Vodkaman

A plausible explanation, I will go with that. Message to wifey - definitely a new reel is required, balanced by a new pair of shoes of course Dave

Sounds reasonable. My cheapo 'Battle X spin 200' reel has a ratio of 5.15:1. The only problems with it are; the bail arm is sluggish and best operated manually. The reciprocating action does not lift the spool high enough and so the line distribution is not perfect. But, $15 I am happy enough. Dave

I have stared at your pic for some time, trying to figure out how those grooves were formed. Obviously from line wear, but I cannot figure out how the line could be under tension and not be caught in the roller. The action of turning the handle would immediately force the line into the roller. The only explanation that I can come up with, is that you are 'back pedaling' when playing the larger fish. This could cause the line to jump out of the roller and be carried by the bail arm. It is never a good idea to back wind with these reels, best to adjust the drag to let line out when required. I suggest that you do some test casts, observing the line, checking that it is always carried in the roller. Then fix the end of the line to a post and back wind under tension and see if the line pops out into the problem grooves. If I am right, then you may be able to make a simple repair with tape and epoxy, PROVIDING that you modify your technique and use the drag. The reel should have a switch to prevent back winding, I suggest you use it while you change your technique which will take some time, old habits die hard. I also notice a slight blemish on the spool, just behind the grooves. Again, I cannot find an explanation under normal use, were the line would be forced over the rim, in one place and under load. The only time that the line touches the rim should be during the cast. If the reciprocating spool dips too low, then the line could possibly touch the spool, but this would be a design fault. More likely that this blemish is unrelated. Dave

I have only ever used bail arm reels, apart from a very nice Abu 506 close faced reel back in the 70's. Baitcasters obviously work, but it always bothered me that energy is lost in the cast due to inertia of getting the drum turning. I would have thought that a fixed spool or spinning reel would have been ideal for cranking, so not sure what your thinking is here. Dave

JR - there are two types of time, hands on time and hands off time. None of the above problems or procedures ever affected me, because all my bodies were for prototyping only. I would clean the bodies in soapy water and Scotch Brite slap on a coat of white from a spray can to improve visibility in testing and that was all. A few received a coat of epoxy for weight testing, but I never came across any problems. Dave

Love the vid, made me grin. The important thing is that the fish are liking cranks, be happy with that fact Dave

For fall wobble, the mid-ballast does make a lot of sense, making it easier for the bait to turn. As long as there is enough to hold the lure vertical. As for my minimum sink rate theory, well no one is buying that, but that's OK, it is after all just a theory and it is up to me to prove it one way or the other. I have a set of experiments planned, for both fall rate and belly shape, but it is going to be a while before I can do the tests due to current commitments. I will report back on my findings whether I was right or wrong. Dave

That must have been very frightening as the two seem so unrelated. Wishing you a strong and speedy recovery. Dave

Yes, could be. I had swim problems with the single hinge, with the tail showing too much roll. All my future 4-pieces will have two hinges on all sections. It means a compromise on the side profile, to get the depth, but a much better solution. Alternatively, re-think the hinge method. I have a 4" swimbait design with 5 sections and no twist problems. It is possible. Dave

Was the sink rate of the 4-piece slower? Dave

Mark - the fact that the belly has some flat will have an effect. When I am trying to predict an effect, I look at the two extremes; a round body and a flat plate body. Your flat belly with rounded corners is between the two extremes, so the effect will be between the two results. Example: drop a ball bearing into a bucket of water - it sinks in a straight line. Drop a coin into a bucket of water and it shimmies all the way down. Any metal form between the two will shimmy to various degrees between the two extreme results. Dave

Thanks for the update mark. I just had a quick read about myelitis, this is nasty stuff. Very encouraging that movement in the legs is improving and things are looking up. Dave

Mark - excellent post. Thanks for the feedback on the flat bottom, that is encouraging. Dave

