shop?homemade traces?

robh107 wrote:i'd be worried about the twists slipping due to the lack of tension on the wire during twisting the way its done in that vid.... i'll get a set of pics or a vid together of the way i do it a.s.a.p. ( if i can manage to upload a vid lol).... i know i seem finicky but i'd rather you guys didnt lose a fish and even worse leave a treble or even worse a full trace in a fish

ive been twisting traces for over 30 yrs and never had 1 slip yet

Mind that Drennan wire I was telling you about Brian? I couldn't get the usual Drennan Green wire, which I really like for making my traces but I couldn't get any and so, I thought I'd try the plain stuff. I tried larks head loops and then twists to finish but it just keeps pulling through. I finally managed a technique that I was fairly happy with but I still prefer my crimping method with plastic-coated wires. Luckily you came to the rescue with some of the Fox Carboflex stuff and so far, it's been spot on mate...cheers for that one.

not a problem andy i dont use drennan wire i had a bad experience with it when it first came out ok it may of changed now but once bitten twice shy so they say another really crap wire was the original pikestrand from trev moss (the brown not green ) you could get 2 traces out of a spool if you were lucky the rest just untwisted whilst on the spool

I used a plastic coated wire once that was tied onto a swivel or hook by loosely twisting and heating with a cig lighter. The plastic melted and fused together creating a totally secure joint with a loop on the end. The swivel / hook was free to move freely on the loop. The wire came from Australia about 17 years ago.

Has anyone tried melting the plastic these days?

Regards

Andy Webster

I always heat the crimp after I make my traces to add yet another element of security. As soon as I see a little blob of molten plastic appear at each of the crimp, I let it set.
Andy, my mate has some new wire that sounds something like the stuff you're describing. I'll ask him what it's called.

Watch out for the Drennan wire both normal and coated there were some serious issues with bad batches last season. I can't believe how expensive the stuff is either compared to a bulk spool of masons wire ( which is superb)
All the best
John

I used to twist my traces using a twiddle stick, no probs but I've recently started to crimp using the fox crimping pliers and as long as the crimp matches the wire there solid...and I find quicker to make.

Daz