Under wraps

[Brewcrafter]

That is a good looking wrap!  Love those old Californian rods. - john

[Swami805]

Looking good Bill, good to see retirement is treating you well. Rockfish season is upon us, holler if you're coming up.

[54bullseye]

Looks real good Bill !!! Nice and clean. Great job !   John Taylor

[Bill B]

Almost done with the U/Wraps, 3 more guides and the tip.  Then a light coat of epoxy, guides and final coat of epoxy.  If I have enough thread I will strip and wrap the rod where it enters the fore grip.  It's kind of nerve wracking starting with partial spools of thread.  I guess if I had more experience I could tell how much thread was needed.  Bill

[steelfish]

If I have enough thread I will strip and wrap the rod where it enters the fore grip.  It's kind of nerve wracking starting with partial spools of thread.  I guess if I had more experience I could tell how much thread was needed.  Bill

if you're not sure if the thread will be enough for that part, try combining two or three different colors, the thing is to use a lot less color of the one which is about to finish.

[oldmanjoe]

 I know what you mean about how much thread is left on a spool , but that`s how trim bands  were invented .
  Are you coating the under wrap with epoxy before you install the guides?

[Bill B]

Are you coating the under wrap with epoxy before you install the guides?

Yes, I will put a light coat on the wraps before installing the guides.  This will ensure the wrappings are glued to the rods and keep those F#%$£¥€ trim bands in place. 

But I did suffer a set back, while winding the threads near the top, 3" of the rod broke off.  Not sure what happened, did I gouge the rod removing the old guides, get it too hot with the torch loosening the old expoxy?  Strange it was a clean break on a hollow core rod.  No big deal, lost 3" of a 7' rod.  Just had to dig out a tip top with a larger socket to fit the "new" tip 😉. I will flex check the rod before I put too much more time in.  Bill

[Ron Jones]

You increased the rating by 5#s!

[Glos]

Once I had a tip of a rod starting splicing. Took that 3 inches off, from a tip, because I had no choice, and ended up with an unusable rod.
It was a surf rod.
If that rod of yours is some big game rod, it might be fine.
But if you need that tip to detect, or assist in fighting the fish, it is probably useless.

[oldmanjoe]

Chances are that was were a guide was .  NO big deal , you lost a little bite indicator tip it and check to see if you need to readjust one or two guides location . 

[Bill B]

Finished the wraps.  Needed a rod dryer but didn't want to pay for a commercial dryer.  I had a rotisserie motor laying around and figured it's 4 rpm would be good for rod drying.  So I made a square bolt to fit in the motor socket and mounted a 2" PVC end cap.  A pool noodle donated a couple inches to snug the butt into the end cap and we are off to the epoxy races.  The wraps turned a deep red, I guess a color preserver would have kept the lighter color.  But heck, the fish don't care and it will fish.  Bill

[oldmanjoe]

Nice job on the homemade dryer .  I will caution you on the pool noodle , they will slip after a few hours or fall out .  I suggest bolts at 90 degrees and use rubber bands to act as the drive bands .
   They will also hold the bolts from walking in the 6-8 hours that you are turning .
       Nothing worse than to see the cap turning and the rod not with the guides down and epoxy grapes hanging from them ..   

[Bill B]

  Yes I found that out, luckily I was standing near by when it did.  So adjusted by adding a 3" section of 2" abs, with pool noodle slivers to center.  Then wrapped some black electrical tape around the rear grip and the abs tube.  It's rather cold in the shop so I ran the dryer for about 8 hrs.  Looking good, but will have some dust particles to shave off in the am.  Most of them will be covered by the guide wraps.  Bill

[JasonGotaProblem]

Joe, I feel I may have improved upon your dryer setup a bit (and in this case it's literally "your" setup I've improved since you generously gave it to me). I have phased out the rubber bands which deteriorate rapidly especially if any epoxy has touched them. I've commandeered two of my wife's stretchy hair ties which get one twist before the rod is inserted (2 twists if I'm doing deco work on a blank that doesn't have grips yet). I wish I had a pic but the rod is sitting in the "diamond" created by twisting the band after its in place. this pinches the blank and keeps it centered, but not so tightly that a finger won't keep the blank still for a moment if needed while the dryer continues to turn, so you dont need to kill the power if you see a spot you missed.

[oldmanjoe]

Joe, I feel I may have improved upon your dryer setup a bit (and in this case it's literally "your" setup I've improved since you generously gave it to me). I have phased out the rubber bands which deteriorate rapidly especially if any epoxy has touched them. I've commandeered two of my wife's stretchy hair ties which get one twist before the rod is inserted (2 twists if I'm doing deco work on a blank that doesn't have grips yet). I wish I had a pic but the rod is sitting in the "diamond" created by twisting the band after its in place. this pinches the blank and keeps it centered, but not so tightly that a finger won't keep the blank still for a moment if needed while the dryer continues to turn, so you dont need to kill the power if you see a spot you missed.

You explained it better by saying sitting in the diamond !!!