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One way to do trim wraps is to wet the thread first. I just lick my fingers and pull the thread thru them, the more fastidious probably use distilled water, 6" or so is probably enough for a 4 turn wrap. I then go over the blank and the pull loop, cross over the tag and make 4 turns, cut and pull the tag thru and snug it all up to the main wrap. Actually, I snug up to the main wrap as I am going around with the 4th turn, 3 turns over the start will hold it in place so I can let go of the first tag. Wetting the thread really makes it grab and hold, singe the whole wrap as son as you get it al tight and the wet thread will shrink just a bit and hold even tighter. As with the rest of this, there is more than one way to skin a cat. (John Channer)
A simple way to do trim wraps that allows you to do even single turns with ease. 1. Start with a length of trim thread and a pull loop and lay these out parallel to the centerline of the rod in the area where you will start your guide wrap. You can use thin strips of masking tape to hold the trim and loop in place. On a fly rod, line up the trim and loop with the guide foot. 2. Start your guide wrap in the usual manner and put on 5 to 7 turns. 3. Keeping tension on the guide wrap thread but holding the rod steady, wrap the trim thread around the rod and pull loop, putting the tag end of the trim through the loop on the last round. 4. Hold a thumb on the trim/pull loop and pull the loop through. You will now have a neat, well secured trim band and two tags coming out from under the end of your guide wrap. You can either trim both and proceed with the guide wrap, or trim one and lay the other back and trim it after a few more turns of the guide wrap thread. The order you lay on the trim thread and pull loop depends on which direction you rotate the rod to apply the guide wrap and is something you will need to experiment with, but the idea is to lay it out so the tag end of the trim thread lays over the end that is anchored by the guide wrap when you pull the tag through. It's much easier to see that it it is for me to explain. Give it a few practice runs and I think you will find it to be a simple method of getting what you want. This is the only way I've found to get single thread trim bands that look good time after time. Most of the time I use a double thread trim, but if the contrast allows, nothing looks better (IMHO) than a single thread trim. (Pat Tumblin)
If the trim wrap is to be of a darker color than the guide wrap, get a permanent marker pen and color the thread you are using for the guide after you have finished the guide wrap. Continue to wrap and end the wrap as usual pulling the thread under with a loop. The only problem with this method is that the color of the trim wrap will show if the loop thread is put in while still wrapping the guide. One way to avoid this is to color only the amount of thread that goes under the trim when pulled through. It is well to make sure the marker ink has dried before starting the trim wrap. All this applies if you wrap from guide loop to end of foot. If you are wrapping from end of foot to loop it is easier. Another trick is to wet the trim thread with water or spit or varnish or color preservative. This really helps. I prefer spit. (Ed Hartzell)
I wet the tipping thread with distilled water, do the tipping, and leave about 1.5" of thread hanging on both ends of the wrap after snugging everything up. Then (I'm sure this is heresy), when I'm done with an entire section I wet ALL the wraps with distilled water and let it dry overnight. It seems to shrink and really tightens the wraps up. Then I make any final adjustments needed, trim the tags, singe (if needed) and varnish the wraps (I use a toothpick now. Thanks Wayne!) (Brian Creek)
Does anyone have any hints or techniques they can share for adding trim wraps? I'm struggling with trying to add them to guide wraps, and not having a lot of success (and getting very frustrated!). Surely there's an easier way. (Jeff Ferguson) 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) Another way to do trim wraps is to wet the thread first. I just lick my fingers and pull the thread thru them, the more fastidious probably use distilled water, 6" or so is probably enough for a 4 turn wrap. I then go over the blank and the pull loop, cross over the tag and make 4 turns, cut and pull the tag thru and snug it all up to the main wrap. Actually, I snug up to the main wrap as I am going around with the 4th turn, 3 turns over the start will hold it in place so I can let go of the first tag. Wetting the thread really makes it grab and hold, singe the whole wrap as son as you get it al tight and the wet thread will shrink just a bit and hold even tighter. As with the rest of this, there is more than one way to skin a cat. (John Channer)
Lately I've been trying to unlock the mysteries of decorative wraps on bamboo fly rods. This topic, and finishes, seem to be jealously guarded secrets for some reason. One technique that is stumping me is single turn inlays. Would anyone like to share how this is done, even with light translucent wraps? I already know about the Sharpie method, and was just wondering if there is another way, for example, how would you inlay a single turn of burgundy when using antique gold as the guide wrap? Or, is there a book out there that describes these methods. (Kyle Druey) Before buying check the author Dale Clemens at the library. I think the following titles by that author may have some help for you: "The New Advanced Custom Rod Building Book" -or- "Custom Rod Thread Art" (Rex Tutor) Single thread inlays AKA single drop threads, are no real problem. Determine where you want the single thread and about 3 to 5 turns before that point, lay a length of drop thread perpendicular to your wrap and proceed to wrap over that thread with your guide wrap. When you reach the point where you want the single thread, stop the guide wrap and simply loop the drop thread around the rod and pass it under itself. Pull this loop tight and work it up tight against your guide wrap thread. Hold a bit of pressure on the drop thread where it crosses itself and turn the tag back perpendicular to the guide wrap thread. It will help to secure the tag with a piece of tape. Resume winding your guide wrap until you get to the "knot" in your single drop. Lift the guide wrap thread, cross it over the "knot" and wind a turn or two tight against the drop thread, then use your thumbnail or thread tool to push everything up tight and even. Trim the tag end(s) of the drop thread and finish the guide wrap. A good burnishing will lay everything down nice and flat. For best results, make your knot and cross on the side of the rod that will face away from the angler when they are using the rod. The direction you run your guide wraps will determine if you loop the drop front to back or back to front (facing the rod wrapper), but a little experimenting is all it takes to figure that part out. It's much easier to do than it is to attempt to describe it. For maximum visual effect, use a dark single thread in a lighter colored guide wrap, it's a waste to do it the other way round as the single light thread will simply disappear in the darker color. This same method can also be used to lay in multiple single threads spaced by a few turns of wrap. Simply use a longer piece of drop thread, make the first drop and cross, wrap 5 to 7 turns of guide wrap and drop the single back in. I sometimes use this to mark the line rating in my cap wrap, 3 single turns is a 3 wt, 4 turns is a 4, etc. Hope this helps and good luck. (Pat Tumblin) You forgot to mention that you need to be using CP with this or you'll see the underpinnings. (Bill Walters) I have done several "plastic" rod with single turn inlaid threads and I have had only one problem. I take a 5" length of thread and do several guide wraps over one end, reverse wind the inlay thread for one turn, all of this on the "bottom" side of the rod. Cross the guide wrap over the end of the inlay thread and continue wrapping over the tag end of the inlay thread for several wraps before cutting tag end. I always do lighter colors for the single wrap and dark color for the guide wrap, without CP. The effect is very subtle and I like it. The tag ends do not show under the dark colors EXCEPT for metallic threads. A nice silver thread in a burgundy guide wrap looks great from the top side. Reverse direction winding of the inlay thread makes this very easy. (Bob McElvain) Your explanation makes perfect sense, and is probably what I will do when I have a dark guide wrap and want to inlay a lighter color thread. The real mystery to me is how maker Tom Moran is getting his single thread black inlaid to this clear amber type of wrap.
