Bobbin Tension?

[phg 0]

Bobbins are cheap. Get yourself three or four....

[WhiteBuffalo58 0]

Yep, I just did! Four more on their way!

[flytire 0]

i hope the bobbin holders you just bought contain a ceramic tube or at least a ceramic insert in a steel tube. steel tubes eventually get worn out by the thread and end up cutting your thread or can even have a burr from the beginning..

 

i dont see a need to use pliers to bend the arms for adjustments. it doesnt take much to open the arms for adjustment.

[WhiteBuffalo58 0]

Well, I wasn't sure what the benefit of ceramic was, so I actually ended up buying 2 that are and 2 that aren't. I was a little bit of a skeptic where ceramic was concerned, I wondered if it would break easily if dropped, or if the glazing would wear through or craze over time. I probably should have done a search here for bobbin revues, or done one myself. But, I came across what I thought was a decent deal and just went for it. They all had a money back guarantee, so if there's an issue, I can send them back and get a refund. It'll be interesting to see how each one performs against the other.

 

Rob

[Ebrant10 0]

Do yourself a favor and get a rite bobbin, no need to bend arms and such, just tighten or loosen the screw! A little pricy at around 20$, i thought so to until i got one, ive been in love ever since!

Evan

[flytire 0]

Rob

 

I bought my tiemco ceramic bobbin holders in the late 80s and they are as good as new

[phg 0]

You're over thinking this. If the standard bobbins weren't worth a crap, do you really think we (experienced fly tiers) would still be buying them?

 

I have, and use, both. (I also have a Rite bobbin, which I rarely use.) The ceramics are nice, but for the occasional tier, it's not that big a deal. A cheap $4 wishbone bobbin will last you for years.

 

What I like personally, are the ceramics with ball feet like this one from Cabela's: http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/largeImagePopup.jsp?productId=744426 At $10, it's not badly priced either. Griffin used to make one similar (probably made this one) but I haven't seen any recently.

[perchjerker 0]

I agree with phg. How many of those who tie for themselves ever tie enough flies to ultimately damage the barrel on a bobbin? After all, it is a stainless steel tube. A commercial tier who is cranking out thousands annually; maybe, yes; but not the 'hobby' tier! I have about every type of bobbin, except Chase, marketed in the last 40+ years, including my very first ones, the old 'cone-shaped Herter's bobbins (#63), as well as Rite bobbins, ceramic tubed, and insert, bobbins. Even a few S&M bobbins; oh yes, and a couple of the rapidly discontinued Gudebrod plastic bobbin/spool-of-thread combos that were introduced 90'S, as I recall. I have used all at one time or another, and of the lot, I use almost exclusively the standard stainless steel tubed 'wishbone' types. The Rite bobbin just collects dust.

 

There is a down side to the ceramics, the ceramic tubes can shatter if dropped. Not a problem with a SS tube.

 

IMHO, the use of pliers to adjust tension can help give better control than just the bare hands; based on close to 40 years experience.

 

Cheers!

[WhiteBuffalo58 0]

Sound advise, from different perspectives. I love it!

 

Thanks fellas!

 

Rob

[flytire 0]

it all comes down to personal preference.

[oarfish 0]

Heres a note from Gary Borger about our wire framed bobbins.

 

http://www.garyborger.com/2011/03/24/bobbins-wire-frame/

[Bugsy 0]

Heres a note from Gary Borger about our wire framed bobbins.

 

http://www.garyborge...ins-wire-frame/

 

 

Good information overall and thanks for posting, but there are two incorrect statements within.

 

First is that bobbins with ceramic tube inserts have smaller internal diameters than stainless bobbin tubes. If he wants to include ceramic tube bobbins (and not merely inserts), he is wrong. The tubes on my Tiemco ceramic bobbins have an internal diameter that is equally generous to that of my Matarelli bobbins. And those are the standard ceramic tubes, which are smaller than the tubes on the HD ceramic bobbins. If he wasn't considering full ceramic tubes at all, then he's excluding a number of quality wire bobbins that are on the market.

 

The second is that all wire bobbins sold have "flat" legs, after which he describes how to create an offset bobbin. Tiemco has offered offset versions of its bobbins for many years (described as "curved"), and I'm certain I've seen at least one other mfr offer a similar offset wire bobbin.

[oarfish 0]

Also an interesting post which adds to the information that we share for each others growth.

[JEH 0]

This was a helpful thread to read. I just tied my first wooly bugger and I snapped the thread 5 times while tying it as the tension was obviously too tight. Needless to say, the fly is ugly.

[SilverCreek 0]

The new bobbin I got from J. Stockard seems a bit tight for 6/0 thread. Can I safely bend the wires to lighten it a bit or will they break before they'll bend?

 

Thanks,

 

Rob

 

 

Are you actually breaking the thread?

 

I would not bend the bobbin arms unless you are breaking thread and it would be rare for the friction of the spool to break 6/0 tread. Maybe 10/0 or 8/0 but rarely 6/0. The weakest 6/0 which is Danville breaks at 1 lb tension and the polyester threads take about 2 lbs of pull. Although Danville is the weakest, it is nylon so it stretches and will warn you before it breaks. That is the beauty of a nylon tying thread. The stretch allows you to judge the tension on the fly.

 

According to the chart below by Scott Sanchez, Danville 6/0 breaks a 16 oz, Gudebrod 6/0 at 31 oz, Griffiths 6/0 at 34 oz, and Uni 6/0 at 33 oz.

 

http://frontrangeanglers.com/newsletter/feb05/choosingthread.htm