Ultimate bobbin

[poledark]

Andy, how do you remove it after bending the tube?

 

Den

[Andy Macfarlane]

The welding rod? It becomes are permanent fixture glued inside the rig tube for reinforcement.

[poledark]

Ah I see, I use the lead wire as it can be removed leaving the tube clear so I can thread line through it for feeder rigs. Not on the same wavelength as me Andy

 

Den

[tincatinca]

I have been thinking about how to attach the bobbin to the end of the swinger and the more I think about it the more I like the idea of using a tight fitting coil spring with a fixed ring attached to go over the end of the fibreglass arm. the bobbin would then be attached by means of a split ring. This would give articulated movement to the bobbin even if the fibreglass arm were to twistinside the ali tube. I am also looking at the feasability of locking the fibreglass arm inside the ali tube by means of a collet type mechanism which would give added security. It is the mount at the bankstick end which is giving me the biggest problem at the moment is it needs to be able to clear everything through its arc of movement and ideally have adjustable movement limiters particularly with regard to the top of the arc to ensure that the line is easily pulled out of the bobbin in the event of striking. The mount also needs to cater for variation in diameter of long banksticks. I have knocked up an initial design where the swinger arm is mounted in a suspended fork however my lad is home for the weekend so I will get him to do a cad drawing and do an initial test on the design. If everything works then we will have something that is adjustable in length, has sliding balance weights front and rear, has stability and up and down movement control of the swinger arm. I am also looking ahead to the possibility of a version which utilises an old rod blank where you could make it semi telescopic by cutting off the end of the blank then feeding it through the other part.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Ah I see, I use the lead wire as it can be removed leaving the tube clear so I can thread line through it for feeder rigs. Not on the same wavelength as me Andy

 

Den

 

Yes, similar but not the same indeed.

 

.....Regards.....Andy.....

[poledark]

Tinca, beware of trying to make a setup that suits every possibility. I have agonised for hours over "problems" which don't/won't, ever occur.

 

Jim Gibbinson once asked me the question re my electric barrow, "What do you do when you get to a stile/narrow bridge? "

 

My reply was very simple...."I don't have to cross any where I fish"

 

 

The only reason my swinger arms tended to twist was because the line is offset about 1" to the side with my indicator heads.

 

 

Den

[Anderoo]

What I'm thinking of is made of the following:

 

- Bobbin head: something like the Gardner margin master (http://www.gardnertackle.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/pName/margin-master/cName/bite-indication-indicators) with isotopes added

 

- Indicator arm: either thin stainless steel or fibreglass cut to correct length

 

- Hinge: something like this (http://www.solartackle.co.uk/indcustom/buttbang01.html#buttbangerarms) but my local shop has no-brand cheap ones which would be far easier to modify. (Can you buy these little hinges in DIY shops I wonder?)

 

- Rod rest attachment: spares from my Fox drop-offs, which can clip anywhere on a bankstick

 

I reckon it would cost about £60ish to make 3 of them. Not cheap! But they would do exactly what I want them to.

[poledark]

I hope I am not coming across as a bit of a Know all . but I have tried out every bobbin on the market (and some that never made it) and have found probs with all of them.

 

The Gardner type tend to "stick" and it is possible to get a drop back when the bobbin doesn't move..especially with some braids, or even nylon if it is raining.

 

Another more serious problem is when you get a drop back and it all goes slack. Sometimes the bobbin falls over and crosses the line and tangles when you pick up the rod. This happened a couple of times so I gave up on that idea

 

At the opposite end of the scale, a violent take can cause the bobbin to "bounce" and also jump across the line....I have nearly lost rods through this happening.

 

Taking this into account, try to make the point where the arm/chain/cord or whatever you use to join to the bobbin, in such a way that even if the bobbin does flip over, the line can slip off. Tincas idea of a spring and split ring was one I gave up on as it was a tanglers nightmare. May be better to use a short (2") flexible material (silicone tube ? ) to jion the arm to the bottom of the gardner bobbin. Almost tangle free, and still flexible.

 

The swinger does help greatly to reduce some of the problems.

 

Sorry if this is a bit downbeat, but this is a search for the "ultimate "

 

Den

Edited January 23, 2009 by poledark

[Anderoo]

I hope I am not coming across as a bit of a Know all . but I have tried out every bobbin on the market (and some that never made it) and have found probs with all of them.

 

The Gardner type tend to "stick" and it is possible to get a drop back when the bobbin doesn't move..especially with some braids, or even nylon if it is raining.

 

Another more serious problem is when you get a drop back and it all goes slack. Sometimes the bobbin falls over and crosses the line and tangles when you pick up the rod. This happened a couple of times so I gave up on that idea

 

At the opposite end of the scale, a violent take can cause the bobbin to "bounce" and also jump across the line....I have nearly lost rods through this happening.

 

Taking this into account, try to make the point where the arm/chain/cord or whatever you use to join to the bobbin, in such a way that even if the bobbin does flip over, the line can slip off. Tincas idea of a spring and split ring was one I gave up on as it was a tanglers nightmare. May be better to use a short (2") flexible material (silicone tube ? ) to jion the arm to the bottom of the gardner bobbin. Almost tangle free, and still flexible.

 

The swinger does help greatly to reduce some of the problems.

 

Sorry if this is a bit downbeat, but this is a search for the "ultimate "

 

Den

 

I agree Den, it's a very important bit to get right. As I said earlier, this is the one major problem with my current bobbins. Thinking about it, I reckon a little hinge at the back (where the rod connects to the rod rest clip) and a 90deg angle leading to the bobbin head (fixed) and then a flexible line clip (like the second and fifth here: http://www.solartackle.co.uk/indcustom/lineclips01.html) would do the trick. What do you think?

 

Alternatively, my original thought may well work too - two little hinges, one at either end of the rod, connecting bobbin head and rod rest clip.

 

I've used the gardner line clips a lot and never had them stick (I don't use braid though).

[Dick Dastardly]

Dens spot on with the comment about over designing something.Its too easy to do this though.Ive often got that bogged down trying to solve"potential" problems and such that Ive lost sight of the origonal aim.

 

I like Anderoos idea of a "hinge" at both ends.It would make the bobbin end far more stable this way than my ones.The hinge at the other end though is obviously essential to stop the lateral movement wind would cause.The production models head (like I mentioned) was a moulded plastic one but due to the design of the "clip! it didnt need to pivot on the arm at all.In fact it was due to it being at a fixed angle to the arm that it released at the top of its lift.