This is an awesome looking wrap! Maybe the sides that aren't showing in the picture are hiding the tags underneath the guide wrap? (Kyle Druey) I think the easiest (meaning not too many steps to keep in mind, but it does take practice) way to put in a single wrap of thread is to stop wrapping where you want the wrap, catch the tag (short) end of a short length of trim thread well under the main feed thread. At this point it is important to keep in mind where you want the tag ends of the trim wrap to be, because you can place them strategically so that they are less prominent. So, catch the tag end of the trim thread (with the long end sticking out over the thread area you have already wrapped) and give the rod a half turn or so to hold the trim thread in place (it also helps to stick your thumb on the spot where the trim thread is held down, but you will have to move it later). Then make one turn with the trim thread to the finished side of your feed thread (on the left if you are wrapping from left to right or on the right if you are wrapping from right to left) and bring it back to the anchor point and slide it back under the feed thread just a bit past the first anchor point. So, what you have done, essentially, is wrapped the thread around the rod once, and both ends are now caught under the feed thread at more or less the same place. Now, if you had planned this well, the tiny bit of overlap in the trim thread, and the tag ends, are located at the tip of the foot of the guide. You could carefully trim and hide the tag ends of the thread along the side of the tip of the guide foot and unless someone really looks carefully, no one will notice the tags. This is a little harder to pull off on transparent wraps, but practice and planning should get it in the right position. Oh-yeah, one more thing, don't pull on the tag ends of the trip thread too much, to tighten the wrap, or whatever. The hold on the tag ends is really tenuous. Burnish VERY carefully, and try and get the main thread nice and straight and tight, and you should be OK. Good luck. And those are really nice wraps on the web site. Still, the pragmatist in me says either he used pretty large diameter thread, or there are a few wraps in that photo. But, I'm a cynic. (Jason Swan) They are beautiful wraps. Either a black marker used to dye the appropriate length of thread that equates to one turn based on the diameter of the rod at the point where it's being wrapped, wait while it dries to prevent bleeding, and count your turns so the accent is mirror to the other tips wraps. Or a quick dry adhesive that will hold the one turn of accent thread in place and is compatible with the finish coat. You could do that, then continue with the amber color crossing over at one discrete point, then burnishing it down. Really fine thread like 6/0 wouldn't show the bumps after a few coats of finish, like the larger threads would. Can't think of any other way. Thinned lacquer dries pretty fast, or how about really thin cyanoacrylate touched to the thread with a fine brush so it just soaks the thread and adheres to the blank. Sounds like a lot of work. I would try the thinned lacquer with a jig to hold the tag ends while it dried, then cut the tags away completely. I think the main wrap (amber) would be less klutzy looking if it were continuos, with the one wrapped over point on the bottom flat, rather than tags tucked under, one accent stripe, and a second wrap with more tags tucked under. Tags make for air space which gives you that opaque look when what you want is dead clear. I also think that too much tension draws the thread too tight over the apex's and lifts it off the flats causing that air space, especially if your rod has super flat splines. Better to leave a little convexity for the thread to hold to and you remove less power fibers too. (Chris McDowell) The process takes some practice. It was set out for me by John Oliff Cooper, the English antique rod restorer. Start by breaking a thread by hand and with a finger tip he uses what he call "button wax" to smooth it around the rod. I use white waxless shellac. When it makes one revolution, break the thread again. The ragged ends will blend right in without any tag ends under the over wraps. I just finished a 1928 Leonard-Mills that had one wrap of emerald between the antique gold wraps and the black tipping. But only at the grip check and the ferrules. You didn't see that gal at Leonard sticking any tag ends under the wraps. (Jerry Young)
Now I know how every one of us loves wrapping rods and especially putting on tipping. Well, here is something I tried tonight and I wonder how many guys do it this way or have tried it? I got out a fly tying bobbin and put my tipping color on that and had at it. Let me tell you it took a couple of wraps to get used to but after I got the hang of it the tipping went so fast I don't think I will ever go back to using the cradle again for this operation. If you haven't tried it give it a go and see what you think. (Bret Reiter) Been using fly-bodkins since I started (6 years) for tipping AND wrapping. I still put the rod in V guides without the turner. The following helps: line the V's with rubber and hang a roll of masking tape on the rod so it doesn't turn with the bobbin hanging while you rest your hands. Use a heavy bobbin. Wrap opposite the way you tie a fly (hard to get used to at first). Use your bodkin to tweak the wraps in place. Use your palm on the spool to add tension if needed (not often). (Jim Utzerath) I use a tension device from Clemens to do wrapping. It'll hold 2 spools of Pearsalls silk. gives me a lot of freedom to move the blank around. I took some foam pipe cover, cut in half, and tacked it over the end of my desk to keep the rod section from hitting the hard table. Some other pieces cut and laid over them makes adjustable stops. I think it's what you start with and get used to doing that works best. (Chad Wigham)
Well, I used to fight trim wraps and about hated doing them, mainly because of the pull loop placement, which has to go on before the wrapping thread the way I do it. Now I'm sure you old timers ( aren't we all according to our teenagers!), already have your own tricks, but this might help rodmakers like me, that just haven't been around a lot of stuff yet. When I place the wrapping thread over the rod, I take the pull loop, and wrap it around the wrapping thread, from underneath, as if I'm trying to pull the doubled over thread, up and through the wrapping thread, and then tighten the thread, and simply slide the pull loop down onto the rod. I can also do only one wrap of thread then if I want a tiny little trim wrap, and it never pulls off the rod, or goes nutty. I also leave both my tag ends long, so I can tighten the trim wrap after I move it where it needs to go. I just re read this, and realized that it's hard to follow, but I don't know what else to say. I'll try and work up some pics of someone really wanted them. Might not be too hard to come up with. (Jerry Andrews)
