New method

This method is originally invented by Sepp Fuchs from FFF.

What you need is flyline, shrink tube (carp guys use it) and heat. The basic idea is, that the heat will melt the coating on the flyline, making it very strong, and the shrink tube will protect the line from getting too hot and will tighten the connection you make.

What can it be used for? Making loops, splicing lines (make your own custom build sinktip using a floating and a sinking line) and repairing cracks in the coating.

Beware of black marks - the heat has been too strong, and the line might have suffered damage. Some use an iron.

Bubbles in the coating means you should use shrink tube with a higher "shrink-ratio" or a lower diameter. Try experimenting with diameters of 2 and 4 mm, and shrink ratios of 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1.

The pictures here might be of help, but the text is in danish. Notice that the pictures also shows lines that have suffered damage due to heat and wrong type of shrinktube.
www.danishflydesign.dk.

i'm not sure i'd trust it to make joints or loops ,but i've had recently thought about using shrink tubing to cover joints line nail knots and where i join backing to mainline & tippits to leaders ect to make them pull through the eyes smoother

"Vycoat" is the stuff for that - if it's still available.

It's basically a welded loop. Airflo are starting to put them on their lines, especially the new Ridge Lines they have out now.

chavender- you remove the tube afterwards. It is the coating melting together, that makes the connection.

But if you have an old piece of fly line, you can try it out - done properly, the strenght is remarkable (the line breaks before the joint).

i used some shrink tubing to cover the join where the backing is tied to the braid loop and its very tidy better than plain rig tubing i know its only a small point,i think i've decided to use a needle knot at the other end and have it covered in shrink tubing to make a neater finnish to the connection with the leader still not sure about the tippit end yet

i do actually have a *free* shooting head someware and i'll have a play as its a few yeas old it came off the front of a magazine and i don't intend on using it.

Here is another series of pictures, and most importantly: A video with Sepp Fuchs showing his method (Lucky Loops at the bottom of the page)

www.scandicangler.com

Looks good ....