Bead Heads

[Kevin James]

Hey, is it just me or do you guys also get crappy quality beads whether they are tungsten or brass?
By crappy, I mean QC (Quality Control)/

You try feed the beads onto hooks and a few fit and the next few are like trying to thread a square peg into a round hole.

I have tried different brands, but there is on average a 20% failure on beads.

I've always used Rip Lips Beads, but somehow I think they have also gone the Chinese route and quality has dropped over the years (+/- last 5 years)

I'm sick of sitting here poking a dubbing needle through the beads to open the hole and tearing up fingers.

What are you blokes using?

FWIW - my hooks I use are always the same.
TMC 2488H for my nymphs and I'm not prepared to compromise.
Usual sizes are #16 and #18

Interested to know.

[GGY]

Hey, is it just me or do you guys also get crappy quality beads whether they are tungsten or brass?
By crappy, I mean QC (Quality Control)/

You try feed the beads onto hooks and a few fit and the next few are like trying to thread a square peg into a round hole.
FWIW - my hooks I use are always the same.
TMC 2488H for my nymphs and I'm not prepared to compromise.
Usual sizes are #16 and #18

I would suggest trying Morne @ The African Fly Angler:
http://www.theafricanflyangler.co.za...beads?Itemid=0

BTW - TMC 2488H are rather thick and have quite a bend, which makes it even harder to get a bead to fit.
What are you fishing for? I could suggest a better hook.

[Grant111]

I would suggest trying Morne @ The African Fly Angler:
http://www.theafricanflyangler.co.za...beads?Itemid=0

BTW - TMC 2488H are rather thick and have quite a bend, which makes it even harder to get a bead to fit.
What are you fishing for? I could suggest a better hook.

Hi Gary and members

My understanding is that most tungsten beads you buy are about 40-60% tungsten.

Can we get a higher tungsten % in SA? If so where?

I'm thinking that for a higher % you can fish with a smaller bead to achieve the same weight and that can only be an advantage.

[GGY]

Hi Gary and members

My understanding is that most tungsten beads you buy are about 40-60% tungsten.
Can we get a higher tungsten % in SA? If so where?
I'm thinking that for a higher % you can fish with a smaller bead to achieve the same weight and that can only be an advantage.

Now Tungsten density = 19.3g/cm^3.
All "tungsten" beads must be alloyed - max alloy density I know about is around 18g/cm^3.
The best "tungsten" beads have the highest density, as well as the smallest PRACTICAL slot/hole (width & shape)m as well as the least amount of countersink (for beads with a hole, not a slot).
To be honest, most tungsten beads come from a very limited amount of suppliers, mostly in China, and thus most will be similar in tungsten %.

That said, Competition Tungsten is a brand out of Europe, which claims a greater tungsten %, and thus density.
From my testing, using an accurate scale, this is around 8-10% more mass for the same size slotted bead. Some of this is probably down to smaller slots/holes. Their countersunk are closer to 2-5% heavier, since they have quite a large "countersunk" cutout. Whether this ~5-10% is enough to go a bead size smaller is debatable. Slimmer flies, thinner hooks & less bulk on the fly is likely to have a greater effect than 5-10% heavier bead.

These are available in SA - contact Ronnie Smith. ronnies@kia.co.za

[Kevin James]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the reply.

I love the TMC2488H hook - yep, bit thicker (and heavier) but it is such a strong hook for the big NZ trout and don't open.
Usually sizes #14-20 are my go-to hook. They are 3x wide which makes a huge difference too.
The key to this hook is the straight eye which I also like and rides in the water!

I used the TMC2457 a lot as well, but have consolidated and gone the heavier hook route with the nymphs.

What are you tying on?

@Grant - these beads I use are 97% tungsten and go down like the Kursk.
Always been good, but the QC has let them down of late.

[GGY]

Hi Gary,
I love the TMC2488H hook - yep, bit thicker (and heavier) but it is such a strong hook for the big NZ trout and don't open.
Usually sizes #14-20 are my go-to hook. They are 3x wide which makes a huge difference too.
The key to this hook is the straight eye which I also like and rides in the water!
What are you tying on?

