I have, and know others who have, the Pac Bay wrapper with upgraded chuck. It's very smooth and solid. Perhaps the problem is the chuck doesn't fit the ATC head unit as well.
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Reduce the amount you have to ream. I'll use a brad point drill bit sized 1/16" or so smaller than the blank diameter. I'll drill a larger, centered hole in each ring and glue up on a steel rod or mandrel. After drying overnight I'll shape it on the power wrapper and remove from the rod (though I have a new lathe I'll use in the future). Then I have a lesser amount of reaming to the blan
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Norman Miller Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mathew is a little different than me, I would > never attach a tip top with epoxy. It makes > getting the tip top off,when you need to do so, > more difficult. If you insist on using epoxy use 5 > min epoxy, it breaks down with less heat than > other epoxies. > Norm RodDancer 5 min gel e
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I do two coats of Threadmaster regular build and let it flow out. Bubbles come out by simply blowing with a straw. I also use Color Preserver on everything so the threads get sealed which prevents micro bubbles, but I understand those who prefer not to use it. Personal preference.
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Thanks for starting this thread Phil. I have been thinking about a good way to store blanks in my basement, better than leaning against the wall. A simple horizontal rack hanging a short distance down from the ceiling joists would be out-of-the-way.
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I have done several 3D chevron wraps and I just CP the entire wrap including the open areas. The CP is clear and doesn't hurt anything. It's important to make sure the outside threads are sealed well.
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Lynn, I got that when I did a Quote of one of your postings. Removing your last name fixed it. I emailed Tom K. and he didn't have a solution so you'll have to live with it - or change your name. ;)
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RodDancer Ultimate Gel 5 min. It was design with tip-top replacement in mind.
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I put a lot of work into making nice cork handles using a mix of light and dark burls, checkerboards, etc. only to have the sun fade them out in one season. So for the last couple years I've been using General Finishes Outdoor Oil which has UV inhibitors and cures to a velvety soft feel. It's held up really well to the elements but I expect every couple years I'll need to scuff it and re-apply
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Lynn Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Try blowing thru a soda straw over coated wraps to > release bubbles. Me too. I apply right out of the mixing cup and lightly blow on the finish with a straw and all the bubbles disappear. No need for heat, which can actually cause more bubbles if not careful. Some finishes work better than others and it can de
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I recently test wrapped shades of red, blue, yellow, and green samples on a white blank with no CP while planning colors for a tartan style wrap. I was surprised how most of the colors were much brighter over white than they are over a dark blank. Using no CP doesn't always mean darker.
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Use the search feature and do the research. It's been hashed over many times.
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I did that once and didn't like how tedious it was, as you said. So now I tape the trim thread down and wrap about 8 passes of primary thread. then pickup the second color and wrap two threads until I get about 8 wraps from the end, then just finish wrapping only the primary color. Wrapping two the entire way looks nice, but I didn't enjoy doing it.
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I have a chart that shows the Minima guide heights and shows options for transition layout. I don't know how to post a PDF here so I sent to your email. I use that as a starting point and adjust from there.
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When doing the simple spiral with Fuji K guides, should the first 180 guide be a KB or KW? I will be doing my first one soon and understand all the concepts but still wonder how to place that first 180.
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I have lots of people see my rods and want one until I tell them what it costs. Then I get the whining about how they can buy a store brand rod a lot cheaper so I tell them "go ahead, this is just my winter hobby and I don't need the work that bad". I use mostly St Croix SCIII blanks I get from a nearby high-quantity builder so I don't have shipping costs. I thought about trying some
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St Croix has SCIII in 2-piece
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I've tried all the extra fine tip markers I could find and have not been happy with any of them. They're not fine enough for me. I do some writing on experimental wraps or scrap blanks using a nib pen and speedball or Dr. Martin ink but the tips seem to clog too fast. For "real" rods I want to look nice I use Decal Connection.
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May I suggest trying several brands of epoxy to see which is the most user friendly in your particular environment? Each behaves a little different depending on temperature and how it's formulated. Instead of struggling with one that's hard for you to get good results with, find one that gives great results with minimal effort. In my cool basement shop, I found Threadmaster is clearly the ea
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Did you cut the end of the crosswrap in a straight line? Don't do that. Taper it as described in videos, books, DVDs. Most basic questions can be answered wtih a little searching.
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Lots and lots of youtube videos. Tom Kirkman's book is a fast, easy read.
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Here's a picture but you really should wrap some Fuji samples yourself and see what you think.
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Phil Erickson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What you can do to visualize the color change and > CP effects, is on a scrap piece of blank, wrap 1"' > of all the colors you use, spaced apart, them > apply CP to half of each wrap (no CP to the other > half) then apply the epoxy. This will give you a > side by side comparison of, with a
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As Tom mentioned NCP White will stay bright white. If you're like me and don't care for the bland look of NCP, Fuji regular nylon White with CP stays whiter than the other brands I've tested but will still show a hint of the underlying color. Of course I always test on a scrap blank including CP and finish to see for sure what the final look is. If I think of it tonight, I could take a pic of
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Chuck Mills Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I got sick of test wraps so I wrapped a scrap > blank with all my threads. I did two bands of > each color thread about 1/4" apart, then I applied > CP to one band. Then I finished the whole thing. Ditto
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Kevin, I have scrap blanks laying around, so I always do a short test wrap of each color to see what it really looks like with and without CP and finish. You can't judge the final color just by looking at the thread on the spool. As someone else mentioned, I will occasionally paint the blank white in the area of the decorative wrap to keep light colors light. I like the shimmer of regular nylo
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I'm just finishing a 7' St Croix. I used a KW10 instead of RV6 but I believe the height is the same. Then KW5.5, KB5.5, KB5.5, KT5.5 to the tip. It handles really well. I am not a fan of micros and don't go smaller than 5 unless someone explicitly asks. A KB or two is recommended in the mid-section because of the larger foot, but as always it's your choice to do what you prefer.
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So how does one choose between 6rpm and 18 rpm?
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Heat can actually cause more micro-bubbles that take a while to show up. Two coats of CP would have helped. I tried all the finishes in my cool basement shop and found Threadmaster to be the best behaved in my environment. I NEVER have a need to apply heat (other than warming the bottles beforehand) - simply blowing on the finish with a straw makes them all disappear.
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