I too like JR's take on the fall wobble. Also, great, unselfish input from Dieter and the work he did on the subject. My take on the falling wobble was touched on by Dieter, and that is the fall rate. What causes the wobble? It is no different to what causes the wobble/wiggle at the front end; the generation of vortices. Google 'Karman vortex street' or 'vortex shedding' and have a look at the pictures if you don't want to read technical jargon. My point is, that there is a minimum velocity that vortex shedding occurs. In scientific terms; for a circular body, shedding starts at a Reynolds number of 47 to 49. Of course, as mere mortals, this number is meaningless to us. It is also dependent on the shape of the body. So with each and every body, this minimum fall rate is most likely to differ. BUT, just knowing that there is a minimum fall rate to cause shedding, regardless of the body shape, means that we can search for the fall rate during the prototype stage, to find the ballast required to cause the wobble. The shape of the belly, be it round, flat or even convex, WILL make a difference to the minimum speed. Unfortunately, I was unable to find figures for the minimum Reynolds number for a flat plate. Earth quake hit as I was writing this. Could this be a eureka moment Not proven, but makes sense to me, I believe that a flat belly, even better a concave belly, will give a lower fall rate for wobble. I will add it to my list of things to experiment with in the future. Now wishing I had written this list down. I will likely have to make a special drop tank with a Lexan side plate for viewing and timing. In the mean time, I suggest taping lead until the wobble starts in a bucket test. Dave

Thanks Mark for letting us all know. Nathan - wishing you a speedy recovery and a return to your family. Dave

My new shop vac just arrived. Slightly disappointed that it doesn't pull as good as my old one. Not too shabby though, nice tidy unit. Dave

I too am a musician (cornet) though I packed it in many years ago. Dave

Now I remember, I built a vacuum box out of ply wood. It was only evacuated with my shop vac, but the effect/improvement was astonishing on my plaster test piece. I say go ahead and do a test block; without vacuum and one with vacuum. Cut it up and see the difference. With the viscosity of liquid RTV, it won't be as dramatic as my plaster test, but it may be enough to clear the bubbles from the cavity surface. Yes, the tanks are propane. They come in two sizes; 5Ltr and 15Ltr. The 15Ltr would be best, but I have a spare 5Ltr for testing first. For your tests, implosion is a real danger. Shards of plastic can be very dangerous. So take all precautions and be aware of the power that you are playing with; heavy clothing,at least eye protection, full face would be better. Operate from behind a shield would be a very good cautionary measure. DAve

Sorry, I was around 11 - 12 years old which would make it '67 '68. No photos of my life back then. I made everything that it was possible to make back then; fishing floats were first, then the rod. I made my own ledger weights. Made a minnow spinner lure. I taught myself fly tying, then made a glass fly rod and taught myself to cast. It is obvious now, that I was already on the road to being an engineer. When Dad failed to fix the car water pump and fitted a new one, I rescued the old one and fixed it. Mom gave him so much stick because he could not fix things no matter how hard he tried, yet I seemed to be a natural. Dave

My first rod was built from whole bamboo from the garden center. 3 piece, brass ferrules with a solid fiberglass top section. Length 12' for float fishing. Way too floppy, but I used that rod for many years. Dave

When I find a pump, I will be using an empty gas bottle as the vacuum storage. All houses cook with bottled gas here, so no problem finding a bottle. Dave

I have just bought a compressor. The piston is belt driven from an electric motor. Below the piston has a filler cap and a clear window with an oil level indicator. The tank is 30Ltr. There are no traps or regulator with the compressor, which maxes out at 5 bar, which 70psi. Noise is loud, but much better than the direct drive oiless compressor that I had last time. When I get around to some painting, I will buy the relevant accessories for the job. A water trap is a must, especially if you are in a humid climate like me. I haven't drained the tank yet, but I can tell that there is a lot of water in the tank by the soaking I get when I blow onto my hand. The last time I drained a tank, I pulled about 2 - 3 pints of sludgy water out and made a right mess of my shop. If you are painting, then I suggest drain the tank regularly, at least once a month, once a week would be better. At the moment I only use the unit for house work. I blow the dust from one end of the room to the other, then out the door. A quick once over with a wet mop and the room is done in less than 5 minutes - love it, worth every penny just for this chore. I live along a busy road and it is dry season, so the house fills with heavy road dust. I also blow off the area around the front of the house, as the sweep does not get into the cracks and crevices like the compressed air does. Dave

If you are working from the bank, it is not difficult to accurately survey the water depth. All you need is a long piece of string marked in length, a simple protractor to measure angles, a calculator and a notebook. Dave

Experimenting with diving lures is high on my list, but I haven't figured out a way of testing yet. I want to do the testing at home, outside my workshop, but a 25' deep test tank is out of the question. If I can prove that the angle between the line and the lip is always the same for a max depth, then knowing this angle, it will be possible to test in a shallow tank. But, this is just theory at the moment. JR - the bobber method won't give you an exact depth, but it will give you an accurate comparison and so yes, a good method. Mark - Yes, the concave lip increases the power of the vortices and so increases the wiggle. Dave

Mark - My guess is that flipflops don't count. When I set up my workshop again, I will take your advice Dave