Admittedly I am the last person to offer these. I'm starting this thread in hopes some of you veteran builders will drop in a bit of wisdom or two. That said, though I've only put together a few rods here's what I know:

1. That second cup of coffee really isn't such a great idea when finishing wraps.

2. Make very certain the rod is level when applying finish.

3. Finishing a build requires more toothpicks than you might have expected. This same logic may also be applied to Scotch, etc.

4. If you drop a tiny, black Minima guide onto a dark colored carpet it may be instantaneously transported into a parallel Universe. Therefore order a few extras.

5. Don't pet the dog prior to handling light colored thread.

Patience...don't rush....take your time...Did I say to go slow?

Use a hand steady.

Put a white throw rug under the station where you handle micros.

as I say hurry up and slow down the only person that your in competition with is you,
as for the scotch or a few beers that is a good thing takes off the edge promotes a calm and focus that along with a little of your favorite music works wonders
as for your best friend a raw hide will occupy him /her for quite a long time while being good company and someone to talk to that isn't judgemental of your work .
Yes the rod needs to be level when finishing
finding the lost guide walk around bare foot a sure way to find it .
never touch anything other than the thread if you do stop and wash your hands again like you did before you started and if you need to do it while wrapping it will keep the threads free of any oils your body would produce to keep you hand soft and won't affect the finish either.
best think for finishing is to use rod supports or cut a couple of v slots in a box to hold the rod level unless you have a motorized drying system a real good investment, they start at around 40.00 and makes finishing a breeze as it does the work for you rotating the rod.
Now that you have wrapped the rod and have applied the finish you can choose to go to bed or have that cup of joe

so as I have said several times to others hurry up and slow down it isn't a race. when doing this the hurry er you go the behind er you get lol have a good time building !!

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Bright light helps a lot

Work on the rod if you WANT to not if you HAVE to.

You should be in a good frame of mind when you work on it. No Distractions.

Good luck

John

Tie a piece of the wife's tights over the end of a vacuum pipe the vacuum the area you dropped the guide, if the guide is on the floor it will be found against the nylon, (as long as the vacuum is running).

Make sure to work on a stable surface. Dim lighting results in sloppy wraps. Working in small sections works for me. I normally will wrap a guide then take a break. This helps reduce eye strain for me. Make sure to keep the area clean, things tend to get lost quickly.

With regards to anchoring your threads during decorative butt wraps....before you start, take the time to secure that clear shrink wrap that comes on a cork fore grip. The most likely time for it to start sliding off is when you're not paying attention to it and your just about to finish up on your butt wrap.

Bright lights and heavy magnification, make guide wrapping and finishing much easier.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

If you happen to wear multi lens glasses - like bifocals, tri focals or progressive lens - go to your Optometrist and get a pair of single vision glasses that will give you the correct focal distance to work - if you have a pair of 2 or 3 power magnifying lenses on your head.

I have single vision glasses for TV watching with a 10 foot focal length. A pair of single vision Computer glasses with a 26 inch focal length. A pair of reading glasses with a 12 inch focal length.

I have found that by using the single vision computer glasses with the 26 inch focal length and when using a head band mounted magnifier with a 2.5 power lens in the magnifier that I get a nice 15-18 inch focal length which is perfect for rod building.

Yes, you do have to keep your regular glasses handy - if you do use glasses for other activities. But changing glasses become a habit and easy to do when motivated.

With single vision glasses, no matter how you turn or tip your head, you have perfect vision on your work.

Also, the use of very very bright light in your working area, makes long hours at the rod bench easy to take. Also, the use of a good power wrapper, make life so much easier. With a good rod wrapper, you can stop and start work at any point in a guide wrap with no consequences.

Here is a chart with recommended lighting levels for various tasks - in foot candles:

[www.hubbelllighting.com]

Note that for general offices, the lighting level is 30. But for exacting assembly work - like rod building - the lighting level is 300.

Often, folks build rods in too dark a space or with out additional magnification and then wonder why they have issues with eye strain.

Also, your lighting should be setup to avoid any sort of shadows on your work - no matter the positions of your hands.

Good luck

Never put on thread finish when you're tired.

Do not set a completion date. Go with the flow.

Phil,
Except when you are building a 100 rods with a set deadline and you must meet the deadline to keep the buyers happy.

Use a small set of forceps tipped with latex tubing to hold and place micro guides on the rod, you can slide them under rings of latex tubing that I use for holding guides for wrapping.

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

Another note on lighting. Use the correct light. a light in the 2700k (which is yellow) range will promote relaxation, and make you more likely to fall asleep. A light in the 6500k spectrum (blue) will keep you alert, give you more of an attention span, etc.