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Isotopes

Lee Backshall

Lee Backshall

Senior Member
I have my isotopes stood up on my rod tip classic style....if you will.
Have seen some that are fixed with shrink tube flat to the blank.
I'm after feedback if I should go flat to the blank or not.
Cheers
Lee
 
Probably a stupid question. How do you trap the isotope with shrink tubing - remove tip ring? I’d ideally like 2 far enough apart to create a comparable reference point.
 
In the past I did my rods with isotopes flat, take off tip ring then shrink wrap isotope in place before refitting tip ring. Sounds a lot of faff but really quite straightforward. I'm now using the clip on LED tip lights from Temu, much easier and a heck of a lot brighter than isotopes.
 
Lee Backshall said:
Did you remove your top eyes or had them whipped on?
Click to expand...
They were put on at the stage that the were being built
It’s a professional builder job which were both shrunk on whipped and sealed
IMG_6863.jpeg
IMG_6866.jpeg
 
Richard Isaacs said:
They were put on at the stage that the were being built
It’s a professional builder job which were both shrunk on whipped and sealed View attachment 32403View attachment 32404
Click to expand...
Nice job!

Dave Lumb did an article in his blog with something vey similar. I bought the white and clear shrink tubes but never got round to doing it.

It's the whipping that puts me off doing it, that aspect of the job can the difference between a really nice job as in your pic or a bit of a mess.
 
Apart from the need to remove the tip ring for attaching isotopes in this 'along the rod' fashion, there is another factor to consider. I bought some isotopes 2 or 3 years back, various sizes, and almost all of them are now so dim as to be virtually useless. My point being, taking a tip ring off is an awful lot of faff if it will need redoing in 2 oy 3 years time....unless there are some isotopes available with mega long life spans?
 
David Gauntlett said:
Apart from the need to remove the tip ring for attaching isotopes in this 'along the rod' fashion, there is another factor to consider. I bought some isotopes 2 or 3 years back, various sizes, and almost all of them are now so dim as to be virtually useless. My point being, taking a tip ring off is an awful lot of faff if it will need redoing in 2 oy 3 years time....unless there are some isotopes available with mega long life spans?
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You must of got a bad or old batch of isotopes David. I’ve got them on my rods ranging from 2-9 years. The torrixs in my picture were built in 2019 so that’s 5 years and they are as bright as the day they went on.
It’s pot luck with isotopes because you don’t know how long they’ve been stored.

The ones on my rods are korda 25x3 and they state a half life of 10-15 years.
I don’t mind that at all. A decade out of a set is well worth doing. So hassle free. No battery’s to charge or snap lights to change.

Regarding replacement it’s actually pretty easy. You don’t need to remove the guide if it’s something like a 6-8mm ring.
You can buy shrink tube with a shrink ratio of 4:1. This should comfortably go over the tip guide and shrink down neatly.
 
Just piggy-backing off this thread, I have a number of isotopes but the clear rubber "tubing" that they fit into before being pushed onto an adaptor has either split or been attacked by mice.

Can anybody recommend a specific product that I can buy to replace these perished rubber sleeves?

I don't want to fix the isotopes to the rods directly.

Thank-you.
 
Richard Bruton said:
Just piggy-backing off this thread, I have a number of isotopes but the clear rubber "tubing" that they fit into before being pushed onto an adaptor has either split or been attacked by mice.

Can anybody recommend a specific product that I can buy to replace these perished rubber sleeves?

I don't want to fix the isotopes to the rods directly.

Thank-you.
Click to expand...
It’s just clear silicone rubber tube. You’ll get Mtrs of it on eBay for afew quid.
If your isotopes are 3mm then go for something like a 2.5mm bore so it’s a nice snug fit. You want a thin wall so it stretches over your adapter
 
Richard Isaacs said:
It’s just clear silicone rubber tube. You’ll get Mtrs of it on eBay for afew quid.
If your isotopes are 3mm then go for something like a 2.5mm bore so it’s a nice snug fit. You want a thin wall so it stretches over your adapter
Click to expand...
Excellent! Thank-you Richard. I had looked but not sure what to order. Much appreciated
 
In this blinged-up electronic techno world I am surprised that a rod maker hasn't fitted micro led lights in a blank, powered by a small battery inside the rod.

Mark my words, you heard it here first. 😁


Bob G - have you ever fitted led lights as fret markers in guitar necks, a la alembic basses, etc?
 
Dave Durrant said:
In this blinged-up electronic techno world I am surprised that a rod maker hasn't fitted micro led lights in a blank, powered by a small battery inside the rod.

Mark my words, you heard it here first. 😁


Bob G - have you ever fitted led lights as fret markers in guitar necks, a la alembic basses, etc?
Click to expand...
A Mark King or Jay Newstead series of rods perhaps?
 
Not quite a 'crafted' as a professionally fitted isotope but these are the kiddies . . .(almost already been done Dave Durrant)

rigshark.co.uk

Rig Shark Fishing Tackle™

Rig Shark Fishing Tackle UK - Suppliers of high quality sea fishing rod tip lights, terminal tackle & accessories. Based in Lynmouth North Devon, United Kingdom.
rigshark.co.uk rigshark.co.uk
 
I hate the idea that my rod tips are visible for the world n his wife to see. I’ve seen those lights on people’s rods from 3 swims down on the Trent before and personally I find them way too bright.
The isotope is perfect for me because it’s a personal indicator that lets me and only me know what is happening with my rods.
 
I’ve been using the green ones but as the batteries were starting to go I thought I’d order some new batteries and noticed they now do blue ones that flash red so bought a set of them. The batteries are better than the old ones were but the way they flash red I’m sure is different from the green ones I got. There seems to be a long ish gap between flashes so it’s hard to tell if you’ve had a little tap or a big pull when it’s pitch black.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I hate the idea that my rod tips are visible for the world n his wife to see. I’ve seen those lights on people’s rods from 3 swims down on the Trent before and personally I find them way too bright.
The isotope is perfect for me because it’s a personal indicator that lets me and only me know what is happening with my rods.
Click to expand...
I used to think the same. A lad I used to fish with used to use the mini glow sticks and when we were sharing a peg it used to annoy the hell out of me how bright they were and loved the fact my isotopes were bright enough to see if I got a bite but didn’t tell the world I was there but after a couple of times using the rig shark lights I quickly fell in love with them and couldn’t picture myself going back to isotopes.
Only downside is when you forget to charge the batteries.
I always found with isotopes that the longer you stared at them as you got tired they would start to look like they were moving. It helped when I had 2 on the rod about a foot apart but with the rig shark you don’t need to stare at them the whole time as long as they are in the corner of your eye you’ll see when you get a bite
 
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