I'm new to building rods, I found some nice nylon thread at joann's fabric while shopping with my wife was wondering is this stuff is ok for wraps?

NO!!!!

Save yourself a steep learning curve and frustration and use threads, nylon, poly, and silk, made for rod wraps. The other stuff contains lubricants not compatible with rod finish epoxy.

Fernando,

In spite of Steve's comments, it COULD be all right. It really depends on the diameter of the thread, and whether the thread has been treated with any lubricants.

So, in spite of comments, the only way that you will know for sure is to try some of the thread mentioned.

However, I do agree with Steve's and Donald's comments, is that although the thread may be all right and it may work for you all right - save yourself the frustration and other issues that you may run into by using a thread that is not specifically used for rod building.

The threads that are being sold commercially for building rods have all been tested and typically have a long history of trouble free use in the construction of fishing rods.

However, the threads that are being sold for use in building fishing rods comes off of the same machines that make the threads that are used to construct your clothing. So, in principle, there is not a lot of difference (potentially) between the thread used for clothing construction and rod construction.

Over the years, I have also done a lot of clothing construction and outdoor product construction like boat covers and similar outdoor cushions.
So, I have lots of different threads in my supply.

Although I typically do NOT use clothing thread for building fishing rods, I will commonly use fishing threads to sew up clothing - particularly when I need a unique color that I happen to have in my rod building thread. I do find that if I use size A rod building thread, in a clothing sewing machine, I typically do not have to change the tension on the sewing machine. So, I know that the diameter of the typical sized A rod building thread, is pretty close to the diameter of the classic sewing machine thread used to construct clothing.

I also have fund that the typical size A rod building thread has a much stronger breaking strength than a similar sized - to the naked eye - sewing machine clothing thread.

Your choice.

Good luck

Guys thank you very much!

The only non-rodbuilding thread found at fabric stores that I use is Sulky metallics and some Sulky polyneon threads. Tons of color choices. Otherwise.....what they said!

Rog

For wraps that will have varnish applied to them, threads like Sulky polyneon haven't been a problem for me. And on a recent build I wanted some wide, embedded accent bands in one of the Sulky colors I had on hand. Prior to wrapping these bands I used alcohol to strip out the lubricants from a couple yards of thread. Epoxy applications over these bands showed no evidence of the thread repelling the epoxy. So while for the most part using threads specifically made for rod building is best, you can use certain sewing threads for rod building.

I left out that I do not use color preserver.

Jeff

"The greatest barrier to discovery is not ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge" - Daniel J. Boorstin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2018 03:49PM by Jeff Shafer.

I've experimented with many of the poly embroidery threads. It's important to remember that they all have silicone on them for lubrication. If you are going to use them, make sure you use CP (at least two coats). I take every, and I mean every, new thread and wrap a half inch on a scrap blank. Then I CP it and let it dry completely. Then I apply epoxy just as I would on a rod. This has let me know what does work and what is looks like afterwards.

I really do appreciate all your responses, this is my first time using this sire and I'm very impressed. Thanks to all of you!

Do Yourself a favor and experiment. Silk was the thread of choice for many years,until nylon came along.Nylon pretty much replaced silk,and is still most often used today. Cotton is unsuitable; it's weak,uneven, and bumpy.And it fades badly. Rayon is strong and smooth enough,but I've had some problems with it accepting CP and finishes. The relatively new poly-whatever embroidery threads are gaining acceptance rapidly in the rodbuilding community. Sulky and Madeira are two popular brands; I've recently found a brand called Glide,and really like it. These threads are available in a terrific variety of colors,are easy to work with,and once sourced, considerably less expensive than the"rod-specific" threads we're typically overcharged for. Happy wrapping.

Thank you very much Barry, much appreciated.

I have had very good luck with Sulky and Madeira