The idea isn't mine but I've been thinking about some of the things several folks have mentioned here or personally. George Barnes talked last year or maybe this year about trim wraps. Doug Mckay told me about using fly tying thread for wraps [looks good] and I know it isn't silk Took the 2 ideas and was playing around this AM while wrapping a rod. Using 6/0 Danvilles thread and placing a clove hitch tight against the guide wraps resulted in the smallest and thinnest trim wrap I've ever done. I left the tails of the clove hitch about 1" long. After the varnish was set a little, I eased the trim wrap tight against the guide wrap using another great idea I picked up here. [ the use of a piece of cane sharpened to a very thin edge]. The tails were pulled up tight during the easing process. The trim wraps I did earlier also worked with very fine silk [ not as fine as 6/0 though] and the clove hitch tails were trimmed with a sharp razor blade after a couple of varnish coats. Off to the fly shop to pick up some "non-buggy" thread colors. Wonder if a hot orange will work? (Don Anderson)
I have trouble with wraps that only have one wrap securing a tag end. Forget about burnishing something like that. 2 wraps minimum to secure tag end, IMHO. (Joe West)
I'm wondering how one wraps only three turns of anything... How about a little instruction for me? (Jerry Partrick) 3 turns sounds difficult to me. Two turns is easier. For two turns I tie a "clove hitch" and place a TINY drop of instant glue on the intersection. When it is cured, slice off the tag ends with a razor and Viola! I did this on my last rod butt end to make "marks" at 5 inch increments for measuring fish. It worked great. (Al Baldauski) Does the "TINY drop of instant glue" act like color preserver -- make the knot area of thread a little different color than the rest of the wrap? (Ted Godfrey) I do single wraps by crossing the thread and drawing it across the wrap and holding it in place with masking tape. after a couple coats of thinned varnish I cut the thread. (Timothy Troester) So here’s the secret from a never heard from rod maker. Get some pine pitch (yeah that sticky stuff from pine trees!) you mix it with turpentine in a small jar to the consistency of Karo syrup and let it settle. You then get some stuff that looks like varnish. Now you put a small piece of masking tape on your work bench and with a toothpick put a couple of drops of this stuff on this masking tape. When you want to do those (really stupid one or two wraps) you just touch this mixture with your finger and wipe it on the thread (about six inches or so). Now your thread is coated with this really sticky stuff that is compatible with any varnish and when you do your wraps they will stay put !!! Oh yea keep a cloth wetted with some alcohol handy to clean this sticky stuff off your finger after you apply it to the thread. I hope this is clear enough because this is the only way to do trim wraps. This really works well. (Joe Arguello) Nice to see you here, thought you were long gone from the list. As for trim wraps, other than Joe's method, which sounds really slick, I just wet the thread, I use spit, everyone else use water if you want, make your three turn wrap, snug it up and go ahead and trim the ends. If you're careful about not bumping them on your wrapper, they will stay put until you get around to putting some sort of finish on the wrap. (John Channer) The instant glue doesn't change the color at all. At least not on the Chinese red I used. I just remembered a one turn trick I heard last year. This guy used a sharpie to color just enough of the thread to make one wrap and continued on with the rest as normal. He said with a little practice and trial and error getting the right amount colored, It works pretty well. (Al Baldauski) Yes! I've tried that, and it leaves a notable blemish. I really don't think a two or three turn wraps holds up very well, and it definitely not worth the time, or head ache that comes with it. Just my opinion. (Mark Dyba) I do my signature wraps in threes. They hold up pretty well if they're whipped in and varnished well. But... I do varnish my wraps to a "slick" appearance before I varnish the rest of the rod, so they may just be so embedded in varnish that they can't come loose. (Bob Nunley) I've done four wrap trim wraps I do them on most rods, but nothing under that. It's way too frustrating and hard on the blood pressure. Bob, let me warn you, you won't live long if you keep doing those three wraps. High blood pressure will kill you. (Mark Dyba) Given Bob's history, not much chance something as safe as thread could do him in! (Scott Grady) I haven't tried this on anything less than 4, but it works well on everything else. Start the first wrap with the pull loop in place. Always start/stop wrap on a different flat. Pull the tag ends tight, on opposite sides of one corner. Stays in place great! Now, how the heck do you varnish these narrow wraps without varnish running onto the rod? I use a small diameter piece of wire glued into the end of a short section of an old cane rod. Like an old ink pen that you dip into the ink then write. I've tried one of the old ink pen tips in varnish without any luck. The small wire works pretty good. (David Dziadosz) I think the trim wraps look better if the tags come out next to each other, then there are three turns all the way around the rod, instead of just 2 on one or more flats. I don't worry much about varnish bleeding out onto the the rod, I wrap before I varnish so I just scrape off any that runs out. (John Channer) Two or three turn wraps are a piece of cake. Well, they are since Tony Spezio showed me a little trick a few years ago. Just leave both tag ends long until you've got a few coats of varnish on the wraps, so that you can re-snuggle if you need to. Slice and dice with a sharp razor or Exacto blade after the couple of coats, and away you go. (Mark Wendt) I do single, two and three turn warps. On the 2 and 3's, I just put a whipping loop mad out of the same thread I'm wrapping with and pull the tag end under the wraps. I'll trim them and leave each tag end about an eighth of an inch long and then seal each wrap with varnish. I don't trim the tag ends until the varnish has dried. One turn wraps... well, buy a bottle of Excedrine migraine, ask your Dr. for an ample supply of Valium and get after it! (Bob Nunley) I take about 15 inches of thread between my thumb and finger. I lay the fingernail against the rod, I wrap around the rod and the finger, going up the finger. After three or four wraps, I point the finger at the floor (still holding one end of the thread between finger and thumb) I push the other end of the thread through the loop made by the wraps. I slowly pull each end snug, work the wraps to the edge of the wraps I'm trimming pull tight and cut off all but about two inches of thread. I put a little finish on the wraps and let them dry. I usually cut all my tag ends off at once, before finishing coating the wraps. I use a lot of thread, but so what? (Terry Kirkpatrick) A couple of things. 1] I do a 2-thread wrap using a clove hitch but I don't use conventional thread. I use 6/0 Danville's prewaxed fly tying thread. Make the hitch leaving the legs 3/4 " long and tighten. Snug to the foot wrap as close as possible. A single coat of varnish, leave for about an hour in the rod turner and push lightly the trim wrap to the foot wrap. The trim wrap gets very slim. Maybe a couple of thousandths. Presently I'm using 6/0. Looking for some 18/0 for very slim wraps. 