Ok, so here is my first write up. Ever. So I hope that a: it hasn't been done before, and b: you all can follow it.
I was looking at a video of an EZ Twist Pro on you tube thinking, "that looks great!" Then I saw the $250 price tag, and I thought, "I'll give it a shot by hand." Well that was an epic fail. I could only get one wire to wrap around the other which stayed straight. So thinking of the video, I pulled together some things I had laying around the house, and figured out a way to do a nice haywire for free.
The wire I used is Mustad 45 lb test leader wire. It is pretty thin for the test claimed. I'm a beginner recreational fisherman, so I'm hoping the kings won't bite through it! I'm not sure what they're capable of.
I used a circle topped screw from a picture hanging kit held in my drill like a bit. I had to use pliers and open the loop a bit.
I then wrapped the wire around a ball point pen to get a general loop shape. I made the loop about a 1/2 inch. It stretched a bit as the twists were formed and it laid flat rather than the loop. Then insert your hook/swivel to your loop. (The picture does not show this because I used scraps. I didn't think of doing the write up until all my leaders were already formed.)
I then clamped it to my workbench with a c-clamp so that the overlapping part was just hanging off the edge off the workbench. I didn't want to clamp the overlap for fear of flattening and weakening the wire.
Then I hooked on my "bit" and squeezed the trigger, but not full speed. Just be sure that the swivel hook stays at the end and doesn't try to get in one of the middle twists.
After twisting and sliding my bit out, I just wrapped the tag end by hand in a tight spiral. You may need to clamp the loop end of the twist in the flat part of a pair of pliers if you can't grip it tightly enough. Then break the tag end off by bending back and forth. I found out the hard way that what other sources say are true. If you clip it, you will have a sharp short wire poking out.
Hope this helps someone! If you want clarification on anything, let me know. Like I said before, this was my first how to write up!
I was looking at a video of an EZ Twist Pro on you tube thinking, "that looks great!" Then I saw the $250 price tag, and I thought, "I'll give it a shot by hand." Well that was an epic fail. I could only get one wire to wrap around the other which stayed straight. So thinking of the video, I pulled together some things I had laying around the house, and figured out a way to do a nice haywire for free.
The wire I used is Mustad 45 lb test leader wire. It is pretty thin for the test claimed. I'm a beginner recreational fisherman, so I'm hoping the kings won't bite through it! I'm not sure what they're capable of.
I used a circle topped screw from a picture hanging kit held in my drill like a bit. I had to use pliers and open the loop a bit.
I then wrapped the wire around a ball point pen to get a general loop shape. I made the loop about a 1/2 inch. It stretched a bit as the twists were formed and it laid flat rather than the loop. Then insert your hook/swivel to your loop. (The picture does not show this because I used scraps. I didn't think of doing the write up until all my leaders were already formed.)
I then clamped it to my workbench with a c-clamp so that the overlapping part was just hanging off the edge off the workbench. I didn't want to clamp the overlap for fear of flattening and weakening the wire.
Then I hooked on my "bit" and squeezed the trigger, but not full speed. Just be sure that the swivel hook stays at the end and doesn't try to get in one of the middle twists.
After twisting and sliding my bit out, I just wrapped the tag end by hand in a tight spiral. You may need to clamp the loop end of the twist in the flat part of a pair of pliers if you can't grip it tightly enough. Then break the tag end off by bending back and forth. I found out the hard way that what other sources say are true. If you clip it, you will have a sharp short wire poking out.
Hope this helps someone! If you want clarification on anything, let me know. Like I said before, this was my first how to write up!
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