I spoke with Nathan about this years ago and some wheels like Majacraft and Fricke ply much much better when you reverse the brake band across the bobbin. The concept is that the spring on the brake is supposed to 'give' in the direction the bobbin is turning, not go against it. So for plying, undo the end of the brake band where it hooks onto the base of the wheel, lift it off the bobbin, put it across the bobbin from the other direction - it crosses itself underneath close to the spring, and hook it . That way the brake will be 'giving' in the direction of the plying. Then switch it back when you spin. Other wheels that have the brake band on the bobbin can benefit from this switch when plying too - if your plying seems really hard and you use a brake band on the bobbin, worth a try. Julie
