Does anyone have a good tecnique for sf guides?

[oldster]

I have built a lot of rods, most with snake guides. I have built 3 or 4 with single foots.None of those were fun! Sounds like a good idea, only half as many wraps.I have never found a good way to temporarily hold the darn things on for wrapping. I spend half my time crawling on the floor, hunting the last one that squirted off like a watermelon seed. Today I lost one, said the heck with it and wrapped the rod with regular snakes. I like the single footers on a finished rod. They look good and shoot better, but are a bugger to wrap. How do you guys do it? Has anyone got a good method? Can anyone convince me to try them again?

[Skeeter41]

It is funny you say that. I am a beginner (3 rods built) and I absolutely hate to do snake guides. I would much rather do single foot any day of the week. I did my first fly rod with snake guides 2 weeks ago and said I would never do another rod with snakes again.

[rons81]

Snake or single foot. Lay the blank out, assembled. mark the guide spacing. Preferably on the table or bench, you are working on. Prepare and fit the guides.
When ready put a drop of super glue gel on a scrape of paper. Barely touch the bottom of the foot or feet of guide to the drop of glue. carefully line up the guide and when in position touch the guide to blank and hold for a few seconds. This should hold the guide fine for wrapping. The glue joint can be easily broken for fine tuning after wrapping or if a mistake is made.

[Beaver]

I don't know if it's the right way to do it, but I take a x-acto knife and cut approximately one eighth inch strip of masking tape on the roll. I just use those strips to hold the guide in place till my thread reaches the tape then remove the tape and finish the wrap. It seems to work OK. Hope that helps. I like single foot guides as well.

Beaver

[JohnScott]

oldster -

Elastic string - you can probably get it at JoAnn Fabrics.

Take a couple wraps around the foot, pull it taut, and tie a couple overhand knots.

The elastic string makes it very easy to "adjust" the guide both up and down the blank and around the perimeter, if needed, and it will hold the guide securely in place while you wrap.

After you get enough wraps on to hold the guide securely, just nick the string with a sharp blade and it will pop off and out of the way.

I hesitated to do single foot guides. But I found it easier to work with them that two foot guides. If I don't use them again, it will be because of the effect I'm looking for, not any difficulty working with them.

John

[Lotech]

oldster -

Elastic string - you can probably get it at JoAnn Fabrics.

Take a couple wraps around the foot, pull it taut, and tie a couple overhand knots.

The elastic string makes it very easy to "adjust" the guide both up and down the blank and around the perimeter, if needed, and it will hold the guide securely in place while you wrap.

After you get enough wraps on to hold the guide securely, just nick the string with a sharp blade and it will pop off and out of the way.

I hesitated to do single foot guides. But I found it easier to work with them that two foot guides. If I don't use them again, it will be because of the effect I'm looking for, not any difficulty working with them.

John

I'm with John. Elastic string is the cat's meow.

[RS1]

I bought some orthodonic rubber bands and they work perfect. Two different sizes 3/16" and 1/8". Works great for snakes, should be a walk in the park with single foot.

[ol' blue]

I don't know if it's the right way to do it, but I take a x-acto knife and cut approximately one eighth inch strip of masking tape on the roll. I just use those strips to hold the guide in place till my thread reaches the tape then remove the tape and finish the wrap. It seems to work OK. Hope that helps. I like single foot guides as well.

Beaver

Exactly what I do. Works on single foot wire and single foot ceramics.

[harleybob87]

John hit it on the head. Elastic thread or I use rubber bands designed for rod building about a 1/16th of a inch in with and I double or triple them. Move the guides where you want leaves most of the foot available for thread when wraping and then they break very easy when the thread gets to them.

[Joe Valencic]

Snake or single foot. Lay the blank out, assembled. mark the guide spacing. Preferably on the table or bench, you are working on. Prepare and fit the guides.
When ready put a drop of super glue gel on a scrape of paper. Barely touch the bottom of the foot or feet of guide to the drop of glue. carefully line up the guide and when in position touch the guide to blank and hold for a few seconds. This should hold the guide fine for wrapping. The glue joint can be easily broken for fine tuning after wrapping or if a mistake is made.

I learned that trick at the Tullahoma Fish-n in February! LOL I still don't have any time to try it, but I have the gel for when i do get time.

Joe