KRYSTON 'Silkworm'

I don't get to tackle shops that often to look at new products so I have been using Silkworm for my hook lengths for some time which may now be superseded by a better product.

Although tying the knot is no problem I have to deal with the cutting of the loose end(which tends to fray)and thisis a problem!At the moment I use a scalpel blade because it cuts cleanly which any scissors I have used definitely do not!!

So the questions are:

1. Is'Silkworm'still the best on the market?(Carp/Barbel fishing)

2. Do any scissors or other cutting impliment exist which gives a nice clean cut?

3. I recall reading that a substance is available which is applied to the knot to stop the loose end sticking out and make the whole thing much neater(years ago I used nail varnish!)Is this a Kryston product or by some other company?

Yes,I am researching this on the web but I'm looking for'tried & tested'information from the field and you guys always come up with the best info!!

(I really must buy a car so I can get out more.........................)

1 - there is no "best" product, or Dave would only make the one! but silkworm is one of my favourite braids

2 - i find if i pull the tag against the blade, rather than trying to cut it, it gives a neater cut. there is a little enclosed blade you can buy, never had one so i dont know what its called!

3 - i just use a lighter and blob it

Frothey

Enlarge on 'BLOB IT'please-not a wordI am familiar with(at least not to do with fishing!!)

singe the end of the tag with the flame.

Tee Cee,

Braid Scissors, never had my silkworm fray using them.

The reason Silkworm is so called is because of the high number of very fine filaments that make up the braid. The finer they are, the harder they are to cut, but on the bonus side, they are the softest and therefore produce the limpest line.

Do as Frothey says, or use Ray's braid scissors. He'll lend them to you if you'll cover the cost of postage both ways.

/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

PS. I don't use Silkworm much. I prefer to use Super-Nova.

Woody,

Super-Nova is an Oasis record/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Who's Oasis?

I'm into The Killers.

Woody---Meldrew:

Obviously(or maybe not)you feel Super-Nova has some advantage over Silkworm;I for one would like to know if this is the caes.It would seem from your comments that the former is not made up of filaments or am I misreading you?

Who knows,perhaps you are a tight-wad(or skint)and just dont want to pay top dollar for your braid........................

I will invest in the braid scissors if this is the only choice but would like a braid that is not filamentous which seems impossible..................??

I cannot be the onlyone who finds that even the slightest patch of rough skin on thefingers is likely to catch on the filamentswhen tying the knot which doesn't do much for the confidence butis,perhaps,unavoidable!

Any comments welcome....................

ps I hope you rockers have been watching the Alan Yentob prog on the guitar although I cannot remember either of the above groups getting a mention-perhaps they just dont have the skill................................

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Tee-Cee wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

Woody---Meldrew:

Obviously(or maybe not)you feel Super-Nova has some advantage over Silkworm;I for one would like to know if this is the caes.It would seem from your comments that the former is not made up of filaments or am I misreading you?

Who knows,perhaps you are a tight-wad(or skint)and just dont want to pay top dollar for your braid........................</blockquote>

Whatever gives you that idea, that I'm a tight-wad? <u>I AM NOT FROM YORKSHIRE!</u>

SN is also made from filaments, different ones maybe, but filaments all the same. Depends on whose filaments you use, for example: Spectra fibres can be bought in different thicknesses of filaments, but Dyneema usually only comes in one thickness.

Each filament has a breaking strain, say 2ozs. You take a number together and braid them until you have the B/S you require. OK so far? You must allow for that fact that when braiding you will lose some strength so you can't just take 96 filaments and expect to get 12lbs braid.

You also have to calculate how the braid is made up, how many picks per inch, and if you can make it from thicker filaments, how will that affect the stiffness of the final product. Still with me? Some braids are then coated such as Mantis and Snake Bite or fused such as Fireline, typically a casting line.

Now, here's a bet. Write to Kryston and ask them for the fibre manufacturer/type and contruction of any braid they manufacture and they will be able to tell you, including the number of coats in the case of coated materials. Go to any other manufacturer and ask the same of their products and they won't have a single clue what you're talking about.

Super-Nova to me just feels a little - silkier and has a nice colour. That's all it is, I have also got Silkworm and Mantis and Snake-skin and even the old Merlin in my boxes. I have Fox Barbel Braid (which I don't rate) and Fox Mega silk (which I do rate).

So, cheapskate, moi?

.

Nice to see Les Paul and B.B. King still plucking away.

If you want to avoid the braid fraying against rough skin, get Mantis and strip all the coating off. This will leave you with just the undercoat layers that seal the fibres. Or leave most of the coating on to form a stiffer rig.

they have different properties, super nova is more "neutral density" than silkworm, and a little bit more supple. i also prefer silkworm in 25lb (which goes against my thoughts on hoolengths) as it feels "better" than 15lb - to me anyway.

woody i have a korda stripper tool when i try to strip mantis or snakebitewith it it frays from the point i want to strip it fromis there a secret to stripping it, my coretex strips quite easily any ideas.also i take it the super nova and silkworm are uncoated braids.

cheers nige k

Woody-Thanks for a very comprehensive reply-just what I wanted to read and I was with you all the way-I just knew anyone from Marlow would know lots of stuff-its a sort of quality thing really.......

cheapskate?(I only said'perhaps'............)

lets hope we are both stil catsing a line at BB's age;just like the braid issue I learnt a great dealabout the history,Gibson et al,-a decent programme for a change.......

May all your casts be long and straight!

Nige K - I just use finger nails to remove the coatings off Mantis and Snake-bite/Snake-skin.

Never have a problem. A tip is though, once you've stripped them, if you want the braid even softer, keep on stripping the same length about 5 times and remove a lot of the undercoat.

This particularly applies to Quicksilver that has 28 coats in all.

Yes, Silkworm and Super-Nova are uncoated.

----------------

Tee-Cee, The prog featured Bert Weedon who only lives in the next town, Beaconsfield. I keep saying I'll look him up - try to get a refund on my "Play with yourself in a day" book.

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cheers woody i will have to grow me nails.

if not use your teeth

<blockquote class=quoteheader>quorky wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

if not use your teeth</blockquote>

NO!

And don't use braid as dental floss either. /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Hi guys, I'm using Silkworm and after the knot is done I just cut the loose end with a braid scissors (Suffix).
I have a qestion to you: Why is the Silkworm hoover above the lake bed? I knwo I could use puty to pin it down but I just want to know the reason behind it. So, please could you bring some light into this matter?
Manny thanks in advance.

the weave of most braids trap air inside, causing the braid to float - some do this more than others. some fibres (iirc) are actually hollow, which can make the problem worse. even some of the "solid"fibres are less dense than water - so it will float.

i dont worry about it, theres enough things floating around on the bottom of a lake bed I'm happy that it wont spook a fish - as you say, you can weight it down though if you think its a problem.