Hey
@Jjgrow420 I added a single foot guide on my bait rod to give it a spiral wrap function. I set the rod up to have the line run thru the guides with two loose guides strung on above the first guide. I hung a 2oz weight on the end so I could figure out where to set the new guide(s) so the line wouldn't hit the blank as it made that 180°. Just one guide did the trick so I got it wrapped in place and coated it with some new UV-Cure head cement I picked up lat trip to the city and haven't used yet. 3 types of the goo in little 5ml tubes and the UV flashlight for $45. I used the one that is the Flex Formula. Thick and stays flexible and says it can be used to patch a tear in your waders or put a drop on knots to make them slip thru the guides easy. Had to supply my own AA battery too.
Took 3 tries with the Flex Coat guide foot adhesive, (expensive glue stick), to get the wrap started but got it up to putting in a thread loop to pull the thread under at the end.
The guy I bought the fly rod parts from says with single foot guides he wraps 3 or 4 turns in front of the foot so it doesn't get knocked out by accident or if hit with a heavy fly while casting. I did that with this one and will do it on the fly rod too.
A fairly thin coat of the head cement and it was cured and dry in 30 sec. All ready to try out on a pike or 3 this week sometime. Lot easier than mixing epoxy then rotating the rod by hand for 2 or 3 hours until it's set up enough not to sag. Tempted to buy the $100 single rod motorized drying unit. I placed the guide below the one it is replacing to keep spacing near the same. Close enough! I might remove the old one later.
I might use that black/silver thread on the fly rod but have something more radical in mind. Using kevlar thread only wrap the front 2/3 of the foot to shorten the wrap by half and allow better flex under load. I'm using single foot guides on the fly rod to reduce weight and restriction to flex so why not trim a little more of both and tick off the traditionalists.
I set up my lighted magnifier so can see better when I do these things. Any bend in the rod is from taking the pictures through the 4" lens and not a bent rod.
I think this kind of wrap will give my rod the minimalistic look I'm after. Maybe some of that black/silver for the tiptop, ferrule and hook keeper/winding check. Will look better once redone and coated now that I will be able to see better. Thin thread more like floss. None of the guide feet have been filed or ground at the base so they look OK like that I think. Kevlar is tough stuff so I shouldn't have any get loose or fall out. If so then I'll redo all the guides and be like everybody else.
I'll have to use an exacto knife and my hand magnifier to carefully trim off that bit of adhesive bulging out under the foot before coating.