2] Have tried both the "end the varnish @ the end of the wrap" & "run the varnish" about 0.010" over the wrap onto the cane. Finishing the varnish @ the end of the wrap leaves a "jump" where wear of the wrap is possible. Running the varnish over the wrap onto the cane reduces the wear possibility. Further, the effect is quite neat. The trim wrap appears to shrink in size to about 1/2. Just optics, I think, but the effect is neat. I know that some see running the varnish onto the cane as a bad thing. Still, there may be some benefits. Further, I finish varnish the rod before doing the wraps. For those that varnish warps and all, the wear issue is less important. (Don Anderson) Yes, for fine black tips Uni-thread works nicely. Also, don't sweat the wax, it is compatible with varnish. (Doug Easton) I have also done some small wrappings as a trim on normal guide wrappings. I used the technique described earlier, coloring a length of thread with a marker; It works quite well and is real easy. I start my wrap normally, two tours, and then color enough for one or two wraps. The rest is normal procedure. I did deep red with black trimming. Looks nice. I am going to have a daughter in a couple of days. My son took to fishing a couple of months ago, when I had time again, after finishing a masters degree. You guys sound encouraging about daughters. Thanks!! (Geert Poorteman) Wraps - At Dave Norling's and Ralph Tuttle's urging I recently tried coloring tipping wraps with artist's marker and it works great - but be advised to use artist's markers such as Prismacolor as the ink is archival quality and won't fade. I combined this trick with Dave's method of using one continuous thread from wrap to wrap and that too works great! Many, many fewer of those vexatious knots which boost sales of Valium. Maybe he will chime in and explain further. Varnish/wraps - I forget who it was, but sometime back somebody recommended using the butt end of paper matches to apply varnish to wraps. I tried it, like the technique and would like to publicly thank whoever suggested it. Decent nodes and keen iron. (Darrol Groth) To apply varnish to wrappings, I use a small plastic squeeze bottle originally containing nose drops. I fill it with varnish and can squeeze out little amounts as I work. (Geert Poorteman)
I'm currently in the process of wrapping guides for a couple of rods and would like to try something different. My tipping wraps come out all right, but I feel that I can do better. What are some of the techniques that some of you use? I have been using YLI for the main wrap, and Gossamer for the tip wrap. I would like to try different techniques to see if there is something that suits me better. (Walt Hammerick) The best tip I have for tipping came from Ray Gould's book, which is to using 8/0 fly tying thread for the tipping. It is nylon, of course, but when used for 3 or 4 turns one cannot tell the difference, and it tapers the profile of the wrap. (Paul Franklyn) I generally make three wraps for tipping. With the thin thread the wraps have a tendency to unravel when the varnish is applied. I leave short tag ends on the wraps, just long enough that if the wrap loosens up, the tag ends can be pulled to tighten the wrap back up after the varnish is applied. After the first coat is dry, the tag ends are easily removed with a sharp razor blade. (Tony Spezio) Tony's tip about leaving tag end until after first coat of varnish helps a lot. I don't know who to credit for this but if you first wet the thread you use for the tipping wraps it's a lot more manageable and doesn't self-loosen as easily but needs a little time to dry before you varnish. The Darrol/Digger approach sounds interesting. They are a PITA, but they do look good. Henry, who usually doesn't bother with them. (Henry Mitchell) Have not heard of wetting the thread, Will try it on the next rod. Thanks for the tip. (Tony Spezio) There was some discussion of this last year and Dave Norling suggested a single thread, no knot method whereby the tipping is simply done with a permanent artist's marker - not a Sharpie because they fade, but, rather, an archival quality marker such as Prismacolor found in art stores. Basically, you just start your wrap as usual, measure and color the original thread where you want the tipping with the marker. When you come to the end of the wrap you simply take off "wide space wrapping" (thread wraps spaced ~1/4”) angled tightly at an apex until you come to the next place you want to wrap. One continuous thread. When you are done with all wraps you hit it with a couple coats of varnish, let it dry to stick everything in place and come back and cut out the connecting wraps at an angle at the apexes. Voila', one can do a jillion 1, 2, or 3 turn intermediates or whatever with only a 'knot' at the beginning and tucked under at the end. No more tearing one's hair out, breath holding and considerably less Benzodiazapines. :^) I'm sure Dave or Ralph Tuttle can explain it better than I. Of course this is mainly for lighter wraps and darker tipping. It takes a bit of practice, but I'm sold. Whereas I used to take hours and hours and get to be a nervous wreck, now I can do a whole section in an hour, stress free. The boys back East tell me this is the way Digger used to wrap. Also, I'm a firm believer that the easiest final tag end to deal with - is none at all. Therefore, when I'm ending a wrap I snug the thread with my pulling loop barely under the last wrap and cut the tag end close so that it's entirely under the wraps when I pull - nothing to trim and no boogers sticking out. I hope this helps, it sure helped me. Perhaps Dave or Ralph will chime in. (Darrol Groth) I have stared using a double tipping and it has really added significantly to the appearance of my wraps. Wrap the guide foot and then tip as usual but then I add an additional tip of the main wrap color after the tip. I also make the second contrast tip one wrap less. So if I make six wraps of first tipping color I make five wraps with the second main color. I use Pearsalls gossamer highland green for the main wraps and gold for the first tip followed by second tip of highland green, really makes the gold stand out. (Will McMurrey) I do something similar and you are right it does look very nice. Lots of complements. (Timothy Troester) That sounds like an eye pleasing combination. Walt, another method you might try that looks pretty good. I have a Eustice Edwards rod that has offset tipping and it looks really nice. Guides are wrapped with a yellow gold thread extending 6 turns past the end of the guide foot. Then there is a 3/32" open space and 6 turns of cardinal red for tipping. Looks really sharp, but I must say this rod must have been wrapped in 8/0 silk! It's definitely thinner than Pearsalls Gossamer. (Will Price) That's too fine for me my eyes just wont stand that sort of punishment. (Gary Nicholson) Don't feel bad that's too fine for me also. When it gets rewrapped, it'll be with Gossamer and that's starting to get to fine for me even when wrapping under a magnifying glass. (Will Price) I usually use seven wraps for tipping. If the wrap begins with the tipping, I wrap the tipping over a loop and pull the main thread under the tipping as well as the end of the tipping wrap. I must hold the main thread in place under the tipping until I get a couple of main wraps completed. By then there is enough friction to just complete the wrap over the guide foot. If I start the wrap over the guide foot, when I get to a point that is few wraps from where I want to start the tipping, I wrap over two loops of thread. Then I can pull the main thread and the beginning of the tipping thread with one loop and when the tipping is finished I pull the end of the tipping thread back under several main thread wraps. This makes a very secure wrap. However, when I am wrapping a rod that I don't care much about, I will use a dark "Sharpie" instead of real tipping. But I have found that I have to let the ink dry a few seconds while I hold the thread tightly because Sharpie ink is permanent and will leave a stain on bamboo that is hard to remove. (Don Sargent)
