[steelhd32]

I have been trying to weld a loop on the butt (running line) end of a Royal Wulff Ambush fly line (8wt) without success. I am using the heat shrink tubing, and have tried different settings. The welds either burn (too hot) or look cold and fail. A good looking weld broke at the junction between the weld and the line with very little effort. I have had good success welding AirFlo and Gaelforce lines. Is there something unusual about the Ambush line?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[MaeWest]

i hesitate to offer advice on this as I'm far from an expert, but someone not long ago pointed out that the tubing continues to conduct heat to the line for some time after the hot air from the heat gun is redirected. Consequently, he suggested doing something like applying heat in 10 second increments, and watch what's going on between applications (how much welding occurs) before the next round. In other words, go slow and remember that the heat continues to go into the line for a bit after the heat source is removed.

Following this approach has dramatically improved the consistency of my welded loops. By coincidence, I just put a loop on the back end of an Ambush 6 the other night, and it worked fine. I use tubing I got from Poppy's shop probably a year ago.

 

[Jabrowning24]

I usually just use braided mono to create a loop, it's much easier than welding and I'm not too worried about how it looks. It goes through the eyes OKAY but again not a big concern as I do my best to not let a fish get that far anyways...

 

[Cutthroat1954]

I make my own braided loops. Never fail. This will get you started:

http://www.danblanton.com/blog/getting-looped/. Be sure to use a double-catch loop.

Lots of other sites and videos.

Re: welding - make sure you know what the core is. If mono, you are SOL. Welding just seems too finicky for my tastes. You already know the problems!

 

[steelhd32]

Thanks to the posts, and Cutthroats link, I think that I will redirect my efforts toward making braided loops instead, at least for this particular line.

Thanks to all,

Jim

 

[peter-s-c]

I have been trying to weld a loop on the butt (running line) end of a Royal Wulff Ambush fly line (8wt) without success. I am using the heat shrink tubing, and have tried different settings. The welds either burn (too hot) or look cold and fail. A good looking weld broke at the junction between the weld and the line with very little effort. I have had good success welding AirFlo and Gaelforce lines. Is there something unusual about the Ambush line?

Thanks,

Jim

Jim, follow my welding videos and you shouldn't have any issues. Airflo lines are made out of polyurethane and weld easily. Other lines are made out of PVC and they can be variable between easy and hard to weld.

An easy break is a sign of an overheated core.

Two things to make things simple: make sure that your heat gun has a concentrator nozzle and only weld a nozzle width at a time. Don't try and weld the entire length in one go.

 

[domantas]

I will repeat again...

Some lines are just impossible to weld completely. Thats why you see manufacturers put on some form of jacket over the welds. I have some of that "jacket" material that was custom extruded for me but here is what I used to do before:

Weld your loop to the point where you feel like the core is not overheated and cover the weld with Aquaseal. You have to keep an eye on the covered loop for few hours and turn it so that Aquaseal covers the loop nicely and doesn't drip or sag and let it dry overnight. Seamgrip is also very good for this but it takes longer to dry.

 

[troutcontrol]

I have some of that "jacket" material that was custom extruded for me ...

Could you tell more about this material? PVC or PU?

Thx
Martin

 

[steelhd32]

Jim, follow my welding videos and you shouldn't have any issues. Airflo lines are made out of polyurethane and weld easily. Other lines are made out of PVC and they can be variable between easy and hard to weld.

An easy break is a sign of an overheated core.

Two things to make things simple: make sure that your heat gun has a concentrator nozzle and only weld a nozzle width at a time. Don't try and weld the entire length in one go.

Peter:

Thanks for the link. I actually learned to weld by watching your video. Went back and watched a few again. Went to the basement ant tried a few more times after my refresher course. No success. I have adjusted temperatures using a candy thermometer from 430 down to 380F, and have yet to make a satisfactory loop. I thought that the "nozzle width" weld might be the key, but that wasn't it either. So, I have come to the following conclusions: Royal Wulff lines are in the "very hard to weld" category, and the coating on the running line portion is so thin that any error in technique is amplified. I think that I will stick to welding AirFlo lines!

Jim

 

[domantas]

There is one more thing you can do...

Run a search under my name for big thread I had going few years ago. You can reinforce your loop with UTC D rib material used in fly tying. Technique requires a bit more welding but it works very well with dacron core lines. There is no line out there that cant be welded but most require some form of outer reinforcement such as "special" sleeve, Aquaseal, or D rib method.

 

[domantas]

Could you tell more about this material? PVC or PU?

Thx
Martin

Its very thin wall clear pu tubbing. I am still working on getting next run of samples via my supplier but what I got so far is working very nicely but im very short on it now.

Anyone would be interested in such product?