John F's DIY: Small Tips & Tricks

[REEFMAN]

Nice!! 

[John F]

Wax it!

The next time you replace the line on your spinning reel, clean the lip of the spool and then apply a small amount of car wax to the lip. Allow it to dry, and then buff it out. The line will glide smoothly over the lip, with less friction, adding considerable distance to your cast and causing less wear and tear on the line.

Tip by Gary Tiller, published on Salt Walter Sportsman mag.

[Ziggy]

Wax it!

The next time you replace the line on your spinning reel, clean the lip of the spool and then apply a small amount of car wax to the lip. Allow it to dry, and then buff it out. The line will glide smoothly over the lip, with less friction, adding considerable distance to your cast and causing less wear and tear on the line.

Tip by Gary Tiller, published on Salt Walter Sportsman mag.

Damn! This tip is a day too late! Yesterday I replaced line on my  BG10 and BG15......

[John F]

Drilling through lead

Drilling through lead either to enlarge a pre-existing hole or to open a new one, can be a pain in the neck. Normal metal bits, given their coiled threads, just get stuck into the soft lead and break. This is how I went around this problem. Got hold of a +/- 10 cm long piece of S/S wire (1.8 mm) and flattened the tip with a hammer. Then, used a grinder to sharpen the tip like a spear. All done! This bit will drill through lead with a bit of extra pressure, but will not get stuck!

[Charles]

Thanks John F!! I will definitely give the S/S drill a test.

[SAfish]

Keep your zippers lubed
Plastic and metallic zippers are commonly used these days in lures bags, rod tubes, and other tackle holders. Usually these are used and seldom lubricated or washed properly after a day's fishing, only to be found a few weeks later surrounded by a whitish salt ring and seized! To prevent this I use a few drops of a multi purpose lube oil (Q20) along the zipper from time to time. Run it a few times to spread the oil and the magic is done! No more seized zippers and it will last a long time!

I prepared for our upcoming trip I found the zippers on my tackle bag seized up and I sprayed it with Q20 it didn't help getting it loose. Eventually I made a paste from Bicarbonate of Soda and water and scrubbed it with an old tooth brush. I then soaked it in warm soapy water for a while and gently worked them loose. 
Now I will treat them so that they do not get stuck again.
Thanks for the tips, Marcos.

[John F]

Glad you managed to save your zippers, Hermann. I'm usually not so patient and end up ruining it all.

One product that might help removing the salt deposits is Salt-Away. It is used to flush outboards. Only one drop diluted in about 20 ml of water should be enough to get rid of the salt.

[SAfish]

  I will give it a try. The other solution is to fish more often. 

[John F]

Gelcoat still tacky? Wax it!

Sometimes (for various reasons) one needs to apply gelcoat on the boat. Despite following the correct hardner:gelcoat mix ratio, and after the curing time, the gelcoat still feels sticky. Here's a cheap and easy solution: apply liquid wax with a brush. Let it sit for a couple of hours and then wash it down with soapy water.

Job's done!

[PH]

Gelcoat still tacky? Wax it!

Sometimes (for various reasons) one needs to apply gelcoat on the boat. Despite following the correct hardner:gelcoat mix ratio, and after the curing time, the gelcoat still feels sticky. Here's a cheap and easy solution: apply liquid wax with a brush. Let it sit for a couple of hours and then wash it down with soapy water.

Job's done!

Good tip!
Gel coat cures properly in the absence of oxygin. Some types of gel coat already has wax mixed in. After applying the gel coat, the wax migrates to the surface thus excluding air and seals the resin from the air, which has the same result as per the tip above.

[peterblace]

Gelcoat still tacky? Wax it!

Sometimes (for various reasons) one needs to apply gelcoat on the boat. Despite following the correct hardner:gelcoat mix ratio, and after the curing time, the gelcoat still feels sticky. Here's a cheap and easy solution: apply liquid wax with a brush. Let it sit for a couple of hours and then wash it down with soapy water.

Job's done!

I guess I need to have some work done on my fishing hatches

[John F]

Anti chaffing with old copper wire

Sometimes one runs out of chafe tubing. Here's a cheap and good alternative I've been using for a long time. Leftovers of copper wire. Strip them and use the covering tube. They come in different sizes and colours and work well. Cut the ends an angle and voila job's done.

[John F]

Icy water

I was recently offered this 10 L water container with a tap at the bottom. Apparently they are available from selected petrol stations in SA. I fill half of it with drinking water and freeze it laying down with the tap on top. When it's time to go fishing I just fill the empty space with water, keep it in the cooler box and voila.... ice cold water for the rest of the day, with the added bonus of having other drinks in the cooler kept cold without any extra ice.

[FishStyx]

Cool idea... Literally 

[Shaun17]

Icy water

I was recently offered this 10 L water container with a tap at the bottom. Apparently they are available from selected petrol stations in SA. I fill half of it with drinking water and freeze it laying down with the tap on top. When it's time to go fishing I just fill the empty space with water, keep it in the cooler box and voila.... ice cold water for the rest of the day, with the added bonus of having other drinks in the cooler kept cold without any extra ice.

Lekker idea!! 

[John F]

Spooling bucket

I recently had to re-spool my x2 Okuma Makaira 50W ii reels with 80 Lb dacron. To spool with the necessary tension (not having access to a proper spooling machine), I used the water bucket method. Drilled two holes to keep the iron rod in place. The two old tennis balls act as drag washers and provide the necessary tension, which is adjusted using washers and nuts. Two other iron rods prevent the balls from turning. Filled the bucket with water (both for weight and to dissipate the heat generated). Black magic harness on and voila... all spooled tightly, on my own. No need to annoy the missus or wait on your lazy-a$$ crew!!!! It works very well. WARNING: This is thirsty work!!!!!

[FishStyx]

That is so cunning bud... 

[Chigger]

Thanks John F I always enjoy these posts

[John F]

Broken rods can be re-used

Sometimes rods break, for whatever the reason or even for no reason at all! Don't throw it away. There a lot of things one can do with a broken rod that can't be fixed (talking specifically about offshore use). I have recently salvaged two rods (one from a friend that threw it away and the other that was found in Ponta full of barnacles)... inserted roller tips and use one as a kite rod and the other as a teaser rod to manage Bwana's flasher teaser. Other uses include turning them into shorter gaffs, camera sticks for the GoPro, center rigger or flag pole. 

[Cam Mundy]

Gelcoat still tacky? Wax it!

Sometimes (for various reasons) one needs to apply gelcoat on the boat. Despite following the correct hardner:gelcoat mix ratio, and after the curing time, the gelcoat still feels sticky. Here's a cheap and easy solution: apply liquid wax with a brush. Let it sit for a couple of hours and then wash it down with soapy water.

Job's done!

Just as a matter of interest Gelcoat is made for molds if you need to do brush on repair work ask for Flow Coat it has wax added, if you can't get at a boat shop check with swimming pool suppliers or try get styrene wax which you mix with Gelcoat to make flowcoat.

To save time on small patch work use a piece of flat plastic rubbed with wax and tape it in place over the gelcoat repair it'll help it cure and flattens the gelcoat out saving you time as there is less sanding afterwards.