For two turn wraps, rather than using a typical wrap, use a clove hitch. I use 12>18/0 tying thread for the trim wrap. When the main wrap is done, I make a clove hitch @ each end of the guide leaving the ends about 3/4" long. Snug the clove hitch as close as possible to the main wrap. Varnish the wrap as usual and rotate for about an hour. Then push each wrap snuggly against the main wrap using a bamboo stick carved to a knife edge.. Hang to dry the wraps. After the 2nd coating of varnish, I trim the legs off the clove hitch. The trim wrap will measure about 0.002>0.003". (Don Anderson) I've thought of doing that for the longest time but thought it might be unethical or something, so instead I do my trim wraps the "old fashioned way", resenting the work. Thanks man, I feel like I just got permission to go the candy store. (Ren Monllor)
Any good online references on the 'tip' wraps? I often see pictures of guide wraps tipped with an accent color of only about 3 wraps. I'm practicing my wrapping by rewrapping a couple of spinning rods for a friend. I will be wrapping the guides with Gudebrod 778 (yellow) and would like to add an accent wrap. Any hints/suggestions? (Chuck Pickering) If you want to follow along with my making of the Casting For Recovery cane rod, I'm doing a photo journal at the Gathering Of The Clan web site and forum. Can't remember what page it's on, but I think it's either page 6 or 7 where I start doing the trim wraps. (Mark Wendt) Nice pictorial, Mark. You are even making me drool. I also compliment the considerable expenditure of energy and time to aid a worthy cause. The sun is shining here in Nueva Jersey del Sur this afternoon, and when it reaches the yardarm, I will tilt a glass in your general direction and think kind thoughts. Nice going. (Tom Smithwick)
What is the most effective way to do 3 or 4 thread trim wraps? Is it leave the tag ends long, a coat of finish, then trim tag ends? And how sharp IS, that razor blade? Or is there a better way? (Ed Miller) I have posted this before but it bears repeating. Find a pine tree or someone who can send you some pine pitch, break this up if it is hardened and put it in a small jar with just enough turpentine to cover it and let the pine pitch dissolve in the pine pitch to make a solution that looks a lot like varnish just thicker. Let it set for a few days in the sun or put it in the microwave if need be to help in the pine pitch dissolving. Let it settle and pour off the clean stuff on top as all the impurities will settle. Now when you want to do these small wraps just put a tiny drop between your finger and thumb and rub the silk with it (just the few inches you are going to wrap) use a cloth wetted with denatured alcohol to clean your fingers as you work. You can now do one wrap if you want too. Put down your loop first, start the wrap and pull it under now cut as close as you can. Now the sharpest blade you can use is a double edge razor blade. I take a pair of scissors and cut them into small triangular blades that I put in an Exacto blade holder (make your own blades) this works better than you can imagine. Almost seems that when you get close to the silk to cut it, the silk just gets scared and comes apart. Hope this is clear and helps. If not perhaps I can help claify better. (Joe Arguello) Wonderful tip, Joe... But please, encourage folks to be careful with putting turp's in the microwave! And do you have any spare pine pitch? :-) (Harry Boyd) I have sent a few bottles of the completed solution to several who have requested it, let me see what I can come up with and I will put it in the same box with the Colorado Classic Cane book I promised to lend you.................. A long time ago! Sorry, I hope the 'better late than never' saying applies here! (Joe Arguello) Do as Joe says, only spit works almost as well if you can't find any pine pitch. I just lick my fingers and wet 6" or so of thread, it takes maybe 2 or 3 times, so as Joe said, start the trim wrap over the pull loop and trim the tags as usual. If you want to do 2 turn wraps, just tie a clove hitch with the thread then you won't need a pull loop at all. (John Channer) I use Crazy Glue. Just the TINIEST (I mean barely wet) drop on the end of a needle will hold wraps in place. It WON’T work if you intend to use color preserver (God forbid) though. (Al Baldauski) I use Griff's Thin Fly Tying Multi-Coat High Gloss to tack the trim wraps. I place a very small drop at the thread joint with the dubbing needle. After the joint dries clear, I trim the wraps with a razor blade. I will mention that this liquid also works for me if I use color preserver. :-) It is the only liquid I have found that does not leave a dark spot. Remember just a very very small drop. You can find this fly tying liquid in some fly shops - the stuff is made in Kalispell, Montana, so the fly shops out west probably are more likely to have the liquid. I think the Madison River Fly Shop in Ennis sells this stuff. Just my experience and opinion. (Frank Paul) Here is what works for me. Lay the pull loop on a flat, start the thread in the normal way, make the number of wraps you want. Cut the thread from the spool and insert the tag end through the loop. Pull it through. Wet your finger with some water and apply it to the wrap, (I keep a wet sponge in a container).Push the wrap up against the foot wrap and pull the tag ends tight. The wet wraps will stay tight. Cut off the tag ends leaving about a quarter to a half inch of tag ends, you will have two of them. After applying the first coat of varnish, wipe the varnish off the wrap. I do this with a square of BOUNTY paper towel. This smooths the wrap and lets the tag ends raise up away from the bamboo. After the first coat dries, the tag ends can be removed with a SHARP blade. I slide a new razor blade up against the wrap over the tag end. Push straight down on the tag end, don't use a sawing action. You will feel a little pop and the tag end is cut off clean against the wrap. I generally do three thread wraps, two gets a bit harder and one is the hardest. I seldom do one warp and I do loose the wrap at times. If you are using a light color tipping wrap and darker foot wraps, you can pull the tipping tag end under the foot wrap when you pull the tag end of the foot wrap under. Then lay the loop on the blank and wrap as above. This only gives you one tag end to deal with. I prefer to do them separately. (Tony Spezio) Here is something that I have tried in the past when I use black trim wraps on a light color thread. I wrap the light color on 2-3 extra wraps & then unwrap them. After I unwrap them I note where I have started & ended & then I color the thread with a permanent black marker. After I let the wrap dry for a short time I rewrap it & then pull the thread through with the loop to end the wrap. I hope that makes sense. I figured this out one day as I was tying Atlantic Salmon flies. (Bret Reiter) Blasphemy! I can't believe anyone would us a trick like that, cheating!