Q . shrink tubing

[Timberwolf]

A while back i read a thread about shrink tibing on knots, well i got a couple of meters off ebay, cut a bit off , slid it over knot (leader to mainline) stuck it over the steam on the kettle, it totally encapsulated the not , great i thought nice and tidy, but then a question entered my head, line is made of plastics realy isnt it, when plastic gets warm it stretches and melts.
My question is is this heating of the mainline to shockleader making it weaker and is it going to snap after a couple of casts, second question is , is it worth the bother ?

[Timberwolf]

Found out wether it weakens the line or not, the answer is most definately YES had 3 rods set up at the weekend, 2 with shrink tubing over the leader knots and 1 without, you guessed it, after a few casts lost 2 leaders, yes the ones with the shrink tubing covering the knot, NO i wont be using it again.

[poutmaster]

i saw an article on tv the other week about shrink tubing, it was about rigs for carp fishing, but i suppose it must be the same for sea? they said that you must not use steam for shrinking the tube as this is far too hot as this is super heated water, i can't remember if they said too dunk it in some boiling water, or pour it over !! hope that is some help?

bob

[Timberwolf]

thanks , ill try that one

[Ben]

i use a lighter for some pennel rigs but that makes a mess even worse

[big guy]

i use a flame to flare the ends of my leader knots then sorta squash the melted bit(while it's still hot) around the knot.

i also use the bimini twist, it's the strongest knot by far. i'll give anyone a mars bar if someone can give a clear step by step, idiots guide on how to tie it. i can't!

[Omahayank]

I've been waiting for someone to ask.
Whats the difference between the use of shrink tube and silicone tube?
And when you use them?
And given the difficulty of getting silicone tube over a knot,
Why wouldn't covering the knot with 'liquid' silicone caulk from a tube and letting it dry work just as well?
You could 'adjust' the 'stiffness' by how thick you applied the caulk.
I don't imagine I'll need such info, just a thought from a diff. point of view (1000miles from any shore)

[MRG2000]

Shrink tube is great.........But not for fishing........