DIY Welded Loops

[Domenick Swentosky]

Anybody ever make there own welded loops?

Most of my lines did not come with factory loops.  I've always been a nail knot guy, but I've recently been experimenting with a lot of different leaders and I HATE loop to loop in larger diameters of mono. 

Here a link:
http://www.hooked4life.ca/glsteelhead/Making_Welded_Loops.html

There's a bit more talk about how to do this if you google it.  Anybody else ever tried this?  I don't have a heat gun.  Some just use a lighter, or your wife's flat iron for her hair.

Any experience out there?

[Dejon Hamann]

I haven't tried that one, but it looks like a pretty slick way to put a loop on there.

I too HATE messing with mono loops.  I actually use a backing blood knot to make a loop and seal it with zap-a-gap.  Nice and neat.  then I cut that loop off the end of my pretied leaders and just 3 turn clinch it to that loop.  Nice, neat, solid, and uses stuff you probably all ready have.

Here's a "backing nail knot loop" on my Type5:

[Loren Williams]

YES!  I weld loops into all my spey heads and running lines.  I don't on my trout lines as I prefer the system I use now.

Heat gun, heat shrink is all you need. 

RIO's PVC coatings do not weld as easily as Airflo's Polyfuse coating.  But, they still weld easily enough for the proverbial caveman. 

I have no experience with welding sinking lines--for all my bulk sink tips I use braided loops.

[Domenick Swentosky]

Cool.  I don't have a heat gun, so I'm going to try the other heat sources I've seen other guys using.  I'm glad to hear that you have some experience with it.  Looks fairly easy.

Domenick

[Don Strandberg]

Still seams a bit bulky. I recall flylines with a pc. of mono right in to the core of the flyline. That was slick. Maybe about .018 .020. mono. I use to cut the loop off. And tie a small swivel.

[Loren Williams]

Still seams a bit bulky. I recall flylines with a pc. of mono right in to the core of the flyline. That was slick. Maybe about .018 .020. mono. I use to cut the loop off. And tie a small swivel.

I agree that welded loops are too bulky for my preference for trout lines.  But for heads (and tails) where you are switching components like heads and sink tips, they are the bomb.

Dom:  heat guns are the way to go.... not sure what other sources you are considering but you need substantial, sustained, and controlled heat to do the weld.  I am not sure how else one could go about it aside from a gun.

[Domenick Swentosky]

I recall flylines with a pc. of mono right in to the core of the flyline. That was slick.

Sounds like a Grey's Loop.




Loren,
I'm gonna be pissed if you make me go out and buy a heat gun.  I've seen guys posting around the web about using a flame (lighter) or curling irons.  There's a youtube video of a guy using some kind of "micro torch soldering thing."  His words, not mine.  I figured I'd practice ruining old fly lines before ruining any new ones.

Domenick

[Dejon Hamann]

Quick search:
$11.90

http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Electric-Craft-Hobby-Power/dp/B000QWTU94/ref=sr_1_42?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1266979608&sr=1-42

Also, Maybe the micro torch?:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Appliance-MASMT11-MicroTorch/dp/B0002WSEU4/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1266979608&sr=1-32

[Loren Williams]

Poppy's got all you need:
http://www.redshedflyshop.com/LINESLOOPS.html

[Domenick Swentosky]

Nice. 

[Don Strandberg]

Dom thats a nice loop. But some of the fly lines come, or use to with the mono straight in to the fly line. Like dead center. Then the loop. How in the hell do they do this. No nail knot. Or anything. Does anybody know how to do this? Its perfect.
Thanks Don//////

[Reid Bacon]

It's a Whitlock zap a gap connection.  If done proper it will be stronger than most knots.  I use it on all leaders that allow it.