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh wait that's what I do, as long as the trim is darker than the main color, just need to do a little experimenting. There are many colors of sharpies! (Joe Arguello) I don't know how he accomplishes it, but Roger Barrett has a method of using one piece of thread to wrap a guide. His method includes tipping as well as binding down the guide. Most impressive. I should mentioned that he admitted learning the technique by watching Bob Numbly He also has a technique for mortising bamboo ferrules that will blow you away. (Ralph Moon) Apparently no one is using flex coat lite or Thread Master finish for the 1st coat on the wraps. The denatured alcohol that it is mixed with causes thread that has been colored with any marker permanent or otherwise to bleed. That is unless they've picked up on a secret that I've missed out on. (Will Price) I've had bad luck with Sharpies but Prismacolor indelible artist's markers don't fade and the denatured ETOH in color preserver has not made it bleed. I can usually pick them up on sale at Hobby Lobby. No $$ interest this time. (Darrol Groth) I found this out this past weekend. I thought that I may have not let the wraps dry enough before coating with the flex coat lite mixture. I was going to do a couple of test wraps and let them dry overnight to see if this helps. Does anyone know? I went ahead and wrapped the butt section and used a mixture of spar thinned with turps and it worked OK. I was trying for clear wraps with a single turn in the middle of the guide foot. I ended up with a few bubbles along the guide foot of the stripper. (Greg Reeves) I found by "wiping" the wraps after applying the first coat of varnish will eliminate the bubble problem. We each have our own way of doing things, this works for me. (Tony Spezio) I did not make it clear, I should of said "wiping" the varnish off the wraps after the first coat while the varnish is still "wet." Sorry about that. This smoothes the wrap and presses the varnish into the wrap displacing any air that might be trapped in the thread. I also did this on graphite rods with Flexcoat on the wraps, I would wet the pad with denatured alcohol before wiping the thinned Flexcoat off the wrap. (Tony Spezio) When I do trim wraps I use permanent markers. When it come time to do the trim wrap I run a marker up and down the thread (I only do brown or black) then finish off the wrap. (Jim Tefft)
Does anyone have any tips or advice on how to get consistent tipping wraps? I get good results using 5 wraps of Pearsalls Gossamer but anything less is problematic. The wraps go on fine but unwind before I finish tipping the entire rod. So far I increased thread tension and wetted the silk. This helped but did not solve the problem. I think 2 or 3 wraps would look incredible and I know it can be done. (Ray Taylor) Maybe you might use a little thinned varnish on the tipping each time before you go to the next. (Timothy Troester) Once again - pine pitch and turpentine! (Joe Arguello) When you've tied them off put a spot of varnish on them and cut the ends when its dry. (Robin Haywood) Using pine pitch (rosin) diluted with turpentine is an old technique from the days of tying flies when they didn't have thread bobbins. The rosin locks the thread wraps so that other materials can be placed on the fly before continuing the wraps. It also makes the fly more durable. My reference is Helen Shaw's Fly Tying, 1963 My jar of rosin/turpentine sits right on the shelf over my wrapping bench. Another benefit is that I love the smell. Probably makes me a little goofy. (Steve Weiss) That's it exactly, I can't remember who showed me how to use it on trim wraps, but I thought it was pretty cool. And you're right it does smell good. One other thing that you have to use is an Exacto blade holder with home made blades made by cutting double edge razor blades into little triangular blades. They are really sharp and disposable. (Joe Arguello) Will Violin bow rosin work. Always will give something new to me a chance. I just might change the way I do the tipping. (Tony Spezio) I'd have to wonder about violin rosin. According to Wikipedia, they add other things to it. I'd be inclined to try a baseball rosin bag instead. (Neil Savage) If you know how to tie a clove hitch, you can do 2-turn tips. A constrictor knot is even better, but harder to tie. Just leave the ends long and tighten them again before you varnish, then cut them off after about the second coat of varnish. There's an animated tutorial for both here. In Gossamer you won't notice the extra thickness. (Neil Savage) I use Griff's Thin head cement to hold the two ends of the tipping wrap at the joint after each wrap is applied. The Griff's Thin head cement does not discolor the wrap. Just my experience. (Frank Paul) I use three tipping wraps and as you tried I do wet the wrap and pull the tag ends tight after wetting the wrap. I leave the tag ends about an inch long. The varnish is applied and then wiped off with Bounty Paper towel as the rod is turning. If the wrap should come loose, the tag ends can be pulled to tighten it. Wiping off the wrap makes the tag ends stick up off the blank. This will dry pretty quick and the tag ends can be snipped off with a sharp interment. I use a new razor blade and get clean cuts right at the base of the tag end. This works well for me, I had the same problem before I started doing this. When I was building Graphite and using Epoxy for a finish, I would put a drop of "Sally Hanson Hard As Nails" on the wrap ends to lock them but you can't do this with varnish. (Tony Spezio) I’ve found that crazy glue judiciously applied with a needle (just enough to wet the knot) instantly and permanently locks the threads in place and have not noticed any color variations when varnished. Of course this won’t work if you use a color preserver. (Al Baldauski) Thanks, this is a great idea and resource. I appreciate this very much. (Hal Manas) On my way home from work I was on my way to a music store to buy some rosin, you know for a violin bow. I never made it. I stopped by a Christmas Tree pile at a park near to my home too look. Sure enough the trees were seeping pine pitch, just not enough. Next thing was I was looking for some large pine trees, there were some at that park but much to bushy to get to the trunk. So back in the Jeep and off to the music store. But wait, right there by the car wash was a couple of large pine trees of who knows what variety! And the branches have been trimmed back, perfect. So here is what I have so far! I really didn't have anything to collect it in but this shows how hard this really is!
