I rewrapped this rod 3 times. I tried regular CP, water based poly as CP, and Aero Gloss Clear as CP. None of them were 100%. Then I would finally get a smooth wrap and couldn’t get the varnish on smooth. I can see that if I do many of these, I will need to build a dip tube. I definitely worked hard and not smart on this rod.
Anyway, it is an 8’ 2/2 5w from Angler’s Roost Enterprises, one of the basic ones. These blanks are not nearly as nice as their Presidential Series. No glue lines and the blanks are straight, but they just are not as nice.
I used a PacBay DL5 in nickel with a Tru-Stone Turquoise insert. The grip was done with Cottonwood Bark ends, a touch of green burl and turquoise craft foam accents. The agate stripper is the coffee color from Arcane. The REC Recoil guides are wrapped down with YLI #100 Turquoise silk. Did I mention that I hate silk? It did get a little better in the third rewrap, but I still hate it.
You’re not alone in detesting silk Kevin.
My friend Dave Male will not use it on his rods. Uses nylon and it looks great.
If a buyer insists he tells them to find another maker.
A funny story about Betty Malara of Bob’s Tackle Shop in Denver back in the day.
Supposedly she was wrapping a rod with her customary cigarette hanging from her lips
when a customer asked her about silk windings…she supposedly replied, “Betty don’t do silk!!!”
I like how nylon looks, too. All of the 'boo rebuilds I do are done with nylon. It matches the size and texture of the old wraps much better. I was thinking that #50 silk (size A) would have been much easier to use but this color was not available in the larger thread.
I on the other hand prefer silk. In fact I refuse to wrap any of my rods with anything but silk. I even use only silk for all of my fly tying.
I find I can match almost any color and shade using silk. http://www.roserushbrooke.com/yli-silk-thread-1.html YLO silk at $6.45 for 200 meters it is not a bad price. There is a bit of a learning curve to wrap with silk. I find after many years I can wrap more rapidly and obtain more perfect wraps with silk. Some like White bread, others prefer Wheat.
No customer could talk me into using anything but silk. If a buyer insists on nylon I tell them to find another maker. I only do high end restorations in Bamboo or custom bamboo, which are all done from scratch. A good dip tube set up is mandatory for me. I could not get the quality finish on a rod that I would approve of without dipping. Proper dipping is simple and I get the results desired, by myself and all of my customers.
If only I could find a source for 00 nylon, like Gudebrod used to make and was used for decades by Winston, I’d never use silk again (maybe for tipping). I do like the way Permagloss makes silk wraps look (without CP). Not as dark and clear as varnish, but not as “flat” as CP.
CC
Try this. I’m going to. I am going to call Merrick Tackle Tuesday as well. They supposedly got a big shipment of Gudebrod in this past week just before Irene tried to put them out of business.
you made the right choice slecting a down-locking reel seat. I have found the CG to be better balanced on boo rods with the reel on the end of the rod. just don’t over tighten the reel. tight lines!
The only thing I was concerned about was the turquoise insert. I was concerned it might be a bit over the top. When I asked her what her favorite colors were, she said, “Blues or greens, but I really like turquoise.” I saw the Tru-Stone pen blanks and had to do it. The insert is crushed turquoise in resin. She loves the rod so I guess that is what counts.
What exactly was your problem with silk? Did you get bleed-through of the varnish (blotchy wraps)? If so, how many coats of CP did you use. And what was your “regular CP”?
I had a lot of problem getting a nice smooth wrap with it. I tried a wide range of tensions from quite loose to almost tight enough to break the thread. I think it was more of a size thing than the material to be honest. Beyond that, it has no stretch and doesn’t pack as easily or uniformly as nylon.
Then, yes, there were blotch problems. I am absolutely certain that some of this came from the problems I had with winding. I had originally tried plain old FlexCoat water based acrylic CP. I also tried AeroGloss Clear and water based polyurethane. The last worked the best for me. I applied 3 or 4 coats of the water based poly and followed that with spirit based poly to get the same “look” of the finish on the threads as was on the bamboo. The rod itself was finished with Minwax Gloss Wipe-On Polyurethane. I love the way it goes on and gives a nice thin finish. Once all the finish was dried, the whole rod got another couple of coats of the wipe on poly. I had really wanted the AeroGloss Clear to work well as some builders had told me it does. Being in more of a production environment than hobby, the laquer based product would have been highly desirable for finishing speed.
If you’re comparing how Size 100 silk wraps compared to Size A nylon, it will be easier to avoid gaps and the dreaded over-wraps with the larger diameter thread.
Personally, I’ve never noticed much of a difference in wrapping silk vs. nylon of the same approximate diameter. The silk can be fuzzy at times, but that’s about it. I usually use silk just because of the wide array of colors available. It’s very difficult for me to tell the difference between silk and nylon, especially when not color preserved. Even with CP, it’s hard to tell. However, if I use shellac as your CP, I notice that silk has more sparkle, especially in the sunlight.
BTW, the diameter difference between Gudebrod A and 00 is that the A is about 20% thicker than the 00. Prove it to yourself. Mark off a fixed distance on a dowl and count the number of wraps it takes to cover it.
This is what I was thinking. I had similar problems when I wrapped size D the first time.
This was YLI 000 silk from Rushbrooke Strand. They had 0 which is supposed to be about the same as A but not in the colors I wanted. If anyone has a source for a broad range of colors in Size A Silk, I would love to know about it.
ProWrap has a much larger variety of colors in nylon than was available to us even 18 months ago. Bullard is supposed to be coming out with their own line of thread as well.
About the only difference I see between silk and nylon without CP is that the nylon seems to stay a tad more vibrant and if you are shooting for an invisible wrap, the nylon does not go perfectly clear. It stays a tad milky. At least the Gudebrod white did. From what I have read, this is due to UV stabilizers added to the thread. I haven’t tried the ProWrap white as yet to see how it does.
