I can see this as becoming the newest super-fiber for fishing rods. Here's a link that hints at what could be: [www.nbcnews.com]. It's interesting stuff to me; but then, I'm a geek/gourmet cook/engineer, sportsman, and anything else you can imagine. Everything interests me. But just think of it. If the super silk can be mass produced, it could be the next level of strength in fishing rods, personal armor, light weight, super strong waders, etc. Just think of the possibilities for fly tying thread, leaders, and tippets, super thin backing, guide winding threads, etc. Exciting stuff.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2022 08:44PM by Robert Flowers.

"SPOTLIGHT ON MATERIALS | THE LOWDOWN ON GRAPHENE"

[ctsfishing.com]

chris c nash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "SPOTLIGHT ON MATERIALS | THE LOWDOWN ON
> GRAPHENE"
>
> [ctsfishing.com]-
> lowdown-on-graphene/

This spider silk is stronger tha Kevlar, the strongest man made fiber. It has yet to be mass produced, and is the strongest known fiber. Yes, graphene has been shown to really not make stronger blanks, as stated by XTS. However, the potential for this silk mush stronger, and tougher than anything previous will ba a game changer. I'd be willing to bet that Gary Loomis is keeping an eye on its development; but that's pure speculation.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

Trust me when I tell you , NFC along with every other top blank manufacturer in the world is well aware of everything and anything that has the potential of being used in blank manufacturer , they know about it way before people in the news report on it.

Interesting read about graphene. Really love the way CTS exposed potential problems with adding it to rod blanks.

Honestly, reading it has peaked my interest in building on a CTS blank. That now makes two blanks I'd like to build on before I no longer need to build rods. I already have too many as it is. LOL

The sensitivity [lack of stretch, rigidity?] of line materials has been improved, but the sensitivity of the human hand remains the same. A certain amount of flexibility (which creates slack) is mandatory in a fishline, agreed? I suspect that current developments in fish lines have provided as much sensitivity as is possible, and the rod can not provide any more sensitivity than the line can.

Correct Phil, line sensitivity beats out rod sensitivity every time..no contest.Especially with braid..I fish with glass rods and power pro line and have more sensitivity than when I used graphite rods with mono..

Ok everyone, I get it. However, I'm not suggesting graphene be used directly in rod blank construction, or even to make fishing line. But just think of a lighter, thinner, stronger backing for your fly reel, that surpasses gel spun backing in strength and toughness, or a fishing line that is thinner, lighter, and tougher than anything available on the market right now, all made by the graphene ingesting spiders, and producing super strong spider silk. I still believe it would be a game changer, even using the silk to make tougher rod blanks. Graphene alone doesn't seem to do the job. But graphene enhanced spider silk...

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

I don't understand why you think that manufacturers in these industries aren't already on top of it , they're constantly testing and researching new materials and if a new material turns out to be a game changer you can bet it will eventually hit the market . There are also a ton of new materials that have already been thoroughly tested and researched that manufacturers deem unsuitable for a wide variety of reasons that nobody hears about because it gets scrapped.

"We concluded that adding a bit of graphene to our resins might be good for the marketing department and our ability to sell a higher priced product, but marginally detrimental to performance." Don't do it, CTS. We'll get Phil after you.

Now I don't have to worry about how to feed grapene to my spiders. They seem to prefer insects.