You're the man Joe! It will be interesting if you are able to post photographs of turning pine pitch and turpentine into a tipping wrap! When it's all said and done, there's always somebody getting it done! (Doug Alexander) The good stuff comes from the Southern Long Leaf Pines that grow along the Tar River in eastern NC.... But I expect that almost any clump of dried out pine pitch will do for your purposes. Give it a try, and document your results. (Paul Gruver) Is there someone out there who would send me some to try. I don't have any pine in my local area. I am not able at this time to go looking for some. (Tony Spezio) What do you use the pitch for when tipping? Does it make it easier to handle the silk. Or am I totally off base? Thanks for information you can give me on this. (Phil Crangi) When you do tipping, specially with just a couple of wraps the silk can easily come undone by simply touching them. The pine pitch makes the silk sticky so that won't happen or at least not as easily. Makes it safer to handle the blank. Hope this makes sense. (Joe Arguello) Just wet the thread, very wet. I just lick my fingers and run them over the thread a couple of times until it's wet enuf, water, beer and bourbon all work fine, too. Scotch won't work at all<g>. (John Channer) Hey I just thought about something I have gotten several people asking where to get pine pitch. How about that pile of Christmas trees at the local drop off place, for recycling? I bet the cut on the bottom of the tree may be oozing pine pitch as we speak! (Joe Arguello) I used powdered rosin and dissolved it in turpentine. (Steve Weiss) If anybody on the list lives in the country, near a forest with older pine trees... As a youth, I was taught to find downed, dead pine trees, as a source of pitch knots for fire starters. Pitch tends to gather at the base of the limbs on a dead pine tree. In the Rocky Mountains these knots can be a life saver for those lost on an Elk Hunt. Don't ask how I know... (Chuck Pickering) Now some Beeswax, melt pitch skim off junk, melt with beeswax --- Best darn wax for fly tying you ever used. Play with the ratios to get wax just as you want. (Jed Dempsey) I made some dubbing wax from a recipe I found on line some years ago. It consisted of violin rosin and bee's wax melted together. In the quantities I had, I ended up with probably a lifetime supply. Tony, contact me off list with your address, and I'll send you a sample. Great dubbing wax, too! (Chuck Pickering) This mix would be great for dubbing wax in fly-tying, but hadn't we been talking about help for wrapping fine tipping? Two things: my understanding is that, with care, rosin can be reconstituted into resin, and isn't resin what we really need for a varnish product? So, why not simply start with a varnish product? Secondly, why would we want a soft, beeswax mix (dubbing wax) under our varnished wrappings? (Bill Harms) I think the use of wax was mentioned only in connection with fly tying, not the wraps. (Steve Yasgur) It can be found on eBay under art supplies and under varnish. Sometimes also under violin making, building and finish some times. (Jeff Van Zandt)
A few months ago some of you posted some good advise on single tipping of wraps. I gathered that using varnish or crazy glue was the most tried method. Before I try this is there any other way to get that single to secure. I am about to try this for the first time in a few days. (Jeff Volner) You could try this. (Joe Arguello) Take a cutoff piece of bamboo blank from one of the ends (I’m sure you didn’t cut the blank to size before glue up) and just experiment a little with the different techniques. As I recall there was: varnish, glue, spit, knot, no knot, clove knot, heck, you might come up with a better way….what I’m trying to say is that there’s a 100 ways to skin a cat, the wisdom comes from “doing” and not analyzing. Ask me how I know….I can complicate the shit out of a grill cheese sandwich… I’m learning not to. Either way, I’m sure you’ll do well. (Ren Monllor)
I have plenty of pine trees down here in Biloxi. How do you collect your pine pitch and more importantly how do you keep it bug and trash free? (Reed Guice) Just look for freshly cut trees, or trees with freshly damaged bark, and collect the sap the is issuing forth. You will have fresh, and reasonably clean, pine pitch. It will solidify as the volatile turpenes evaporate out of it. (Frank Schlicht) Take a look at this tutorial, it is all about refining the pine pitch, the first pic shows the rough stuff and the fifth one down with the three vials shows what you get when your done. This is the stuff that looks like a thick varnish and I think with some japan dryer? you would get a varnish that would work. Good place to start! Sorry, everyone if you’re tired of me pointing you to The Bamboo Rod Room but we would welcome new members, good group of guys and you would all fit in. Here's the link. (Joe Arguello) Not having ready access to pine pitch here in southeast Michigan at this time of year, I bought a "rosin bag" at the local sporting goods store. BAD IDEA! It's ugly gray and smelly! I don't know what it is, but I know it's not pine rosin. I think I'll try a musical instrument store and see if I can get some bow rosin there. Otherwise I'll wait til warm weather and collect some live. (Neil Savage) Sounds like powdered pine pitch to me. If you will take a close look at the "raw" stuff in Joe's photos, you will note that the color varies from light amber to a dirty white. The dirty white (gray?) is the older dried stuff. The rosin in the pitchers' rosin bag needs to be rehydrated (dissolved) by replacing the evaporated turpenes. This is done by dissolving in plain, ordinary, everyday turpentine. No highly processed Artist's Turpentine required. Rehydration can be sped up by placing a small amount of the rosin in a small glass bottle/jar, just covering it with turpentine, and placing the container in a pan of water, which is then brought to a simmer. Voila'! You will soon have Joe's pine pitch (aka: Helen Shaw's home-made fly tying wax; vide, FLY TYING by Helen Shaw, 1979). You can use powdered, crystaline, or lump rosin. The larger the particle size, the longer it takes to dissolve. Hate to burst the bubble, but it's not rocket science! (Frank Schlicht) Many years ago I tried my hand at rodeo (riding bulls and bareback broncs) and I bought lump rosin from the local Rexall druggist. By placing the rosin in an old sock and banging it against something to break it down you created a rosin bag that you could use to rosin your rope, your jeans, your glove, etc. for a better grip. Don't know if druggists still carry it but it might be worth a try. (Bill Ernst) Sounds like the "drug store" of a bygone era. Many years ago, my oldest daughter was afflicted with an intestinal bug that almost killed her. She was at the point of not being able to hold down water, or the medicines that were being prescribed every day. Finally, a "country doctor" with an affinity for simplicity, prescribed something that cost me a whole .15 cents at the pharmacy... "Coke syrup". I was amazed, but it worked wonderfully. Thing is, you can't go to a drug store nowadays and buy it... they don't have "soda fountains" nearby. That doctor would have been a fan of Tony's philosophy... KISS... (Mike St. Clair) Speaking of which ~ try buying the ingredients for making your own bluing solution from the local drug store pharmacist. I had a Doctor assure me that he could surely get it for me ~ you know what! He couldn't. "Signs of our times" (Vince Brannick) I have found that drug stores can order unusual things. I use Clinitest, an old fashioned urine test for diabetics to measure sugar content in my wine and beer I make. Current enzyme based dipsticks will not work, as they are too specific. Also in my hometown in SC there is a pharmacist who compounds drugs. I suspect this guy is like the old time pharmacies. A true pharmacist When I was growing up in a little town of 3000 people, we had and old, old pharmacist who would drive through town blowing his horn so you would get out of his way, so bad was his eyesight. I wouldn't go there.