float making,wire stems

[chriscalder]

Anybody know where I can get wire for making the stems for home made floats?

[Fred Davis]

Most model making shops will supply wire

[chriscalder]

Thanks Fred,I went in to two model shops on Isle of Wight and no luck,one of them did,nt even do Balsa and the other one only had balsa dowel up to 10mm thick.
I was hoping that someone had a contact through mail order.

[ScottT]

Chris try here http://www.yellowcatshop.co.uk/shop/default.asp?clientid=14&gid=4dmod&viewstate=32769&tabcatid=3500126&subcatid=3500137

They do balsa, piano wire etc and some great light gathering rod that might make interesting bristles. Only problem I've had with them was the tube it came in was damaged and all my balsa was in 12-16inch snapped lengths, I emailed them to complain 3mths ago and i'm still waiting for a reply!!!
But the wire is ok and cheap, and comes in 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 &0.8mm dia thickness.

[chriscalder]

Scott,many thanks for the website,had a look and I will be putting an order in,I will order some of them light rods,they are cheap enough and will be intersting if the yellow will be any good for fishing when you have shadow on the water.
25 years since I last had a go at making floats,nearly got all the gear together with the info from this site I should have a better chance at making some that work this time.

[Scone]

The "rods" you are on about are no-good for bristles....

I've "been there" and although they light up something wicked when held anywhere near a light source, I've found that the light has to come from "one end" (like fibre optics) to work correctly...this is lost when you stick the end in a float-body..!!

DOH....:)

[The Roach]

Piano wire will go rusty and is also very difficult to cut. You should be looking for stainless steel wire.

[chriscalder]

cheers scone,I have,nt place an order yet so will not bother with the light rods.
Thanks Roach, I will have to investigate the wire a bit more before I buy

[ScottT]

Piano wire will go rusty, but its not an overnight thing and a coat of varnish on it will keep the rust at bay for the life of the float.
As for cutting it, in the sizes mentioned any half decent pair of pliers will manage easily, I use it simply because its cheap and much easier to get hold of than stainless wire in the same diameters.

Never though about the end being in the float with those light rods, but i suppose if the sun is shinning they will be ok?

[chriscalder]

Thanks Scott,I will give it a go if I can,t get hold of stainless.

[Fred Davis]

Chris, I must admit I am surprised that the model shops in your area don't sell any as wire is used a lot in model aircraft however The red baron model shop in enfield does stainless steel wire in various thicknesses not sure if they have a website though! Lets hope you find a supply.

[ScottT]

Thanks Scott,I will give it a go if I can,t get hold of stainless.

Chris if you find somewhere that does stainless in 0.4, 0.5 or 0.6mm dia please let me know.

[chriscalder]

Chris if you find somewhere that does stainless in 0.4, 0.5 or 0.6mm dia please let me know.

Scott,will do I,ll keep an eye out for the stainless and let you know if I find any,I finally managed to track some piano wire down on the isle of wight so got some of that in three sizes,

[ScottT]

Cheers Chris, if that piano wire going rusty is going to bother you the only other option till we find a supply of stainless wire is to use brass.

http://www.ema-models.co.uk/products/04622-brass-rod.html

At 67p per metre its not to bad.

[chriscalder]

cheers Scott,I will take your advice on an earlier post and varnish it,see how it goes

[telboy]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-0MM-316-STAINLESS-TIG-FILLER-WIRE-100-RODS-X-500MM_W0QQitemZ310130040998QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_3?hash=item310130040998&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18

this looks spot on but i think this is the smallest diameter they do.
most of the wire you need for floats comes from europe, however its expensive as the euro is crap also its a minimum order and high postage costs.

[chriscalder]

telboy,this looks perfect for what I need,I will get some ordered,cheers.

[telboy]

let me know if it's any good i will need some myself shortly

[chriscalder]

will do,although i,m on a rig in middle of north sea at moment,so it will be in a couple of weeks.

[Ripple]

You can get stainless steel stems for float making from www.diylures-flies.co.uk (http://www.diylures-flies.co.uk) when ordering ring them first and see if they can post in a tube as the last lot i had were slightly bent.

[ScottT]

They look like the same thing Gordon Griffiths used to sell, great for making lures but the 0.8mm isnt to bad but in the thinner sizes you'll be very lucky if you get a pack that are fully straight.

[chriscalder]

You can get stainless steel stems for float making from www.diylures-flies.co.uk (http://www.diylures-flies.co.uk) when ordering ring them first and see if they can post in a tube as the last lot i had were slightly bent.


Ripples

Thanks for site link, the wire looks cheap enough