 8 should be a very good build, with the three reduction guides much better matched to my reel position compared with my existing setup..

I’m tempted to try the modern guide setup, as I don’t think the LY and L guides will look out of place on this rod. I'm tempted to go with dark brown with yellow or orange trim for the bindings.

….it will never be a rack queen! I’m restoring this for many more years of use

Tony,

There is a potential issue when relocating guides on one of the older fiberglass blanks. Exposure to the elements, including ultra-violet light, can and does fade the original color, and this can be highly visible when you relocate a guide from it's original position. If you liked the way it fished before, you will like it again using the same guides and positions.

I am also in the no under-wrap camp as it is generally not necessary. Back in the day, the under-wrap acted as a buffer to help prevent the guide foot from crushing through the blank as the pressure mounted from successive wraps of stretchy thread. With modern thread, the stretch factor is such that there is less chance of crushing the blank. Just make sure there are no burrs on the bottom of the guide foot! By the way, if you under-wrap with size "A" thread, you should either add a coat of thread epoxy before wrapping the guide, or use a slightly larger (size "B"?) thread. This prevents the natural inclination of the top layer of thread trying to dig into the under-wrap.

Rich

I was given one of those yellow Fenwick blanks by a fellow builder. 7 1/2’ fly blank. I wrapped it in Gudebrod ruby with black spiral tipping. Looks age appropriate and the rod is a dream to cast.

How about Orange main wrap, Black tipping, no underwrap?
Use Color Preserver to maintain the original unless using "NCP" thread.
You might want to reconsider the old guides.
New style, lighter frames and rings can make quite a difference as to how it actually feels while fishing.
If the blank is "scarred" where the original guides were, just rewrap newer style in the same place.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

The first rod I ever made in 1985 was a yellow Fenwick blank, I believe they called the color “Honey”. I built it for winter flounder fishing when there were winter flounder. To date it is a great rod that still fishes well. If you can find them they are great blanks.