{8^) (Dave Burley) Jamestown Distributors sells Bickmore Pine Tar (Pitch) for about $11/qt. They give a recipe for "JD Homemade Varnish." Turps 1qt The more pine, the darker the mixture. They don't say exactly how to go about 'cooking' this brew, which would be the scary part. Maybe you just mix it up cold? (Bob Brockett) I would suggest using a laboratory-style 'hotplate' with internal magnetic stirrer for starters. (Jim Sency) This outfit has varnish-making supplies. Usual disclaimers apply. What do you add to varnish to block UV rays? A dab of sunscreen? (Don Anderson) Funny this is exactly what I was thinking on my way in to work today and I thought about an old Arend rod that I stripped to refinish. There were light spots or ghosts where all the wraps were. Do I care? I think not. What I believe happens is that the cane turns darker with age and from the sun. No big deal to me. So no sunscreen or UV protection needed as far as I am concerned. (Joe Arguello) Yep, just a dram of your favorite sun blocker & you're good! Seriously, I have NO idea. I've been mixing my own darkroom chemicals for longer than I care to remember & have enough chemicals stored to get me arrested, but here...? I'm lost. Just thought I'd pass that bit from Jamestown on to y'all. (Bob Brockett) Methinks unless you're going to hang your rod in the south window, UV blocking isn't too critical. (Henry Mitchell) Harry showed me some of Joe's pin pitch concoction one time. He said, "Here, just put a little bit on a piece of silk and wrap it around that rod." He should have defined what a "little bit" is. It did the trick, and held a single wide wrap in place, but by the end of the hour, I had every piece of fuzz, scrap steel wool, cob webs, and even parts of Ralph's dog who had been in my shop a few days earlier, stuck to the tips of my finger and thumb. Ever since, I've been tempted to hit one of the many million pine trees we have around here and making up a batch, but I'm afraid I'll get stuck to the tree! (Bob Nunley) Uh, I'm sorry guys until now I just realized that I haven't told anyone that this should be kept away from small children and only used with adult supervision!!!!!!!!!!!! He He He, now I don't care who you are that there is funny. If you look at and read my tutorial, I said "keep a cloth wetted (I like that word) with alcohol handy to clean your fingers after you apply the pine pitch to the thread. (Joe Arguello) Many restorers of old time violins and such do make up their own varnishes. I have seen recipes based on some books a long time ( say a few centuries) out of print. I'd take a peek there. (Dave Burley) That is funny...... It is sticky but really helps me with trim wraps. For me, I have a landscape maintenance business. Just find some pine limbs that need trimming and watch for fresh and clean sap to oooze out. On a warm day..... Won't take too long. Just scoop some into a small vial or jar and add Turps and you are good to go. When using it, I pull my trim color out and take a wetted finger and rub it along the thread. Just cut that into 2-3" sections and wrap my two turn wraps. Love it. (Barry Janzen) I too have been watching this thread and thinking that one of these days I am going to gather up some pine pitch and give this a try. Always, in the back of my mind was, " what am I going to about the dog hair?". I have lived with one Golden Retriever or another for 15 years and I am sure that I have inhaled or eaten enough hair to make the equivalent of a small dog in that time. Thinking about it, though, the fuzzies and hair have been present when I varnish so I will deal with it as I always have. Did enjoy the laugh. (Bill Bixler)
Earlier someone or maybe there were several posts about rejuvenating powdered rosin from a rosin bag. I found a one pound container of powdered rosin that I've had for quite a while. I had bought it for a recipe and only needed a little bit! So what the heck, I put some in a small bottle and covered it with turpentine. NOW WHAT?? I did that last night and tonight when I looked at it, a lot of rosin settled to the bottom and there was an amber liquid at the top. Talk about sticky, I think you could glue up a rod section with it! Any way, NOW WHAT?? Is that all there is to it? Is there more ingredients? Will all the rosin dissolve? How long will it take? What all can you do with this stuff? (David Dziadosz) Here is something that I started a while back. Maybe this will help. (Joe Arguello) I've seen your posts on this and ever since I've been watching for the little globs of resin on pine and cedar trees. No luck yet. Then someone wrote about the rosin bag and turpentine. Of course I didn't save it and now, since I have all this rosin, well, now it has my interest! (David Dziadosz) See here to find out more about pine pitch and making a varnish. It is just the beginning, but a lot of stuff exists in recipes in the instrument making area for making your own varnish. (Dave Burley)
I am wrapping a rod, adding, for whatever reason, tonight is a pain to do. How do you add your accent wraps? Any special techniques, tricks or what. Just a thought. (Craig Dinsdale) Tricky, plus take your time. take a file and make sure all the skin around your nails is filed and nice and clean and will not catch any thing. (Lew Boyko) Because this is a purely decorative feature, with no structural function at all, I have no problem with using a black marker to create the tipping sections, be they one two, three wraps or whatever. However, I always discuss it with the person for whom I am making the rod, and if they are not comfortable with my doing it that way, I just do it the same way as all my other wraps. There is certainly an element of "fiddly" no doubt, but basically a wrap is a wrap is a wrap whether long or short, and I follow the same procedure, albeit with a little help from varnish, well diluted. I tend to do two or three wrap tipping. One wrap is good for bragging, but is barely visible.Plus, of course, if someone wants light tips on dark wraps, the marker pen is not an option. (Peter McKean)
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