I need some help with spinners!

A
Agordon
I just recently started making spinners, but I'm having trouble with some of them. I made a couple of size 3 French spinners, and the blades spin just fine, but they wobble a lot as the blade spins, unlike any pre-made commercial spinner I have used, and the shaft of the lure spins more also, which started twisting my line even with a swivel, something that commercial spinners don't do. I also made some size 2 and 3 in-line Panther martin style spinners on the same shafts, and there shafts did not spin or wobble at all.

Here is a list of the components I used(mostly from Lurepartsonline):
4" long 0.026 diameter open eye wire shafts
size 4 treble hook with vinyl tubing

and, from top to bottom on the shafts:
size 2 clevis with size 3 French blade
2 hollow metal beads, size 3/32"
3/16 ounce lead worm weight (from local tackle store)
5 mm plastic bead

The in-line spinners used the same shafts and metal beads, but with 1/16 ounce worm weights, and single siwash style hooks. They dont use the plastic bead or hook tubing. All the top loops were made with pliers.

So can anyone see what I'm doing wrong? Is the front to rear weight balance of the spinners off? Would using size 1 clevises on the French blades cut down on the wobbling? Any help would be much appreciated.
 
G
GDBrown
Welcome to the OFF Gang!

Can you post a photo of the spinner? It's easier to diagnose the problem if we can see the object.

GD
 
troutdude
troutdude
Welcome to the best forum on the planet.

Agreed. If you can post pics, it will be much easier to help you.
 
O
osmosis
What company does that place get their clevis' from? It could be drag on the wire from the clevis.
Did you taper in on the body beads, if not there could be a bind there.
 
F
FishFinger
I was hoping for a picture before guessing what the issues might be. Initially (based on the OP) it's sounds like the clevis might be too large; that's going to depend on where the hole is punched into the #3 french blade. Dropping to a #1 clevis might help the blade wobble. As Osmo wrote it could also be be in the way the components are stacked causing a lack of proper taper. I'm assuming your observations were made while running the spinner in water, if so we can't rule out loop tuning, the positioning of the tubing or the 3mm tubing guide bead.

Pictures will go a long way towards solving the mystery.
 
A
Agordon
Picture 006.jpg
Hopefully this picture will upload correctly. I tried these spinners in the water again yesterday, and I noticed that the spinner with two plastic beads seems to wobble and spin more than the spinner with only one, so that might have something to do with it. Maybe I should try making a spinner without the plastic bead and with a size 1 clevis?
 
troutdude
troutdude
I don't see anything that's obvious. It does look like the clevis is a bit large, but I'm not sure if a smaller one would solve your issues or not.

You could try sending a message (and pic's) to Don Green @ Fisherman Shack. He has been building spinners (and selling components) for at least 25 years.

Fisherman's Shack
 
F
FishFinger
The hole in those blades appears quite large, it might well be a clevis issue. Try a #1 and see if that tightens up the blade to the wire shaft. I don't see any wraps below the beads. Are you using the beads to secure the hook loop? My final question would be, what happens when you hold the tag end just below the upper loop, and spin it between your thumb and finger. Is the bottom loop adjusted (tuned) where when spun, the hook remains seated at the bottom of the loop w/o being thrown out to the side.
 
F
fish_4_all
Cheap lead bodies, they look like they are off a little and the holes are likely off center a tad or even oblong instead of round. Either one will cause a wobble. Try a better quality lead bullet weight and that might clear things up. The smaller the hole the better and as even as possible as far as body shape. I use Gremlin or other "steel" weights on my spinners at times and I have never had a wobble even with a larger hole in them. There are quality lead bodies out there also so lead free isn't neccesary to get a good proportionate body for even running.
 
S
SLEDME
I have been making custom spinners for about 25 years now and i think i can help you here.I would use a larger bead that fits in the depression of the bullet weight with a smaller one just below towards the hook.It also looks like you need to shorten the shaft so that you dont have so much extra length above the blade/clevis.A shaft that is that long is prone to getting bent and that will cause all kinds of problems.The two most important components to make a spinner work correctly are a proper fit of the clevis to the shaft and a correct size blade for the body and weight of the spinner.Also a very small quality bead that the clevis rides and spins on can make or break the action of a spinner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Admin
A
Agordon
Thanks for all the help everybody. To answer the questions: Yes, I was using the beads to secure the bottom loop. When I tried spinning the wire in my fingers, the hook stayed in the center of the loop, so I think they're balanced. I'm not sure where the company gets there clevises.
I used some of the suggestions and made another spinner. I used a size 1 clevis, a 1/4 ounce Water Gremlin sinker I had, and I just slid the bead and weight over the loop to secure it. The size 1 clevis seems to spin well enough, but I haven't tried it in the water yet, so I'll report back after I do.
Here are some pictures of the new spinner:
Picture 011.jpgPicture 012.jpg
 
C
ChezJfrey
While I'm certainly no expert, I'm going to guess the newer version might work better.

Looking at the previous ones, those extra beads near the treble put the spinner blade pretty high up and my understanding is that the lower part of the blade might need to be nearer the top loop of the hook. Anyone else think that might throw things off balance a bit?
 
troutdude
troutdude
Yep. That looks better. As long as the blade does not hang below the top of the hook, it should work well.

However, Water Gremlins and the other weights you are using, are just cheap lead sinkers. They are likely drilled OFF center, because precision isn't critical when used for it's intended purpose.

You will be much better OFF; to buy weights/bodies that are specifically designed and tooled for making spinners.

P.S. If you haven't got a copy of Jed Davis' book--and can afford to plunk the money down--you will learn all you need to know about making effective spinners that work well. Jed not only knows how to make spinners; but also tells you HOW to PROPERLY use them in all conditions!

P.P.S. I applaud your efforts...that's part of the learning process.

ONE MORE THING: I just found a video that is well done and shows the steps and the type of parts used:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnE21YAiCPQ
 
Last edited:
A
Agordon
I finally got to try out the new spinner, and I didn't see it spinning at all, or notice it wobbling, so the changes must have worked. Now that I know the Water Gremlin sinkers work, i'll buy a couple packages and paint some up in different colors. Thanks again for all the help, and sorry for taking so long to update.


PS:
osmosis' avatar pities the foo'.
 

Similar threads

Admin
Replies
0
Views
245
Admin
Admin
bass
Replies
3
Views
852
Fummus
Fummus
F
Replies
15
Views
1K
Fred
F
bass
Replies
4
Views
2K
bass
bass
bass
Replies
2
Views
890
bass
bass
Top Bottom