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IMPORTANT
SITE UPDATE:
Visit the relaunched
Fish & Fly at fishandfly.com
Building
your own fly rod - part 3
Our March 2002 contribution from Terry Lawton
Whipping the rings to the rod is the key to the look of the finished rod. Bad whippings or whippings of the wrong colour will ruin a rod's appearance. As a general principle, the smartest colour of whipping threads will be darker rather than lighter, will be chosen to complement the colour of the blank or may even be the same colour. The best way to add a touch of colour or contrast is with a white, red, metallic gold or silver trim to finish each whipping or just the whippings up against the handle and the end of the female ferrule.
"Whipping the rings takes time
and patience
and must be done in a good light"
Whipping the rings takes time and patience and must be done in a good
light so that you can ensure that each turn of the thread is snug against
the previous one. I would suggest that you start by whipping the bottom
end of the top section of the rod.
Do also check that all the snake rings match. This should not be a problem if you have bought a complete set for your rod. But if you are mixing rings that you have already with new ones, perhaps bought loose from a tackle shop, it is possible that one or more may be twisted 'the other way' from the majority and will look odd on a rod. English snake rings are twisted to the right and American, whether the high type or Perfection, to the left.
Fine size A thread should be used for light rods while the thicker D grade is more suitable for two-handed salmon rods and longer, heavier rods such as those for sea trout. If you have prepared the ring feet carefully and thoroughly and you do not use too much tension, you should not have a problem with the thread breaking.
Snake and bridge rings can be held in place with a strip of sticky tape over one foot while single leg rings can be held with a thin strip of tape, covering just half the foot. It is easier to stick the piece of tape to the ring and then to the rod blank, rather than trying to hold the ring in place and faten it with a strip of tape.
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Should you be tempted to glue the rings in place, be warned that it will be impossible to adjust their positions if any are out of alignment. To check that the rings are in line, sight along the side of the blank opposite the rings and check that the blank bisects each ring. This gives a better and more accurate view than trying to sight along the rod and through the rings.When you are happy that the rings are all in their correct positions and perfectly in line with each other and the reel seat, you can mark the extent of each whipping with a piece of masking tape. As a guide, the width of the wrap should be the length of the foot of the ring plus 5mm for the biggest rings, reducing that extra amount as the rings get smaller.
Start and finish each whipping on the 'ring' side of the rod as any slight bumps can be hidden against the foot of the ring and will not be seen when you are fishing: when fishing you always look at the side of the rod opposite the rings. Wrap each ring firmly but not overtight. This way you will be less likely to break thin wrapping thread and any rings that are slightly out of alignment can be moved carefully and gently into their correct positions. Start the whipping up against the masking tape, working towards the middle of the ring. Lay the end of the whipping thread on the blank and hold it with the thumb of your left hand, if left handed. Make two or three turns round the blank and pull tight, locking the end of the thread in place. When your are happy with the position of these initial turns - you can push them into the right position with a thumb nail - cut off the tag end of whipping thread, lay your ready-prepared pull-through loop along the rod - loop nearest the finishing end of the whipping - and carry on with the rest of the whipping, whipping over the foot and the loop.
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has been used as a pull-through loop for clarity |
The pull-through is a 300mm length of nylon, of at least 6lb in breaking strain, which is then doubled over and is used to pull the end of the whipping thread back under the final turns, so completing the whipping process. Do cut a new length of nylon for each whipping, rather than risk a used length breaking in use.
As you lay-on each turn, try to keep it tight against the previous turn byguiding the turns with a thumb nail. Do make sure that the first few turns are tight together, in the right place and also at right angles to the rod shaft. If you are making your first rod, you will probably have to re-whip one or more rings or perhaps one foot on a ring. Do this when you have finished whipping all the rings as you will benefit from the practice!
Once I have got the thread in the correct position, I hold the spool of thread between my knees. As I revolve the rod and wrap the foot of the ring, I adjust the tension on the spool with my knees. With single-leg rings, as you approach the masking tape holding the ring in place, you will have to remove it so that you can complete wrapping the foot.
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For a simple one colour whipping, with no contrasting trim, continue to whip each turn snugly up against the previous turn, onto the foot of the ring. Before laying a turn of thread over the ring foot, do make sure that your have whipped right up against the end of the foot where it touches the rod. It can be helpful to put two or three well-spaced turns over the foot of the ring or guide and then carefully push them together before carrying on with touching turns. When you are happy with the position of the ring, push the turns togther. When you have covered the foot of the ring, cut the thread, maintaining the tension, and then pass the end of the thread through the nylon loop. Still keeping the tension on the whipping thread, pull the end of the pull-through loop until the whipping thread just starts to pull under the whipping; this will lock it tight. You can now cut the end of the thread so that when you pull the nylon loop from under the whipping, the end of the thread will be hidden completely.
For a long whipping, it will be easier to finish it if you do not include the pull-through loop at the beginning. You can add it in about 10mm before the end of the whipping. This will make it easier to pull out, particularly if you have over-tensioned the whipping.