Are there any rod wrappers out besides the Sully that operates in such a way that you can take a break in the middle of a wrap and then pick up right where you left off?
TENSION!
I havent seen a wrapper yet that if you have the tension adjustment set too tight…that when you let loose of it wouldnt unroll like an old window roller blind!
I have a wooden wrapper here I bought from somewhere out west??..when I started that I couldnt get the tension EXACTLY like I wanted it…so Id just keep it loose and kept tension on the thread manually.
Later on I bought a Clemons ( Identical to a Renzetti) with an 8 spool head and stuck the wooden one away. The Clemons has about as fine a tension control as I guy could want
Actually, Sully, the Sully wrapper does just that, but it sells for $150 to $190. I was hoping someone knew of one that operated that way and was cheaper.
Bruce
I tie with a manual one now, which was given to me and of which I’m very appreciative. But, as soon as you stop wrapping, the thread goes limp and unravels some.
Take a look at this web site…I built one similar and you can stop the wrap anytime you want.
Brad
I have the Sully, and it is awesome. It is worth every bit of it if you are wrapping very much. And yes, it does stop and hold at any point. A very nice feature, IMO. I don’t know of any cheaper options, though.
Bruce,
I have the Cabelas one that I got ten years ago, and it’s still going strong.40 bucks
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431-cat20198-cat410036&id=0011074316057a&navCount=2&podId=0011074&parentId=cat410036&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IK&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true
I agree with Sully. It’s all in the tension. I made my rod wrapper and you can see my tension setup in my first blog article. It works fine and is easy to set. I set my tension, now, so that I let go and have it stick, but anymore tension would do the window shade thing.
On the ones that I use I put a piece of round elastic cord, available at your craft or sewing center, over the blank on the V block.
Holds the blank in place while you work and will keep it in place while you go eat dinner. Some of the V block units are using Velcro to hold the blank but will not keep in place as well as the elastic.
The first one was a couple of nails in the wood, a loop in the elastic and stretched over and tied the other end to the nail.
GJ
Best “tensioning” devices Ive found are basically simple.
A threaded rod goes thru a hole drilled in the “upright”…Shove rod thru and on each side put a teflon washer. spool goes on either side and a plain old flat washer over the spool…then a coiled wire spring…another flat washer and finally a wing nut.
As you crank down on the wing nut you increase the tension on the spool…and you can go from NONE…all the way to “you cant even pull the thread off the spool” tight.
The more holes you drill and use this setup on the “upright” ( made of wood or whatever) the more spools of various thread you can “carry” at one time. My rig carrys 8 spools.
My tention holder is a weighted spring type clothespin. Clip it on and go to bed. BILL
What did you use (if you did) and where did you purchase the “constant” tension wire from?
That wrapper has the same coil spring type of tension devices I was talking about
I use those on my wrapper, too.
It looks like to me that the tension device that’s on that Eco Wrapper is the piano wire (for lack of the correct term) that has the flat washer and screw holding it down. I think the guy use the term- constant tension spring.
http://www.therodshop.biz/images/EcoWrapper%20CT1%20v2.jpg
Here’s my homemade wrapper. Similar tensioning with springs and washers like many others.
My question in, unless you have a severe case of ADD, how much of a hurry can one be in that cant finish a single wrap? I mean really, why would you want to leave a wrap half wrapped and walk away from it. When you come back, what’s the first thing you’re going to do? tighten up the last wrap, maybe back off a wrap to check the tension? You’ll at least check the wraps you’ve done so far right? If there’s an emergency that I have to step away from the wrapper, I’ll just start over if I have too. I’m not talking about fancy weaving with 10 spools of different colors, because I really doubt thats what anyone is talking about either.
Saw a demo of the rod shop jig at a rod show last year. Pretty neat deal and well thought out for limited coin. Haven’t witnessed a Sully in use, so can’t comment on that one.
Mojo
I made them from music wire bought at the model airplane shop. I will try and get a picture posted ASAP.
Brad
Here is one that I came up with after the wing nut kept moving and changing the tension. A plastic bushing from Lowes, drill under size hole and put 10-24 thumb screw in, or you can tap the hole. Slide over the shaft and lock in place at the right tension.
It will stay put and not unwind.
GJ
Yep. Its a piece of piano wire that you can get from almost any hobby shop. Problem is…it isnt even needed. And that plastic roller thingy thats on the rod and apparently…??..slides back and forth on it ( lets hope at least??) isnt needed either.
With the proper tension set AT THE SPOOL…you dont need anything else. If you have to make POSITIVE the rod cant roll either way on you…as one guy posted 2 screws in the end with a rubber band up and over the blank locks the blank better. AT certain times you need LOTS of thread tension. If you are end wrapping a butt wrap you have to “compress” a lot of thread and then burnish the living be-jesus out of it to get it “flat”. Without a “lock” on the blank I dont know how you can keep one from back spinning on you.
The more “clap trap” you have right in front of you…the more chance you have of getting your fingers in the wrong place and getting the situation all balled up.
The pic in the link you posted…he has the ability to have 3 spools of thread on his thread carriage. He is using two…but only has the wing nut on the center position that nas NO spool in it?? and the two positions he does has thread…he doesnt have a wing nut…hence no spool tension at all.
You got it! The “factory” ( store bought) wrappers usually use a wingnut to lock the spool though. Same idea though.