Hello Y'all , I have a question or more so asking about input about the advantages of a power wrapper over a hand wrapper,, noted I understand the speed and possible production, do they help in smaller wraps as far as say 2 or 1 guide size on a fly rod? I understand the cost between the two depending on quality/high end to lower cost brands. I am only on my 5th build and do not plan on selling any as per say, just for my own builds rather for me or family/friends. Any advice would be helpful.,, advantage in one brand or another? I do understand the wide range from say 300 to 800 in cost from one to another, I see it as more as what will be the best investment in the long run far as durability and such. Thank you all on the forum for all you share as it has helped in what I have learned thus far. I fish ever rod and from all the great knowledge on here I have not been disappointed in one build other than the cosmetic side of my own doing.
Bret..

As a added note, to my questions, and reason. by trade I am a equipment mechanic for 31 years now, my fingers do not feel the thread much, when I tie a fly on with say a 7 or even a 5x tippet I do so more by sight, and yes the glasses are needed then, so I was wondering if having a power wrapper would help as I can not feel A thread anyways and c helps but I have a problem keeping it tight as it should be..

if you look at the hand wrapper by CRB you will see a spring on the thread carnage as a unit to hold the thread taunt
when you stop or go back a little, the wrap will not unwind on you an lose it , make one for your wrapper any hobby show will have the wire you will need an a old fishing rod will have the tip top for the spring top I think , this will not put more on the thread it will just keep it taunt [tight] after you get it set up , needs to be about foot to 18 inches long , that is what works for me
PS the stiffer the wire the longer you will need , it gives more play in the spring I could be wrong but this should help the old hands do a good job on the wrap

William Sidney
AK



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/2017 01:06AM by Bill Sidney.

Bret,
Many years ago, I was introduced to rod building by a friend. The first rod was a short ice rod with only a few guides. I wrapped that first rod by hand, but then said - I will never build another fishing rod by hand. Rather, I will do what ever is required to have a power wrapper. I am an engineer by trade and said to myself that the reason why I have something above my shoulders is that a machine can certainly be used to make this job so much easier.


At that time, I built my first power wrapper and have never built another rod by hand. Indeed over the years, I have now built hundreds of years and would not even consider building a rod without the use of an excellent power wrapper.

Note:
Just because a power wrapper is expensive - does not necessarily make it an excellent power wrapper.

A few specifications on a power wrapper that I consider essential.

Perfect speed control from 1/2 rpm to 1000 rpm - in both directions.
Perfect rod holding ability by having a very high quality chuck to hold the rod being built with no chance of slipping or getting out of alignment.

A power wrapper that can be moved from left to right and from left to right - while I stay in one position with my chair, lights, and tools. No need to move my work station if the rod can move by my work station.

The ability of the rod to be stopped at any point and still maintain the same constant thread tension with no adjustments to the power wrapper.

When building rods, I consider extremely bright light conditions mandatory. Also, the use of extra magnification mandatory as well.

I also will never use a spring wire on a power wrapper to keep the thread tight. The thread will remain tight as long as the rod is not moving and or the wrapper is either moving or is stationary. If I need to back up, I just grab the thread, back up as needed with the reverse on the power wrapper, reseat the thread in the tension device to retension the thread - flip the reversing switch to normal and continue wrapping.

The way to be come an effective wrapper is the ability to have easy repeatability on all actions related to the building of rods. You should be able to be wrapping a rod, stop midway on a guide wrap, come back two weeks or two days or two months later, flip the on switch of the wrapper and continue the wrap that you stopped when you paused on that particular guide.

P.s. If you are going to be away from a rod for a while, it is always a good idea to flip a dust cover over the rod being built to keep the dust from settling onto the rod and marring the final appearance of the finished rod.

Be safe

p.s.
On the first rod that I built wrapping by hand - I had the same issue that you mention - constant tension. But with the power wrapper, constant tension is easy to achieve and is expected rather than the exception.

Bret

Roger W's desired properties for a power wrapper are spot on to help make quality wraps.

But do not expect a large increase in speed or throughput unless you are making a bunch of longish wraps such as under wraps. You still have to start each wrap, stop and pack thread, and end wraps, and a power wrapper does not do those things for you. Not trying to talk you out of a power wrapper; just have realistic expectations for the speed thing.

I wrap by hand on my power wrapper. I only use the power to apply finish at high speed.

You can wrap by hand on a power wrapper. You cannot wrap by power on a hand wrapper.

If you're planning on being in the craft for a while and see yourself building a fair number and variety of rods, the above should figure into your buying decision.

............

Scott,
You are not alone by saying that you do significant hand wrapping on your power wrapper, and mainly use the power for finish and perhaps long wraps.

I simply have to ask - why do you wrap by hand on your power wrapper?

I suggest that if a person is wrapping by hand on a power wrapper - there is something about the power wrapper that makes it more difficult to wrap with the power wrapper than to wrap by hand.

So, I would simply like to ask - for your particular power wrapper - why do you ever wrap by hand when you are in front of your power wrapper.?

