Worm welders

[silvercliff_46]

I know I'm cheap, but why throw away a soft plastic if the head is just screwed up.  Also bear in mind I am an old coot and have time to putz.

I have seen these "Worm Welders" for sale through the catalogs.  Has anyone tried them and how well do they work?????????

[jdw174]

Back when I was doing a bit of outdoor writing I was sent one of the earlier models of "worm welder" to play with.  Ran on one AA battery and was a solid loop of wire with a small Paddle at the tip that would heat up.  You slid it into the tear on the worm and pressed the button while slowly pulling it along the length of the tear.  It would melt the plastic together which would solidify after you removed the tool.  It worked fine, but I'm not sure it was worth the $20 asking price at the time.

[silvercliff_46]

Thanks for the info.  It might be worth considering since me and the wife fish a lot of plastics.

[Tpayneful]

I just picked up a bottle of Mend-It on ebay.  It is a liquid worm welder.  I have tried it once so far and I think it will work with a little practice.

[dumb_dog11]

I just picked up a bottle of Mend-It on ebay. It is a liquid worm welder. I have tried it once so far and I think it will work with a little practice.

mend-it is a glue not a liquid welder

should work just as good if not better than a welder

[silvercliff_46]

I may have to get the glue.  I have been searching the net and can't seem to find a welder.  Any suggestions on where to look???  Glues seem kind of messy.

[David P]

The glue will run out, I'm half way done with my bottle just from using it on Basstrix.

 It does work though, but if the worm welder works for plastic worms, it sounds like you just need a battery and you never run out?

[jdw174]

Silvercliff, I've tried to find a source for the electric gizmo, but haven't been able to find anything yet.  They've gone by several different names and the last I can think of was "Worm Welder".  They were in the BPS catalog until recently.  One other source you might try is Northern Bass Supply.  They always had a way of stocking out of the way items no one carried.  (www.northernbass.com)  If I can find anyone carrying these I'll get back to you.

[silvercliff_46]

Thanks guys.  I will keep trying to hunt it down on my end.  If I come up with something I will let you know too.

[Matt Fly]

Tried most ways to fuse worms together.    The best and simpleiest that seem to give me a stronger worm is a soldering iron.

I like to fuse bodies of 10-12 in worms together.

A soldering iron will melt and fuse the two together.

Soldering irons are cheap and can be bought at Radio shack.

Big worms work on Fork.

[Paul Roberts]

Ditto the soldering iron, although these are pretty hot -kind of overkill. The welder would likely be better especially if the element is fairly long and thin for getting into the tear better.

Also, even in a pinch on the water, a butane lighter can melt the head back together.

The problem with heat in general though is that it softens the plastic considerably. It will give some more fish per worm though.

I've gone to cyanoacrylic glues, Krazy Glue to be specific, for repairs. I keep a pin in the container the KG tube comes in, for cleaning out the nozzle. With a gentle squeeze, make sure the glue is going to flow, then insert the tapered nozzle into the tear, then squeeze a tiny amount as you pull the nozzle out. It works very well and stiffens the area of the tear.

[JKay]

Silvercliff,

Here's another option.  If you rig them carolina, t-rig or weightless, wait until they get a little chewed up, then rig those wacky.  I set aside the chewed up worms for wacky rigging and use the o-ring method.  Usually good for another few fish.  The bass seem to hit the chewed up ones just as much as a new one.

I also use *** worms which are more durable than Senkos.

John

[The Next KVD]

You might want to consider using Pro's Soft Bait Glue.

[Tpayneful]

I beg to differ.  Mend-it is NOT a GLUE.  If you pour it on your fingers and stick them together they will not be stuck together.  Mend-it will evaporate.  It actually catalyzes the plastic or in other words melts the plastic causing it to weld back together as it dries.  The bond is soft not hard like a glue.  They call it a glue strickly for marketing purposes so that someone can find it on a google search.  

[-ebby-]

cabelas has them for about 27 bucks just search for Proweld

this should be what you are looking for... i haven't tried it but im thinking about it.

sorry can't post links

[flechero]

A soldering iron

And you can find them for next to nothing.

[silvercliff_46]

Thanks Ebby

I checked the site and there it was, I'll be picking one up shortly.  

I think the soldering iron is a good idea, but I don't have an extension cord long enough to keep it in my boat when I am fishing.

[Ryan_Johnson]

There are soldering irons that run on butane if you want to go that route.  I'm not sure how much the cheaper ones cost, I bought mine from the Snap On guy years ago and use it all the time.

[Jig Man]

I have the Power Zap from Bass Pro.  It also doubles as a good braid cutter.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=2379&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

[silvercliff_46]

How do you like yours.  The one from Cabela's uses 2 batteries.  I see this one uses one.

Like most guys I want the biggest one, but I'm open.

[Jig Man]

I like it very well.  I keep it in my tool kit under my seat all the time.  I have found several uses for it both in the boat and in the shop.  

I was going to buy one from Cabela's.  I drove the 170 miles to the nearest store, gathered up an arm load of stuff and asked where their welder was located.  They told me in the catalog.  So I wound up getting nothing that day. >

[Guest muddy]

THATS WHY I SWITCHED FROM YAMAMOTO TO *** SO I DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AFTER EVERY TRIP

[-ebby-]

before you do buy one i was just at a sportsman warehouse and they had one for about 18 bucks, it was by the fly tying stuff. Might wanna check it out

[silvercliff_46]

Thanks

I'll check out the on-line store