Color preserver on wraps?

[EyesOnThePrize]

The first few rods I built I used color preserver on the wraps before I applied the epoxy. I was pretty happy with the results as the threads didn't really darken/change when the epoxy went on.

I was at Thorne Brothers last week and the builders there said they don't use color preserver at all. That after several years your guides can become loose because the preserver kept the epoxy from adhering to the rod.

So I didn't use it on my last two rods and the colors are a little disappointing - really flattened the colors. And stupid me - on the diamond wraps at the base, I used a lighter thread to lock the wrap and now you can see all the cut off ends under the lock wrap - looks dumb, but oh well (live and learn).

So my question is - do you use color preserver? And is there anything else I can do to keep the colors of the thread vibrant?

Thanks

[rodmaker]

It's a personal choice. I don't use color preserver on my rods. Most of the blanks I'm building on are a dull charcoal (IMX & GLX) so I like to let the cranberry's, blues darken in color. This really brings out the colors on these blanks.

Blue thread # 246 still stays vibrant, along with the red's cranberry's.

At Thorne Bros, they have a rod blank with all the color threads on them, so you can see what they look like without color preserver.

[Dark Cloud]

One thing I did is wrap a small amount of all the colors I have on an old broken blank. Wrap in two diff spots then use color preserver on one section and none on the other. It gives you a better idea of how things will turn out when selecting wrap patterns...

Most of the time I use preserver...

[bemidjibasser]

Another quick way to check to see about how much the thread will darken is to make a small wrap on a part of the blank you are goign to use and then get wet it with water. It will give you a very close comparison of how the thread will look without color preserver. Like Rodmaker, I don't really use CP on my own rods, but if I'm building for someone else that wants the color to stay bright, I will use CP. I do use CP for dong work with feathers though.

[upnorth]

I have a 20 + year old fly rod that I wrapped and used Color Preserver and have not had a guide loosen up yet.

[unfrozen]

Go ahead and use the color preserver, it won't weaken the bond between the guides and the rod. If it did, rodbuilders wouldv'e quit buying it years ago and it wouldn't be around anymore. Another option is to use NCP thread (No color preserver required). Gudebrod is one of the manufacturers of this type of thread. Here's a quote from them...

"NCP Nylon is a specially constructed thread that requires no color preserver, yet has all the strength and wearing features of other popular Gudebrod threads. It is the perfect thread for major rod manufacturers as well as professional and custom rod designers.

The color pigment in NCP is preconditioned into a colorfast medium that resists the damaging effects of powerful epoxies and varnishes that break down the color pigment in regular nylon thread, thus saving the time consuming steps of applying several coats of color preserver. Rod finish may be applied directly over rod wrappings."

Good luck!

[upnorth]

Quote:

The color pigment in NCP is preconditioned into a colorfast medium that resists the damaging effects of powerful epoxies and varnishes that break down the color pigment in regular nylon thread, thus saving the time consuming steps of applying several coats of color preserver. Rod finish may be applied directly over rod wrappings."

The colors for NCP don't have near the brilliance of the regular rod building threads. There is also a trend towards using embroidery thread in size 40. I have switched to that almost exclusively, the thing to make sure of with embroidery thread to to get the polyester version instead of rayon.