Hi all !

I have tried to make narrow trim bands as described in RodMaker (without loop, only with the finger).
I made many attempts, but always wind over the thread.

What I am doing wrong ?

Thanks for your help.

Alex

Alex: Cut off about 20 inches of thread more or less. Either you are doing more or less. The trik is to have extra. Don't short yourself. Hold the thread in one hand between the thumb and the last three fingers. take the loose end, take it over the blank and around the index finger 3 times for a two band wrap. Pull the loose end through first, then from under your hand slip the end you held through. Give yourself about six inches of slack to work with. No use in driving yourself nuts too close. draw the two loose ends wherever you want them to be, and pull and tug gently until you got them where you want them. Remember its easier to move them up a taper than down a taper. The smaller the taper, the looser. The larger the taper the tighter it gets. Put a drop of color preserver on the knot, to set it. After an hour or so come back with a single edge injector blade wrapped with tape so you don't get blood on your threadwork. Its amazing how close you can get. Also once they are color preserved, you can tighten them up and to a certain point push them around a smidgen or so. I learned this trick from Greg Calver at the National Rodcrafters seminar in 1999. This cut my time by lots. And aggravation too. You got all winter to practice. Good Luck Lincoln

I followed the photo article in Rodmaker was able to do it first time out. You have to wind over the thread and you may not be doing anything wrong. What you are making is almost like a nail knot -- I saw that analogy listed here on this site a few days ago -- and then you just pull on both ends and tighten everything down. I normally trim them before I put on any CP but every now and then one will fly apart. But I think I get a cleaner cut that way. Just follow the photos and what you see is exactly what you want to mimic.

a trick I tought myself the other day after deciding my fingers were too fat and uncoordinated was to make the raps around the tube of a bic pen instead of my finger, I found that you can get them tighter at first, so they wouldn't cross over eachother when you tighten it, plus then you have both hands to keep everything in line. for my first attempt I used the whole pen, now I will make a "tool" by cutting off a short piece. I also figured out the trick lincoln mentioned about the color preserver, but I am sure he was doing it before me.

There is an easier way than the method described in RodMaker, but I have no clue how to beging describing it in words.

I will try to make some illustrations and pass them along to you.

I'd like to see that myself if possible.