Thank you for your sensible answers/comments/suggestions; straightforward; direct; no nonsense. L. A. Garcia, author, "Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod".

Lou,
Glad to see you are still around. Yours was the first book I read on the subject. Actually - now that I think about it - the only one.
You are the reason I end my thread finish at the last wrap - and not overlapped onto the blank.
herb

Not for Nothing but that wat water can get under the thread and contact the feet of the guides ????
I think it is better to overlap to make sure the thread is sealed from the water - Better in saltwater
But what do I know

Bill - willierods.com

Hope I did not lead you in any wrong direction. My book is now in its 20th year. Maybe it will last a little bit longer.

Bill B. Yes, Salt Water changes ALL the rules. Although I do not put any epoxy under the wraps I still do not get the wraps to lift. It may be because I wash my rods, every day, when fishing in salt water. Prolonged submersion of guides under the water, in any environment, will cause the finish to turn milky and as a minimum will need to be rewrapped. To be extra sure, in any environment, a total enclosure of the epoxy on the wraps, is advisable. For me it has to do more with the esthetics of rod building that I do what I do. I do not like to see a rod with so much epoxy on each wrap that each guide looks like it has a ball of epoxy wrapped around each foot.

In one extreme case of which I am personally aware there was a fly fisherman who went fishing with a rod made by a very well known company and in a salt water environment. He left his rod outside his cabin everyday and night while he was there. At the end of the trip his rod sock was damp from the humidity. He placed his rod in the sock and the sock into the fly rod tube with the intention of removing it when home. He forgot to remove the rod and sock from the case. About a year later he was getting ready to go back to his favorite salt water flat. He could not remove the cap. He resorted to pliers and while meeting with success it was at the cost of the tube which had to be replaced with a new one. But worse than that, even though the rod sock had dried, each and every guide had turned an opaque color and the expo finish looked like ice crystals, the handle had corroded and the wood of the reel seat had swelled to the point where he could no longer mount a reel. The company who made the rod refused to replace the rod and he was very upset. Unfortunately for him I sided with the company and then he was mad at me for having done so. He clearly showed irresponsible behavior and should not have been angry at anyone else for what was his grievous error. Nevertheless, he wound up purchasing a new rod so he could go on his trip. I do know if he behaved responsibly after that incident.

Good equipment deserves good care. Unless you simply have more money than you know what to do with.

I remember this comment from a friend of mine, now long deceased - "A poor man can only afford the very best."

...........