You are seeing the two ways it can be done. Since you are learning to wrap, I wouldn't look at as critical. You will be able to change it easily enough if experience shows you a preference, and I'm sure you will hear strong arguments in favor of one or the other.

Apart from any appearance preference, wrapping up over the barrel of the tiptop is a backup to the glue. I can see why pro builders in particular might prefer this method--a detail that also has the potential to reduce comebacks later on.

I do it both ways, but mostly no wrapover. I know how to change and reglue a tiptop if it ever loosens, although I've never had that happen in any rod, some more than 4 decades old now. If the tip top wears out--that does happen--I can change it without rewrapping, whereas an overwrap would require redoing at least the tip top wrap. The actual wrapping, five minutes, but a new coat of finish will be needed as well. No big deal either, just an extra step.

For the hobbiest, either way but I'm sure you will here other reasons for one way or the other. Great Q.

Hello
You wrap thread to secure all the rest of the guides and the ferrules,why wouldn't you wrap thread onto the guide that gets the most abuse to help secure it.
I was taught by my mentors to always secure and protect my tip tops with thread and finish.
Any rod I see with out a tip top wrap looks unfinished.
Tight Lines And Secured Loops
Andy M

Hello
Really that's just amazing .
We are talking about fishing rods here and not the Tail Fins on ICBM's Right.
What are we Talking 4 or 5 turns of Insignificant Thread & Finish.
If 5 turns of thread are causing tip bounce than you have bigger issues to spend your time focusing on than thread weight.

Tight Lines And Ridiculously Micro Managed Loops
Andy M

Advantage to a tip top wrap going up the guide would be a little extra adhesive holding the tip top on. Honestly, like Whirlpool stated in post #2, I’ve never had a tip top come loose. Disadvantage would be the extra weight and extra work involved. Personally I don’t wrap up onto the tip top guide anymore and haven’t in quite a few years.

Good spirited debate going on here, I like it.

I don’t have much experience yet building fly rods but I can certainly see the having more peace of mind from having a security wrapped tip top on a heavier weight fly rod subject to greater load.

Same here. I skip doing it all together.

One of the pics here ( viewtopic.php?f=8&t=62543&view=unread#p319964 ) shows the elegant appearance of the class of craft method. I'm not sure what the guys who do it all the time prefer, but you can dress the tip top barrel for a smoother transition of the thread, and/or use, two separate wraps, one of which can be in a contrasting color, perhaps the same as tipping elsewhere on the rod. One wrap goes to the barrel. A second is started on the barrel , maybe five widths of thread, continuing a similar width on to the thread wrap abutting the tip top.

Well done, springer 1. When I have tried that, I manage to fray the wrap enough where it would be cut back to meet the barrel, that I wind up rewrapping anyhow. Ferrule cement/thermoplastic cement is the way to go for tiptops. Plenty of long-term hold, but makes changing easy.

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. I enjoy hearing about how different builders do different things in different ways and why. To me that's why i enjoy building and following the work of others.

I had always thought the tip wraps were there to fair the edge of the tube and protect the line from scrapping the tube end. Surprised it may have other purposes.
Just a thought on added strength; it is a single thread, and can only achieve the strength of the single turn that transitions from rod to tube and it's bond to the turns on either side as provided by the finish/varnish. I don't see that as having a tremendous impact on structural integrity.
I'm learning every day.

I always do a short 1/8” of double wrap, butted up against the end of the tip top tube, that transitions to a longer single wrap to form a crude “ramp” for this reason

I like the look of a short wrap up to the edge of the tube, so I do that. As others have said, I have never had tip top come loose in 50 years of fishing, and, as others have also said, I kinda doubt of a few thread wraps and some varnish provide much "adhesive" function past that provided by a good glue job inside the tube. My take on all this is that it's personal preference - - and that's a perfectly OK way to leave it.