Take care

Bret
As Tom said the amount and variety of rods being built usually is the deciding factor for purchasing a power wrapper.

I hand wrap all my projects and have not needed a power wrapper and have no plans to procure one. I am not opposed to them by no means it is a matter of individual needs.

Most of the reasons I have heard for a power wrapper is the increase in speed and/or production and granted they are valid reasons. BUT

Another consideration for a power wrapper is the capability of the builder. If a person suffers from Arthritis, joint deformity or any other malady which may prevent the builder from utilizing their hands or fingers for any length of time then a power wrapper may be a great aid to reducing the demands on the hand and fingers. To those folks who are reluctant to build rods or continue to build rods because of physical limitations should consider using a power wrapper.

Have fun

John

Bret,

I built my first 3 or 4 rods on a hand wrapper. I then picked up a Singer sewing machine at a second hand store, salvage the motor from it, bought a Pac Bay chuck and built rod supports from rollers purchased at a local hardware store. That was 10 years ago and it is still going strong. I did not plan on opening a business; but friends kept asking me to build them a rod, so I decided to sell rods just to recoup my costs and cover my own fishing expenses.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

I bought a Clemens lathe back in the mid 80's and don't regret it, best investment I have. I bought every part that you can get for it and I can do any rod building job on even turning wood. The best thing about it is that it still looks like I just bought it.

I fail to see how someone can do single turn trim and insert wraps by using a power wrapper. At least I have not been able to achieve it in over 40 years

Ron Weber

Thank you all for the advise, still a little on the fence, I can see where doing trim work and such would still require by hand in a lot of ways, I've watched a lot of videos on wrapping and it seems it leaves you free to sorta guide your thread as wrapping, as I find my self doing now only one hand is turning the rod, I just started my 5th rod and have 4 more blanks ordered, I guess the bug has bitten. If we took the cost factor out of a power wrapper, understanding with long wraps it does speed up the process and the ability of building more rods in a shorter time, my idea for right now is around 4 rods a month. one a week as time allows at night. so far I have only done fly rods because that's my preferred method of fishing but I do plan on some spinning rods coming up. the question I have then does power wrappers help you control the tension and overall ease of the wrapping process if you have not so good hands anymore..?

Bret

If you enjoy it, what's the rush?

I have a power wrapper pretty much only because I was lucky enough to get a smoking deal on it. That said, I only use it to apply and dry epoxy finish. I've never really used it for wraps other than playing around a bit. If you can find a good deal on one I'd say go for it, otherwise your money may be better off spent buying or fabricating a couple rod dryers. I personally have a lot of waste when I apply finish as it's always only for one rod.

Nate,
Really no reason to have much waste on finish if only building one rod.

Just adjust the quantities of finish that you mix so that you have minimum finish left after the finish application on the rod.

If you use the typical flex coat style metered syringes, it is easy to get the exact amount needed for finishing one, two or a dozen rods at a time.

Whether you mix finish for one rod or for several rods, just be sure that you mix sufficiently so that there is a 100 % good solid mix of both parts A and B to insure that you will have the perfect finish.

------------------------------------
Nate,
I am curious, you indicated that you have a power wrapper. You further indicated that you have been and are building fishing rods.
Since you have the power wrapper, what is the reason that you are NOT using the power wrapper to build your fishing rods?

Take care

"" Bret "" did you see my comment on you loosing a wrap because of your old fingers use ing a spring to keep the tension on the threat

William Sidney
AK

I have an Alps power wrapper, with the upgrade chuck, and can highly recommend this piece of gear. However, I do not power wrap guides, inlays and trim rings. Just cant seem to get the hang of that, and have given up even trying. I do power wrap longer wraps. It is a real time saver when doing a tiger wrap. I use it for applying CP and finish, and for drying. Also have a stand alone dryer. It is really handy having a second dryer.

I don't turn cork on the Alps wrapper. I have a small lathe for that, so I cant comment on how well the wrapper works for turning.

Bill Sidney I did, I'm going to look into trying to add something like that to my hand wrapper I have now, the tensioner I am using now gets hard on the thread and it has broken some during wraps, very frustrating..

Bret,
All the previous qualified replies, many from veteran builders, have offered good input, both in favor of wrapping by hand or utilizing a power wrapper. Tom summed it up concisely; “You can wrap by hand on a power wrapper. You cannot wrap by power on a hand wrapper”. A power wrapper is obviously not a requirement but can be a very beneficial aid within your arsenal of tools to produce quality rods. I have the highest respect and regard for Roger’s engineering and fabrication skills and abilities, rod building included, and am surprised he did not include a variable speed foot petal in his list of power wrapper requirements although I would think most come so equipped (except my self-fabricated power wrapper). Due to generally more intricate wraps, I am in the group which usually wraps by hand although the power ability is a real blessing for the saltwater rod underwraps which I have been building more of recently. The time has come and I will soon be employing Roger’s abilities to build a proper foot control for my wrapper. With the ability to keep both hands on the thread rather than one turning the rod, I anticipate utilizing the power aspect of my wrapper much more frequently.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.