Bamboo Tips - Tips Area
Wraps - Sizing

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I end my wraps only one turn past the end of the foot, then use two turns of  tipping.  I even count the number of turns so that all the wraps are the same length.  With the Pearsalls Gossamer, I use 25 turns  on the smaller guides, and 30 turns on the larger snakes.  Stripper guides take more turns, but I don't remember the #'s off the top of my head.

When counting turns, I stop at 20 to insert the tie-off loop (4 lb Maxima tippet material).  Make five more turns, and quit.  If it doesn't cover the guide, I messed up somewhere.

To keep things from getting loose, I burnish the wraps well before cutting off the tag end, then pull the tag end really snugly to tighten things up again.  (Harry Boyd)

What I do is very straight forward. I go around the blank once and catch the tag end (as you start any wrap). Next place the pull cord under the wrap.  Proceed and count as many wraps that cover the pull cord as you want (usually 3-5 turns with Gossamer depending on the look you want). Pull the tag end under with the pull cord. Slide the wrap tight to the guide wrap. I then simultaneously tug both tag ends in opposite directions to tighten the wrap and then trim tag ends. The only thing I would call a tip is the fact that I wrap over a blank that has been sealed with 1 Extremely THIN COAT of spar varnish rubbed on as thin as possible with my fingers and allowed to dry.  Then I rub lightly with #0000 steel wool. Doing this gives the wrapper a bit of friction to work with that he  wouldn't have with an unsealed blank.  (Marty DeSapio)

Several years ago a board member had some guides mysteriously pull out of their wraps.  Lately I have rewrapped guides on some older production rods that look like they were pulled out by over stressing the rod. Some people cut/grind the guide feet down to shorten the wrap for weight saving and aesthetic reasons. So my questions are, how short is too short and is there really any advantage to cutting the feet down?  Would the guides be more likely to pull out if the rod is overstressed? I use Snake Brand and have not found it necessary to alter the feet, but that is just me. (Scott Grady)

I have never seen any reason to shorten feet any more than it takes to even them up, now that we have Snake Brand I don't even have to do that, thanks Mike! I have knocked guides out in the truck or on tree branches and have pulled a few taking rods apart, but have never had one come out while actually fishing, I suppose on old production rods that had the wraps lacquered it's possible that a guide could pull out from over stressing. To answer your question, I don't think it's necessary or wise to make guide feet any shorter than the way they come, nor do I think it's worth the effort esthetically.  (John Channer)

The only thing I do find necessary is that when I am tying rings onto the tip sections, I have to grind  them down a little, even Snake Brand, because the feet are too wide to sit on the flat without overhanging.

And I must qualify that by saying that I do tend to use oversize rings, just because I like them, so I am trying to fit a #2 Snake on the tip of a Payne 101, for example.

If I were to go down to #0 or #00, I probably would not have that problem.

To deliver a big plug here, I hope I never have to use anything but Snake Brand on my rods;  they are really well made and finished.  (Peter McKean)

You are correct, as usual.  The feet of Snake Brand guides in 1/0 and 2/0 will easily fit the tip of a Payne 101 tapered rod without overlapping the flats.  I have found that very fine tips, .055" and smaller, may require a little thinning from side to side even with the 1/0 guides.

I have been a big proponent of Snake Brand guides since they first came out.  Though I wish they didn't have the little "ears" at the ends of the feet, and though I wish they had equally as nice tiptops in bronze finish, they are still consistently the best around.  (Harry Boyd)

I started fly fishing with a graphite rod, but found a bamboo rod at a flea market the next year and have used bamboo ever since. I fished old rods until I started making my own, so I never did get into the larger guide sizes, my conception of fly rods and guides sizes was formed by Heddon rather than Sage. I use sizes 2 thru 2/0 and 8mm strippers on almost all my rods, that's just what seems right to me. I guess it works, nobody has sent a rod back because they thought the guides were too small.  (John Channer)

How many wraps to guys put before the foot of the ferrule or stripper guide? (Lew Boyko)

I don't count the wraps, but start 3/32" from the end of the foot. (Paul Gruver)

I usually start with about 10 wraps in front of the guide feet and ferrules.  (John Smith)

Do you guys ever use an tipping thread on your wraps. (Lew Boyko)

I usually add tipping wraps, sometimes a double tipping and sometimes a single tipping. When wrapping guide feet, I will work with one side of the wrap at a time, starting with my primary wrap and then my tipping wraps. (John Smith)

I wrap 6 wraps before the foot of the guides, then 7th on the guide foot and on up. I wrap both sides with this main wrap, then put a contrasting trim wrap with 6 wraps on each side up against the main wraps.On the ferrules I wrap a bit differently than other people, I think.  I put the 6 wraps of contrasting trim up against the tips of the crowned ferrules.  Then I start the main wrap on the tip of the ferrule against the trip wrap and wrap up from there.   (Dan Zimmerlin)