what to do

[lykos33 0]

I recently purchased a few ceramic insert bobbins on Ebay. When I got the product every one of the bobbins would cut my 6/0 flymaster thread no matter how gently I wrapped . The seller was gracious , told me to keep the bobbins for wire and refunded my payment. I then purchased 3 ceramic tube bobbins,not inserts, full ceramic tubes. First time using one it cuts my thread 4 times just laying the base layer of thread. I switch to the other 2 bobbins and no problem with cutting. In my mind this says that the first bobbin might have a flaw. I look down the barrel and see a groove like in a rifle barrel. Should I send this one back or does anyone know how to fix a ceramic screw up

[flytire 0]

send it back and buy a tiemco bobbin holder.

 

no more problems

[flyfishing99 0]

What brand were the ceramic bobbins you purchased at retail??

[lykos33 0]

It just says "Spigot". It has the bullet head (brass) and the parts that stick into the bobbin are brass also. I would love to get a name brand like Tiemco, justifying that price to the boss is harder than 3/ $20.00....

[JSzymczyk 0]

Bro it sounds as if you got some bum gear. As far as I know, unless you have some pretty sophisticated polishing equipment, you can't really "fix" a ceramic tube. For the insert tubes, you can bust out the ceramic end and glue in a glass seed-bead. 3 for $20 sounds good, but really you got 2 for $20. I have some cheap bobbins which work just fine, and one that is so screwed up it shaves the enamel off of ultra-wire. Most of the ones I have are Griffin I think, and I've had no problems at all with them. They're about $12-14 retail usually, so not much more expensive than your bargain e-bay units.

[oatka 0]

I had my son chew off the ceramic tip of my favorite bobbin about 3 years ago. I was able to glue in a bead and fix it. Since then, I've also had to replace the other end too. I've used this bobbin to furl well over a hundred leaders and have not had any issue with the replacements. You can check out how I did the replacement on my website at http://www.guysfliesandpies.com/tips/bobbin_tip_replacement.shtml

 

I hope this helps!

[tonysurface 0]

I have found that buying cheaper, inferior products is actually more expensive in the long run. You buy the cheap stuff then you have to replace it with the bobbins you should have bought in the first place. Spend the extra money on a quality bobbin. I have tried several manufacturers but I always go back to ceramic Tiemcos. I think they are the best.

[creekhound 0]

I have had a couple Dr Slicks for awhile now and havent had any trouble with them. Hey oatka dose your son have any teeth left? those things are pretty hard.

[oatka 0]

Hey oatka dose your son have any teeth left? those things are pretty hard.

 

He may not have had teeth at the time, but he does now. I suspect it was his super corrosive drool that did them in.

[creekhound 0]

yeah that drooly thing, been there

[lykos33 0]

You're right Joel, I should bite the bullet and buy name brand quality. I did, however, use a pair of reading glasses to look down the shaft of these and the one giving me trouble had what looked like a groove like the barrel of a rifle...just one groove, and a ridge inside the lip of the ceramic tube. I sanded off the glue on my bodkin and stuck it down in from both ends and spun it around a few times.Blew thru the tube and looked again and both the "rifling" and the ridge were gone. Apparently it was something dripped down inside and the bodkin knocked it out. Whatever the reason, I now have three bobbins that don't cut the thread.

Mike I tried that bead fix of yours on one of my old steel tube bobbins (right after you posted it in here before). All I have to say is you are a skilled son of a gun. I could not get that frickin bead to stay in long enough to have the super glue set up. I used a 10/0 bead and a sewing pin (with the ball head) and still couldn't get the glue to set up and hold the bead. I'm using "Gorilla brand" super glue. Pretty strong tough stuff but I dunno, maybe I'm holding my mouth wrong or something?!?!?!?

[oatka 0]

Lykos33 - did you eat M&M's? That's really the key to keeping it all held together. I find super glue rarely works when you want it to, so I don't really have any tips. Maybe use your bodkin so it has a bit more weight, and set it up in a vise or something to hold it up while it dries overnight.