Re: fibre

Betty R. Truitt (brtruitt@ix.netcom.com)
Wed, 22 Jan 1997 08:35:14 -0800

And, Dupont sells in such great quantities that it ties up lots of money to
get into the game of holding lots of inventory just to have what you want on
hand. Further, Dupont had changed the overall diameter of what they offer to
1/3 of the diameter we used to get from ICI!
I'll ask Phyllis/Sue what they might need in .050 and .055, maybe we can
put together an order. The only problem is the outlay of money initially for
such a lot of nylon is huge. That is why altho Mason is expensive, you only
need to purchase one roll at a time (thus keeping your bank account
higher).... it is the trade-off of having lots of stock on the shelf
(inventory) or paying more for the one roll and keeping your bank account
flush.... what you are paying for is time. If they (Mason) give you Dupont
Tynex there should not be great discrepancy in the consistency of size... if
they give you some other brand, well, I just don't know.

Soft nylon has a large stretch (elasticity) factor....by the time the
stretch of soft nylon has arrived at its stop stretching point the diameter is
reduced anywhere between .010 and .005! The theory of course is that when the
fish hits the end of the line you don't want the line to snap and break, you
want it to give so the fish will still be there! It is not really a good
solution... was/is done lots by Mexicans for their harps (that was all they
had available), but they use slack stringing. It really will not give you any
quality on your n/n strings, because the core will reduce in size to such a
great degree that the wrappings will go loose after the string is stretched by
the player to achieve the note desired if you don't take all the slack out
while you are making the string.
Yes, Dupont Tynex is Musical quality! You get it from Dupont in large
quantities, or from Mason who buys theirs from Dupont!

Laurie, I'm going to put your letter and mine on the harpmakers list. Perhaps
other harpmakers will be able to add their insights to the discussion; and
perhaps another source other than Mason Tackle.
Betty Truitt / Dragonwhispers

You wrote:
>
>Betty,
>
>I was just talking to one of the builders about fibre. He suggested ICI
>Fibre in England, but didn't have an address. Do you know anything about
>this?
>
>I know we've talked about this before but I want to check in with you again
>about this. It looks like I'm going to need some 050 and 055 in the next
>couple of months. I hate ordering from Mason cuz they're sooo expensive.
> Any other options? Do you know the difference between soft nylon and hard?
> It seems that the hard is a better sound and more consistent. Some of the
>stuff I get from Mason, the larger sizes, is larger and smaller in places.
>
>Also, I had another client talk about music quality vs fishing line. Any
>idea where to get music quality nylon, or what the difference is?
>
>You seem to enjoy helping and answering questions so thank you very much,
>Betty.
>
>Laurie