To the use of armorall on pvc lines ...

I'm in the dubious position of being able to ask flytackle manufacturers all sorts of interesting questions - as well as some awkward ones. And so I will :-) and beginning with flylines. Over the next month/s I'll be interviewing Bruce Richards (from 3M) as well as Cortland, Airflo and Shakespeare. I am starting with Simon Gawesworth from Rio Products. If you have any questions feel free to post them on the Bulletin Board; they are always pretty quick to respond.
Rio Products

Simon, can you tell me your job at Rio please and are you a member of AAPGAI? (I have heard it rumoured that you keep sending your badge back!! :-))

My title here is Vice President of Public Relations and Educational Services. A bloody long title! I test and design lines here, as well as teach schools for RIO, write ads, catalogues and press releases, front RIO at shows around the US and a ton of other little bits and pieces. I am AAPGAI and have never sent my badge back!


Is there anything different with regards your flylines compared to other manufacturers and how are they made? To my knowledge, since Cortland have bought Masterline there are only 4 flyline manufacturers (is this right?) and of the other three one (who's name we can't use on Sexyloops) uses Polyurethane as opposed to PVC. Can you tell me why you use PVC?

:-)

There is another fly line manufacturer in the US - they are called Monic. They also extrude, like the the manufacturer who we don't name. Don't forget Shakespeare make their own lines, as well as Masterline (though they are owned by Cortland) With regard to the difference between extrusion and PVC, there are a number. We have looked into extrusion as a possibility but there are problems with this method in getting a 'perfect' fly line. The taper control is very much harder with extrusion. You cannot get a short taper with extrusion and certainly cannot get compound tapers - a specialty of RIO. With our machinery we can make X changes in one inch, so it is so much more accurate as a system for making the right tapers - that is the main reason we have chosen not to extrude. For similar reasons, you cannot make an effective density change, or colour change with extrusion. To do this, you need to weld together the density changes, or the colour changes - which is not the strongest method (nor neatest!) One other factor that is a big influence is durability. A fly line that is extruded has a life of between 3,000 and 20,000 cycles (a durability test of abrasion of a fly line, through rod rings). A PVC line lasts a minimum of 40,000 and we are getting over 100,000 cycles on all our lines. With regard to differences between RIO PVC lines and the others is mostly the technology we have. The precision we can get with our taper control is unbelievable compared to Cortland or SA. This has resulted in our SlickShooter Process which has produced the smoothest fly lines yet. We also have the best adhesive in the business, which is why we have the best durability in fly lines in the business. Finally, here at RIO, we have four very, very good fly fishermen and casters as the design team and most of the workforce are fly fishers - this results in great feedback and great ideas for product design, which is not possible when you only have scientists as designers!

How best to treat Rio Lines? What do you personally use (silicone spray? Armorall?)

Never, ever use Armorall on a PVC fly line. It breaks down the bond and results in very poor durability. The line will dry out and harden with constant use of Armorall. We recommend a mild soapy water with a flannel to clean the line, then if you want to re-lubricate it, apply a 100% silicone, though very lightly. All PVC fly lines use silicone as a lubricant, so it is best to use the base ingredient to prolong the line's life.

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Been using armor all for at least five years on my lines and they seem to be fine. It cleans and leaves them really slick.

The lines dont seem to degrade any faster than ones I have treated in the past with other commercial fly line treatments.

Perhaps a chemist could enlighten us why not to use armor all on pvc based fly lines?? If there is a scientific explanation that stands to reason, i'm more than willing to listen..

I'm sure Simons comments are not in any way intended to dissuade people from spending £4 on a large bottle of armor all that will last forever, and spending twice the money on a tiny bottle of rio agent X...

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www.paypalsucks.com

is that polyurethane lines

i'm a bit confused, is he saying no arorall on just SA lines, have to admit i have never seen any damage done by armorall.

i use a rio gold wtf 7 and clean it as you do, i also use loons line speed to coat the line when needed, there recomendation is to use 3 times a year, any body else use this

Er.... ditto and ditto.

It's not like i clean my lines a lot, maybe only three times a day, perhaps they only degrade if you clean them fanatically?

there is nothing wrong with fastidious line hygene

Well as I have just lashed out on four new Rio lines, I am listening to the man from del monte, he's the man in my book.
Buzz, you have NEVER cleaned a line, you just buy a new one when the other gets wet.
S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

I lube a lot

No.... you dribble a lot.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

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