Sophisticated closed dec wraps, like Billy Vivona's double out (page 62 of his book) present a particularly important challenge - aligning the top (0-degree) and bottom (180-degree) sides of the blank when laying out the pattern. If they are not within a degree or so, the pattern will not close properly - even presuming you can push the threads in to alignment (likely you will get crooked seams). Finding the top is not a problem - just align with the tip and reel seat. I am using a "Power Wrapper" lathe from Mud Hole and will underwrap the dec wrap field with black thread and apply color preserver.

I have two questions for the forum:

1.) What are your techniques for finding and marking the exact opposite side of the blank?

2.) I've seen pictures in the "Photos" section of this forum where seams are laser straight. Is there a special technique to keep them perfectly straight?

Drafting template.....they have marks to indicate the 0, 90, 180, 270 degree points......you can get them at any of the hobby stores.......get the one with the most size options

Sandy, Thanks for your reply.

Presume you slip the circle template over the blank, using a circle diameter that will seize somewhere on the dec wrap filed, and then mark the zero and 180 (without moving the template). This would require the dec wrap be made prior to installing the stripper and choking guides. Is this your thinking?

Any advice on keeping the seams straight?

phil start straight and you will end straight. I use the ambient light to draw a horizontal line in pencil down the blank. As Sandy said use a drafting template for the two ends of the diameter. Just two markings easy easy it gets much more diffacult for me doing a 6 and 8 axcess design. I use the mathematical equation from Dale Clemons book to mark the verticles adjusting for the taper. Then the start straight end straight comes into play. always even packing till you get to the close. Then some tightening of certain areas can be done to adjust for the amount you may be off.

Is Dale's equation the same a Billy's equation on, page 3? I'm not familiar with Dale's equation. How do you use the circle template?

don't know what chuck you have with the power wrapper but the chuck upgrade has degree marks on the fly wheel that is what i use along with the ambient light to draw line down blank.

Yes, the same equation in Decorative Wraps and Custom Rod Thread Art.

I understand what you are asking, how to keep teh actual thread seam straight while you are wrapping, not for laying the pattern out. The absolute best ever at this is Sean Endres, is seams were PERFECTlety straight, especailly impressive since most o fhis blanks were 20mm in diameter and larger. His trick as to mark the blank with a striaght line, and pack the threads to meet up with this line. What I do...I just pack it and sight down the blank from the handle toards the tip like I'm shooting a rifle, and anything that isnt' straigh tI adjust. Once I start a wrap I make sure all my patters and centers are perfectly straight, and as I am wrapping I eyeball to make sure the seam is straight, and I MIGHT check once or twice during the progression of the wrap.

Thanks, Billy. I'm getting ready to do the Out and Out (page 62 - I did an earlier thread about this wrap) with fades on the cross and both boxes - like one you posted using red and blue. I'm using the same yellow-red fade for box 1, but will use a light gray to black for box 2. This being my first attempt at the out and out, I did four practice wraps before I got it right. It will be on a surf blank with a 15.5mm diameter at the center of the 280mm long dec wrap - 3:1 ratio,10 colors, 9 passes. Using Madeira polyneon thread - incredible how it catches the light. Almost metallic looking. Biggest concern is keeping seams straight. Way too much work to have crooked seams on this incredible pattern. And the zero/180 layout can kill the pattern if not done exactly. Appreciate your input.

Sean Endres - any comment?

Phil,

Send your e-mail address to me, (at email indicated below), and I will forward you a PDF Copy of a degree wheel with instruction on building a pointer to precisely position guides on spiral wrapped rod. It used to be available on one of the "non-sponsor" website; however, I was not able to find it on the website this morning.

I built one of the decal wheels using their instructions about 5 or 6 years ago and it still works great! It only took about a 1/2 hour to build it using cardboard and coat hanger wire!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Thanks, Don. pjhageman@comcast.net

Phil Hageman Wrote:
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> Thanks, Don. pjhageman@comcast.net


You bet!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

There are a couple of things you can do to make life easier in the pursuit of a perfect layout. Then there are things that you can do in your pursuit of a perfect execution.

Some things I do for layout.

