Chuck- see below... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Alexander" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 3:16 PM Subject: Re: [VFB] Mystery of the 50/0 thread revealed- here- on VFB!!
> Don.. How do you tie it off without breaking it then??? Whip finish, and double whip finish to stand up to rough fishing. Is it that strong??? Relatively. > Also, does this clothesline have either a white, or tan coating??? Clear and does > it look kinda like phone line??? No, it looks like clothes line. }:op I may know where to get some here.There is > an old home owned hardware store here called "Kojak's" (cause the guy is > bald and looks like Telly who owns it LOL).. But, he has been in business > sooo long, he has stuff that places like Lowe's, Home Depot, etc would never > even be able to order.. We have a saying around here about that store for > hard to find hardware stuff "If Kojak" ain't got it... You probably don't > need it" LOL... I'll check with him and see what he has, Chuck Well, if he doesn't have it, that means you don't need it. Buggs > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "DonO" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 12:45 PM > Subject: [VFB] Mystery of the 50/0 thread revealed- here- on VFB!! > > > > OK, OK, I'll take the mystery out of my tying thread. I show it to > > everyone > > that visits my studio and people at shows, so it's no secret. > > > > Many years ago, I obtained some non-descript clothes-line material. It > > consisted of a clear outer shell and a fiber core of white, shiny, > > probably > > gel-spun fibers. > > > > I didn't pay it much heed until I used some of the outer shell for > > hook-point protectors on giant marlin flies. I stripped about a foot of > > the > > shell for the protectors, so I had a foot of the core to inspect closely. > > It was not unlike the synthetic cores you'd find in the center of the > > flex-braid body materials in the store- the kind tiers chop up and use for > > wings-posts and spinner wings. I'd checked those fibers in the past to > > use > > as tying thread and they just had no strength on an individual strand > > basis, > > so were useless as tying thread for #32's (Mustads). And since I've been > > tying 32's for the last 20 years, I was always searching hi & low for > > strong > > ultra-fine thread. The nearest I had come up with so far was a few > > strands > > off a spool of Roman Benechi thread that he had given me at a show. You > > couldn't cut this stuff with your sharpest scissors if you didn't have > > tension on it. But one fiber was just too weak to tie with, as it didn't > > have the strength to even suspend my midge bobbin. And creating a thread > > using 3 or 4 strands was hard, as they were difficult to work out of the > > main thread, as they weren't linear but for short distances, and then they > > needed to be waxed and spun. > > > > But this clothesline core was a different story. I frayed the end of the > > 12" piece and picked out one fiber, which was almost ivisible, and I was > > easily able to pull it from the main core, which was great- it was linear > > construction. The single fiber was hard to handle, since it didn't drop > > with gravity. It would just float in space and then actually rise. And > > if > > I let go it would float away. Wow, this stuff was THIN! If I looked away > > for a half sec., I couldn't spot it again until the light reflected off of > > it just right. And it wasn't all crinkled up, like other super-strands. > > Now, was it strong? That was the real test. I took the 12" long strand > > and > > wound it onto one of my little wooden midge thread-spools just for this > > task > > (Jeff, the one I showed you). I put it in my midge tying bobbin and > > wrapped > > a few turns on a small hook in the jaws. It held, and suspended the > > bobbin. > > Now could I tie with enough tension to wrap down materials and actually > > feed > > off of the spool? One turn- snap. Oh Ohhh. Back off on the bobbin arm > > tension. Snap again. Back off some more. One turn, two turns- snap. > > Back > > off some more. Oops, too much- bobbin just free-wheeled right off the > > thread. Re-spool, tighten a minute tad. It holds. Wrap a few turns, > > good, > > hang, OK. Wrap some more turns with a little tension applied to the > > bobbin- > > it held. OK, tie some materials down. It works, by Buggs!!! So I > > stripped a 3-foot section and separated single fibers onto spools and had > > untra-fine tying thread for size 32's. It takes about two inches of it to > > tie a #32 royal coachman, so that first batch lasted a long time. It's so > > fine, I've never encountered thread build-up. The fiber is white and > > semi-opaque, so I sometimes color it black so I can see the wraps better > > on > > the hook. Can't use head cement then, because it takes the black dye and > > runs it up into the fly materials, creating a black midge effect. So I > > usually fiish up the head un-dyed, put a tad of head-cement on, let dry, > > then dye black. > > > > I had a hundred hooks that I bought from Marv Nolte years ago (plus a few > > from before). I had about 20 left when Deb & I cut that deal in NJ a few > > weeks ago. So I've tied quite a few #32's over the years- lots of times > > in > > shows (individually and in flytying theaters). Quite a few were lost when > > they were accidentally dropped- even on hard floors. People are amazed at > > the miniature materials I use to tie #32's, then they're really amazed > > when > > I take my glasses off to tie them- naked eye- no magnification. It's a > > blast! But I have an advantage- these tiny fingers of mine- makes it > > easy. > > LOL > > > > I've never been able to find this brand of clothes-line again. But 3' of > > the core- probably a thousand strands (I ain't countin' them)- would be a > > lifetime supply of '50/0' thread for lots and lots of production #32 > > Mustad > > tiers. LOL > > > > Dr. Demento (how I earned the name ^ ) > > > > P.S. Along with the Mustad #32's, I also have some VMC size (real) #30's, > > 32's, 34's, and 36's. They are fine-wire hooks (violin wire), not forged, > > with a long shank and spade eye, & no barb ( a micro-barb would be nice). > > They are nowhere near as strong as the Mustad forged 32, but who's fishing > > them, anyway??? > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.6/565 - Release Date: 12/2/2006 > >