Ah - I see now you are in Oz.
My preferences depend upon fly style, but I also want the same hook to work on trout and smallmouth yellows, so my requirements match yours for NZ trout.
Briefly:
JIGS - Fulling Mill Jig Force Barbless
Nymph - Hanak H230 (#12-16 ), Dohiku 301 (#18-20) [technically a dry fly hook, but perfecxt for both dry & nymph in these sizes]
addis - Fulling Mill Czech Nymph
Dry - Hanak H130 (#12-16), then Dohiku 301 (#18-20)
Streamer - Knapek N Nymph hooks (not their Streamer hook). Knapek L Lake hooks for certain patterns.

@Grant - these beads I use are 97% tungsten and go down like the Kursk.
Always been good, but the QC has let them down of late.

Careful here - claims of 97% tungsten *may* only be that - claims. I have weighed quite a lot of tungsten on an accurate scale (to 0.001g).

[Grant111]

Now Tungsten density = 19.3g/cm^3.
All "tungsten" beads must be alloyed - max alloy density I know about is around 18g/cm^3.
The best "tungsten" beads have the highest density, as well as the smallest PRACTICAL slot/hole (width & shape)m as well as the least amount of countersink (for beads with a hole, not a slot).
To be honest, most tungsten beads come from a very limited amount of suppliers, mostly in China, and thus most will be similar in tungsten %.

That said, Competition Tungsten is a brand out of Europe, which claims a greater tungsten %, and thus density.
From my testing, using an accurate scale, this is around 8-10% more mass for the same size slotted bead. Some of this is probably down to smaller slots/holes. Their countersunk are closer to 2-5% heavier, since they have quite a large "countersunk" cutout. Whether this ~5-10% is enough to go a bead size smaller is debatable. Slimmer flies, thinner hooks & less bulk on the fly is likely to have a greater effect than 5-10% heavier bead.

These are available in SA - contact Ronnie Smith. ronnies@kia.co.za

Tks Gary

I agree, a 5-10% weight difference is not going to make the difference is was hoping for. Was really hoping the commercial beads were low in content and there was a way to get a significant improvement by sourcing something different.

Oh well.

[Kevin James]

Thanks Gary for insight.

I don't know enough about tungsten % and what weights to comment so appreciate your input there.
The 97% is a claim on their packaging - what I do know though is that these beads shatter on wayward casts.

For comparison relatively speaking, what would be the weight of say the following sized beads:

2.00mm = 5/64"
2.50mm = 3/32"
3.00mm = 7/64"

I have some very accurate scales I can use that weigh powder for hand loads.
Just be interesting to know.

Thanks mate again for the useful info.

[Korrie]

Then compare the size of the hole, and how much of the bead was machined out for "better tying"
I prefer a bead that is cut "square" at the back, but not that easy to find.

[GGY]

Thanks Gary for insight.
For comparison relatively speaking, what would be the weight of say the following sized beads:
2.00mm = 5/64"
2.50mm = 3/32"
3.00mm = 7/64"
I have some very accurate scales I can use that weigh powder for hand loads.

Metric v Imperial conversions are not very good starting point. A lot of the bead manufacturers make both metric (in 0.5mm increments) and imperial (in X/8 or 16 or 32 or 64) - some mix and match similar sizes.
I personally prefer the 0.5mm metric increments for my beads.
5/64" = 2.0mm (close enough)
3/32" = actually 2.4mm
7/64" = actually 2.8mm

Since volume of a sphere is 4/3*Pi*r^3:
A true 2.5mm has 13% more volume than a 2.4mm
A true 3.0mm has 22% more volume than a 2.8mm

Here are some figures (These I weighed myself):

Type	Size	Mass (g)
Tungsten-Slotted	4.0	0.432
Tungsten-Slotted	3.5	0.287
Tungsten-Slotted	3.0	0.190
Tungsten-Slotted	2.5	0.124
Tungsten-Slotted	2.0	0.053
Tungsten-C/Sunk	3.8	0.421
Tungsten-C/Sunk	3.3	0.281
Tungsten-C/Sunk	3.0	0.195
Tungsten-C/Sunk	2.5	0.116
Tungsten-C/Sunk	2.0	0.065

And material, as well as actual dia, hole/slot dia, countersunk cutout also make a big difference in overall mass.
In the above, the 2.0mm slotted actually has less mass than the 2.0mm countersunk - this I think is due to central hole size.

Weigh 10 beads to reduce error.
If you are going to compare using a powder scale - 1 grain = 0.065grams & most measure to 1/10 of a grain = 0.0065grams