Hi
I am going to have to repair a couple of eyes on a rod. Do i need to buy special whipping silk or can i use flytying thread or sewing cotton?
Ray

Depends on how you want the finished repair to look really. If you want it to look good then colour matched whipping thread is the way to go.

But if your not fussy fly tying thread works ok, not to light of course. I repaired an eye oooh 30 yrs ago with some thread I found in a sewing box, varnished it and still use the same carp rod today, jobs a good un. All about finish.

Thanks for that,so what you are saying if i am not bothered about the colour i could use sewing thread. Thats great as we have loads of it here and i d'ont like spending when i dont have to.
Ray

Regular sewing thread will obviously work, just use one that's fairly 'fine' in cross section. More wraps are better than a few. For fly tying thread, be sure you use one that lays out 'in the round' rather than flat.

A simple 'do it yourself' tool for wrapping on a guide is a small (paint by numbers size thing) paint brush (or anything at least a foot long that will go through the thread spool). Insert spool onto the brush (what-ever) and place it under you knees. By pushing down (lightly!) you can put tension on the thread as you wrap on the guide (to the rod section) laying across the top of your knees.

Hope that was descriptive enough.

fae

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Thanks Fred i will give that a try
Ray

Fred









zxczxc

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"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

Go for nylon, polyester if saving a couple of quid is more important than a fuzz free look, and cotton only if you've nothing else and are in a hurry. Thread colour will change without preserver to approx the colour it looks when wetted

You can use them all
And most rod makers who have been around a long time will tell you this.
The downside of not using whipping thread is the on the first application of varnish or epoxy the fibers on some threads will lift and will require attention to achieve a very smooth finish.
But yes it can be done but requires more time and effort to achieve a smooth finish.
For easiness you should use the correct stuff.
Most bamboo rod makers use silk of course.


Gary