Platypus 8kg low stretch question

[mikeyh]

Hi all,
I just spooled up an old 650 Alvey with 500m of pink Platypus 8kg low stretch. I've had it in the fridge in a sealed bag for a few years but noticed as I spooled the reel, the line felt slightly lumpy for nearly the whole length. The line still feels glossy like new line but the surface of the line isn't smooth. I stopped a few times to check and load the line and it felt ok. Has anyone had this experience? I've used other Platypus lines for decades and never had a failure so very happy with the product. I spooled another Alvey with Platinum 20lb last week with no issues but I think I'll bin it and get some more because mono is so cheap.
thanks, Mike

[Dignity]

Hi all,
I just spooled up an old 650 Alvey with 500m of pink Platypus 8kg low stretch. I've had it in the fridge in a sealed bag for a few years but noticed as I spooled the reel, the line felt slightly lumpy for nearly the whole length. The line still feels glossy like new line but the surface of the line isn't smooth. I stopped a few times to check and load the line and it felt ok. Has anyone had this experience? I've used other Platypus lines for decades and never had a failure so very happy with the product. I spooled another Alvey with Platinum 20lb last week with no issues but I think I'll bin it and get some more because mono is so cheap.
thanks, Mike

Is there a reason for keeping it in the fridge, I understood it was mostly UV light that affected mono, I have a spool of pink Maxima which would be 20 years old and kept in the shed that I put onto a bait runner reel last year and it has been fine, I found no deterioration or loss of strength. Maybe they made them better in those days.

[mikeyh]

Is there a reason for keeping it in the fridge, I understood it was mostly UV light that affected mono, I have a spool of pink Maxima which would be 20 years old and kept in the shed that I put onto a bait runner reel last year and it has been fine, I found no deterioration or loss of strength. Maybe they made them better in those days.

Thanks Dignity, The fridge may be overkill but I've had numerous items that normally would last for ages when kept in dark cupboards deteriorate badly. Up here in this Townsville hotbox I'm not taking any chances. I know about the UV issue but I read an article a few months back that said that cool dry storage for mono was even better which makes complete sense. The fridge is on anyway and has some space, so why not? All my braid is in the cupboard.
Thanks again

[NAGG]

Polyamides (Nylon) are all hydroscopic to one extent or another - overtime they can absorb several percent of moisture from their environment (like in a fridge) .

Monofilament is typically made from Nylon 6 which is perhaps the worst for moisture absorption

Chris

[Dignity]

Polyamides (Nylon) are all hydroscopic to one extent or another - overtime they can absorb several percent of moisture from their environment (like in a fridge) .

Monofilament is typically made from Nylon 6 which is perhaps the worst for moisture absorption

Chris

But a fridge is actually a dry place, one of the dryest deserts in the world is in the Antarctic. The only reason you have ice in a fridge or frezzer is because of the moisture in the air when you open the door, it very quickly condenses and dry air is the result.

[NAGG]

But a fridge is actually a dry place, one of the dryest deserts in the world is in the Antarctic. The only reason you have ice in a fridge or frezzer is because of the moisture in the air when you open the door, it very quickly condenses and dry air is the result.

A freezer might be dry at minus 18 - but a fridge section at 2 or 3 deg is less so ......My fridge is running at around 68% ..... which is quite low at 3 deg - but there is still moisture in that environment that will be absorbed by the mono .

Just FYI - due to the moisture pickup ... Nylons are dried in a desiccant drier prior to processing .

Chris

Chris

[Dignity]

A freezer might be dry at minus 18 - but a fridge section at 2 or 3 deg is less so ......My fridge is running at around 68% ..... which is quite low at 3 deg - but there is still moisture in that environment that will be absorbed by the mono .

Just FYI - due to the moisture pickup ... Nylons are dried in a desiccant drier prior to processing .

Chris

Chris

My humble apologies Chris, I was thinking of a freezer but had a brain freeze, I'll blame it on the booster shot I got yesterday (or old sge). Side effects do far, very tired.

[NAGG]

My humble apologies Chris, I was thinking of a freezer but had a brain freeze, I'll blame it on the booster shot I got yesterday (or old sge). Side effects do far, very tired.

All good mate ...... & what you said was reasonable & somewhat correct

- If you lived in tropical Qld the relative humidity in a fridge would be a lot lower than outside

if you lived at Broken Hill it would be the opposite .

I'd never heard of storing mono in a fridge before .... that was a new one on me . I dont know what difference it actually makes to the longevity of monofilament but I do know that over time moisture will cause nylon to loose it's properties ( it will swell & lose tensile strength).
An interesting thing about Nylon is that you dry the material before processing it - then often it is post conditioned by putting the moulded item into water to allow absorption to improve it's physical properties ..... nylon needs a certain level of moisture to perform at it's optimum ( impact strength) ..... tensile strength decreases though .

Quite a fascinating polymer

Chris

[mikeyh]

All good mate ...... & what you said was reasonable & somewhat correct

- If you lived in tropical Qld the relative humidity in a fridge would be a lot lower than outside

if you lived at Broken Hill it would be the opposite .

I'd never heard of storing mono in a fridge before .... that was a new one on me . I dont know what difference it actually makes to the longevity of monofilament but I do know that over time moisture will cause nylon to loose it's properties ( it will swell & lose tensile strength).
An interesting thing about Nylon is that you dry the material before processing it - then often it is post conditioned by putting the moulded item into water to allow absorption to improve it's physical properties ..... nylon needs a certain level of moisture to perform at it's optimum ( impact strength) ..... tensile strength decreases though .

Quite a fascinating polymer

Chris

Thanks Chris and Dignity,
The humidity inside my fridge is far lower than it is outside, even in winter outside and they are in a sealed ziplock bag anyway.. Specialty fridges for storing veggies etc are designed to be high humidity, other the reverse. I'll try some casting but think I'll ditch it for the sake of $20.
cheers

[Dignity]

Thanks Chris and Dignity,
The humidity inside my fridge is far lower than it is outside, even in winter outside and they are in a sealed ziplock bag anyway.. Specialty fridges for storing veggies etc are designed to be high humidity, other the reverse. I'll try some casting but think I'll ditch it for the sake of $20.
cheers

Slightly off topic, I store all my opened tubes of silicones and sealers in a freezer. They last better than on the shelf and take bugger all time to defrost.

[mikeyh]

Slightly off topic, I store all my opened tubes of silicones and sealers in a freezer. They last better than on the shelf and take bugger all time to defrost.

Hey Dignity,
I'll definitely try that...just hate it when you go to use the caulking gun only to find the damn silicon has set and dried out. thanks again, Mike