I just went to put my guides in place on a rod blank and all the carefully measured and plotted marks I had put there for the guides are gone! Guess I wiped them off with my hands or something.

Which begs this question/What do you use to mark your blank with? I know this must vary with all the various blank surfaces and finishes out there now but what type of writing instruments do you guys use to mark your blank? I want something that stays put through handling but can be removed with something like alcohol once I am finished using the marks. Thanks.

china marker !!!!!!!! any tackle supply or hobby /art supply .....tightwraps....John T Burford aka Tightline Rod's

Brian,

While I'm not an expert at this, I've never 'marked' ANYTHING directly on the blank. I just put some masking tape where I want everything to be, and peel it off once I get the guide/handle/wrap/etc. positioned/started. I also put a wrap of masking tape on the rod and THEN mark the spine on THAT.

I can't draw or make a 'mark' with anything that will show on a dark colored blank that is as 'crisp and straight' as the edge of the tape.

I'm not sure if it's faster or 'better' but as a beginner, I've found that I make some mistakes (remember the old woodworkers maxim: Measure TWICE, check it, then cut ONCE). The masking tape can be easily removed and repositioned, and I'm not having to remove marks from the blank or 'remember' which are the correct ones....

Anyway, it works for me and it's simple to do (the KISS principle is the moto I try to live by, I confuse VERY easily...).

Good Luck!

I use a China marker to mark but on GLOOMIS blanks the white can be a pain in the neck to get off.. Thanks Davesrods

I just use a soft pencile. Do to the fact this is just a tempary guide placement. My guides are held in place with rubber bands cut from surgical tubing. Actually the real guide placement well change after a few tests. The rubber bands well help me make these changes easily
Bob

I cut and use thin strips of masking tape, I too have had trouble with removing my marks with a china marker and also experienced hard to remove marks on the loomis blanks. I use a piece of tape around the blank in two places on the blank to align the real seats once there installed just peel it off and use real seat to align guides.

Brian, if you know EXACTLY what your final location for the guides are you can take a small pin, needle, compass point, etc. and make a light scratch in the blank at what ever reference point on the guide that you choose (front of foot, back of foot, etc.). You can also use a compass to transfer you wrap lengths from front foot to back foot to get identical lengths.

If you are underwrapping, you can use the center of the guide or the point directly under the frame. This also gives you the location of the trim in the underwrap.

Thanks but I'd rather not scratch it as it will show. I'm not covering that area. I am making my marks after I have done my test casting and would like to be able to remove them after I have the guides wrapped on. Thanks for the suggestions. I may try the China marker.

Before you remove the guides from all your testing, write down the measurements so that you can reproduce them if you marks accidently get gone.

You can also refer back to the measurements for any other rod you build that has the same blank and other specifications. No use in reinventing the wheel for duplicating another identical rod.

I've found that acetone on the end of a Q-tip easily removes even the most tenacious china marker marks.

Dry crotches,
Charles

Hi Brian, I've used China marker for years, but have found that the "Gel" pen works much better......... at least for me, it dosen't seem to wipe off as easily as the China marker. Makes a very sharp line, and easier to see than the C.M. When a line is inadvertantly rubbed off I.E. a center line, or end line of the guide base wrap, it is easily replaced by using your caliper to check end to end (and divide), or end to center measurment and re mark!

Good luck, Pat Doyle

Once I know where the guides are going to go, I write the measurements on an ongoing worksheet for that particular rod. This then goes into a file on the rod when it is completed, and can be stored in a filing cabinet or into a computer file as a rod log. All of the information on that particular rod, such as type of guides, placement, wrap design, number of threads, colors, etc, etc. That way, if you should find the need to rebuild or duplicate the rod, all of the information is there at your fingertips. By the way, I prefer hard copies, because our computer has crashed several times over the past few years,causing us to lose a lot of data. Bob Vasko