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Pike Trace Wire.

Alan White

Senior Member
Hi all what is the best wire for twisting been a crimp man for years but would like to give twisting a go thanks in advance.
 
Alan

Drennan Soft Strand or Super Trace. The Soft Strand is supple as you like, BUT also a magnet for kinks. The Super Trace isn't quite as supple, but still supple enough to twist, and is supposed to be kink resistant, but I've not yet caught on it so can't comment on that just yet. The Drennan wires are also better value for money than most others as you typically get 10 or 15 metres, as opposed to the usual 5 for about the same price.

Also Caliber Wonder Wire, IF you can find it (it is supposedly still made, but I've never seen it anywhere for years - fortunately I have a huge stock left from previous years) is also excellent twisting wire.

However, you may be interested in my recent thread (Esox Time) which covers my findings in some head-to-head tests with both crimped and twisted traces, and the results across the board were that I could find no real advantage of twisting over crimped. In fact, if anything, I found twisting to be messy, cumbersome and time consuming when done at home with a stable surface and decent light, whilst crimped traces can be made simply and quickly on the bank in the worst weather and they will be just as strong and reliable. Just make sure you don't crush either end of the crimps.
 
"make sure you don't crush either end of the crimps".

Why would that be ,does it weaken the wire ?

Mark - if you crush the ends of the crimps you risk those crimp ends slicing the outer surface of the wire due to the tightness against the wire, even with a crimp cover sleeve over them, thus increasing the chances of the wire breaking at that point, well below its breaking strain. If you leave both ends uncrimped, you avoid this from happening, and the crimp sleeve covers prevent the wire from moving around in that space at the end. If that makes sense...
 
Alan

Drennan Soft Strand or Super Trace. The Soft Strand is supple as you like, BUT also a magnet for kinks. The Super Trace isn't quite as supple, but still supple enough to twist, and is supposed to be kink resistant, but I've not yet caught on it so can't comment on that just yet. The Drennan wires are also better value for money than most others as you typically get 10 or 15 metres, as opposed to the usual 5 for about the same price.

Also Caliber Wonder Wire, IF you can find it (it is supposedly still made, but I've never seen it anywhere for years - fortunately I have a huge stock left from previous years) is also excellent twisting wire.

However, you may be interested in my recent thread (Esox Time) which covers my findings in some head-to-head tests with both crimped and twisted traces, and the results across the board were that I could find no real advantage of twisting over crimped. In fact, if anything, I found twisting to be messy, cumbersome and time consuming when done at home with a stable surface and decent light, whilst crimped traces can be made simply and quickly on the bank in the worst weather and they will be just as strong and reliable. Just make sure you don't crush either end of the crimps.


Hi Steve

Where is your article ?
 
A crimp crushed at the end will form a "stress raiser" sooner or later a stress raiser will cause a fatigue failure. The longer lived the wire, the worse the problem.
 
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