How to use Metallic Braid ???

[mmarkey]

I bought a 30 yard card of Gudebrod metallic braid by mistake a couple of months ago. Now I'm trying to figure how to use the stuff in rod building.
It is about 1/8 inch wide flat braid 8 - 10 strands.

Does anyone know how to start and finish wrapping the material. It is non adhesive. I thought about starting a thread wrap and merging the braid into it and finishing that thread wrap to hold in the start wrap the braid and then do another thread wrap to finish the braid. Just a guess.

This stuff would make a stunning background for a feather inlay.

Has anyone used this material and if so how did you do it?? Any assistance please!

[Chuck Morris]

Mike,
I believe that Gudebrod meatalic braid was designed for quick and easy spiral wraps. I just did a quick experiment using Krenik braid ( I don't have any Gudebrod). What I did was tape one end of the braid to the blank and then wind the braid on to the blank, then tape the other end to the blank. I then wrapped regualr thread over the braid ends, wrapping away from the main braid. After several wraps of tie down thread, I removed the tape , then I cut the braid on an angle, to give me a small ramp over which to wind, and finished off the wrap in a normal manner. Repeat for the other end.
Hope this helps.
Chuck
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/sirrom/MVC-031S.jpg

[GonetoSeed]

Braid is often used in elaborate butt wraps on conventional and spinning rods. It obviously fills a lot of space in a pattern rather than handling multiple threads on each pass in the pattern. How it starts and ends depends on the pattern and the butt wrapping technique. One way to start it is to lay double sided tape on the blank where the butt wrap starts and ends. Then the braid and threads are held by the tape as each is wound up the rod. This allow different starting and stopping points on different axis. Then they are almost all finished off similiar to Chuck's suggestion. Dale Clemens' Advance Rod Building is a great source for techniques and patterns.

They do make a nice underwrap for feather inlays depending on the look you are shooting for. Also, putting metallics, either thread or braid, as an underwrap beneath an overwrap of regular nylon and finishing without CP can give interesting effects. The metallic will show through the translucent nylon and change the shade of the overwrap and add some depth. For exampe, gold metallic under green nylon on green blanks can be very stunning (to some peoples taste). Of course this is usually done on wraps on heavier conventional tackle rather than fly because of weight, but could make an interesting short butt wrap to set a fly rod apart from the norm (and target for the fly rod police :) ).

[mmarkey]

Thanks Guys i appreciate the feedback. I figured it had to go somewhat like that