For some of you old timers out there. What are you thinking, what is your mindset, when you're pulling thread under a wrap to keep the line straight on the wrap? Seems like every time I pull a thread under a wrap I get an indentation on the wrap the I pulled under. This stuff is great. I'm hooked.

Hold the point where the thread goes under wih the end of your thumbnail. Also, pull your tag through at an angle. This should cure your problem.

You can also push that area out ward to streighten out the indent. Move the thread around till it looks good.

I pull my thread at an angle, but I do the opposite and push the thread in all around it to match.

Also, I get less indent when I clip my tag end before pulling through.

I've only done one rod but, for me, it seems to help not only to pull the loop at an angle, but also to place the loop near the same angle I'm going to pull it when first wrapping it in as well (as opposed to keeping the loop parallel to the blank). This seems to keep the wrap neater.

Have any of you more experienced builder found this to help as well? Or is there some reason this shouldn't be done?

I start my thread with the loop layed in along the far side of the guide foot, the tag goes on the near side. When I'm doen with the wrap, I pull the second tag all the way thru, so I have one tag on each side of the foot and no dents that can be seen where the tags go under the wrap. I think this also helps to fill the tunnels, the thread ends wicck the finish into the tunnel.
john

John, as mentioned earlier I'm very inexperienced but, from what I've read numerous times, I thought placing the wrap tag next to the guide foot is a "no no" in rod building. Is this another one of those topics many rod builders tend to be in disagreement on (similar to where the guides should be in relation to the rod spine)? Doesn't this cause the wrap to not hold as well?

I feel if the tag end is near or in the opening or tunnel it will not be a tight wrap.

Ralph;
I guess this is one of those things that is an"area of disagreement"lol. I should probably qualify a bit. I wrap bamboo rods with silk thread this way and finish my wraps with spar varnish. Wrapping silk too tight then using spar on it will cause silvering or "shimmers" in the wraps, less thread tension will let the wrap go transparent. I use 3/0 and make 4 turns on the blank before I go up the guide foot and have never had any problem because the wrap wasn't tight enough. I suppose this way probably wouldn't work very well with single foot guides, but I don't know for sure because I don' t use them.
john