My First Attempt At Rod Wrapping

[papajoe222]

So I decided to try my hand at rod building this off season and started out practicing wraps on a couple of rods we already have.

This is the wife's favorite, so I did it in her favorite color and then added a little splash of color to the reel. I added the butt cap and did the guides with a silver under wrap and lavender over wrap.

I know it isn't the best, but for a first try, I think it turned out fairly nice.

[Downeaster2010]

You did fine. I have been tackle building for over 30 years, and rod building for 20. When I started a very professional builder helped me get

started with rod building. Luckily I had a bunch of old rods laying around that had bad guides etc. You can remove the old guides and replace with

new and better than the original. Cabelas makes an easy guide for you, and they also have some of the best finishs available. When doing small

rods alway use the smallest thread usually size A. Size C is for larger saltwater rods. If you can purchase some older Dale Clemmons books, of

which he wrote several you will gain a lot of knowledge from them. Strip down some of your old rods, Once stripped use some light sand paper

and lightly sand the rod. Use some paint, like rustoleum black, etc, and spray the rod. I always used flat black, because when you put the finish

on the rod, it will shine like new. The rod finish and glue from Cabelas is in small packets, and 1 is usually enough for one small rod. Cabelas has

a nice rod building catalog, with most options for the biginner. Normally the rod won't be any cheaper in price, but will be of a better quality parts,

and finish once completed. You will need some tools, all cheap. Get a burnishing tool, some thread cutter wihich is similar to hedge shears but

on a smaller scale. Get some small plastic cups like what you would take medicine with in the hospital. Get some wooden stirrs. I used to use

the stick from a popcycle, or ice cream on a stick. This will give you a reason to buy more ice cream. Ha. Build a small wooden rod wrapping

bench. You can find many pics online. You do not need anything electrical to build a nice rod, so don't worry about something to turn the rod

with. Most builders also build their own rod building setup, rather than purchase commercially made one. Experiment and have fun.