1) I create a baseline on the blank by marking a point and spinning the blank in the wrapper. I've taken a bit of time to pre-plan my layout and know my spacing before I do this first step. My baseline has to be applied now because steps I perform later would interfere with doing it later. My baseline can be at the beginning, end or middle of my layout.

2) Make sure the reel seat is straight up. I install a conventional reel in the seat (even on spinning rods) then set the indexer on my wrapper chuck to lock it in place. Then I install the rod in the chuck and put a level across the frame of the reel and adjust the angle of the rod in the chuck until the level reads true. Tighten down the chuck. Now I have the top of my blank perfectly matched to the indexer of my chuck. Then I remover the reel.

3) I previously installed a single bulb fluorescent fixture precisely above the center of my wrapper (I have additional lighting for illumination). I used a plum bob to install it. I then take a size 00 thread of contrasting color to the blank, and a few inches longer than the wrap, and apply it to the sticky side of some masking tape (at both ends of the thread). Then, I move to position myself at the end of the wrapper and align my dominant right eye above the blank so I can see the reflection of the single bulb on the blank in the area of the wrap. Using the tape to hold the thread, I position each end of the thread so the thread splits the reflected light in two. Once perfect, I press down the tape and recheck.

4) Using the indexing head, I repeat this process on all the axis I need to.

The reason I use the thread is the thread won't change position on the blank like the image of the reflected light can as you move your head around marking complex markings for elaborate wraps. I can move close to or further away, left or right, and I don't have to rely upon getting my head back to exactly the same position above the blank for each mark. I find this really tightens up the accuracy of my layouts with respect to both angular spacing around the blank and longitudinal collinearity of my individual points on each axis.

5) Once my axis are laid out, I use my predetermined spacing info to adjust the opening in my set of calipers. I use the inside measuring points to lightly scuff the blank with .001" accuracy. Using a baseline and measuring from it for each center is inherently more accurate than measuring from center to center because any error you make in marking the distance to a center is carried throughout the layout when you mark center to center. If you mark using baseline measuring and you make an error, the error is only at that one center, and usually it will show up early in the wrapping process because your thread won't want to sit correctly on that center where the error is. This is because the center marks to either side of the one in error are correct.

6) Next I scuff carefully under each thread with a sharp scribe where my measured marks are scribed. The two marks form a tiny cross as one was marked along the axis and the other across the axis. Each of these marks will be covered by the thread if you reposition yourself at the end of the rod again. Once I'm confident my layout is correct, I remove the threads and tape.

7) If it's a glass or composite large blank diameter with large distances between centers, I'll use a machinist scale as an edge and scribe a tiny scuff along each axis of the layout as a guide to use when packing threads and positioning thread crosses later on. If it's a smaller diameter blank with centers closer to each other, I'll skip this step.

In this way I have a highly accurate layout that usually closes up nicely without having to make room for threads at points in the wrap.

In dealing with the actual application and manipulation of threads, I tend to work more slowly than many of the prolific wrappers because I fuss with the thread cross positions frequently.

8) I check with my calipers for uniformity of the width of bands of threads. If the crosses are off I move them back on axis. If the band width varies, I pack where they're wider, and might gently burnish where they're narrower to spread them out, though I don't usually end up burnishing too often during the thread application process, that's pretty rare for me.

9) At the end, I give it a recheck with the edge of my engineer's scale and I rotate the rod back and forth under a strong light and I look over the sheen formed by the threads as they bend to cross over and under each other. This last check is where I dedicate 10-20 minutes or so to perfecting the crosses of the threads and it really pays off. I don't cut the thread to tie it off until it's perfect. If I see one cross that's off, I'm not happy with my work and I move it as I tend to be overly obsessive compulsive. In my mind a cross that's off is just as visible to me as a guide not on axis, it's like a thorn in my brain, lol.

10) Now I burnish the threads and the thread crosses to balance the apparent sheen of the threads. This takes me a couple of minutes.

11) After burnishing, I do a quick recheck to make sure I didn't accidentally move any threads or crosses. When my layout was poor, I often found that burnishing caused threads to move but as my layout practice improved the thread density was much more uniform and I don't have this problem much anymore. If I do find a problem, I spot repeat steps 9 and 10 only at that problem.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2014 02:41PM by John E Powell.