Hey Gang! Got my pretty orange furled leader from John Sanders yesterday. Showed it to my wife Jody and told her I was going to try to make some like it. She examined it closely and with a twinkle in her eye, said "Hon, I can make you one just like it using my Mix-Master". So, we tried it using some Gudebrod rod wrapping thread. She took the spool of thread and looped it through one (1) of the mixer blades, (we used the "dough" blade). Took the looped end of the thread in one hand and the spool in the other and walked about 12 feet away, pulled it fairly tight and asked me to turn on the mixer. I did. Started at slow speed, then speeded it up until it was running wide-open. Run it for about a minute and 45 seconds depending on thread you use. Watch the thread for tightness of the twist. You can even stop and start mixer. Turn mixer off; your're done with it. Jody had me to come take hold of the twisted thread in the middle, while she walked back to the mixer and tied the thread from her hands to the mixer blade next to the original thread. This kept the two ends together so that the twist wouldn't fall out. I was still holding the middle. She told me to drop my end, which I did. Boy you should have seen that thread wiggle as it wound itself together.
You have to let the thread do its own work, but she worked out the few kinks as she slid her fingers gently down the thread to the end I'd let loose. She repeated this continually until there was no more "backlashing". When she got all the little kinks out, she cut the thread from the mixer and tied a "fastening loop" in it. and shook the new furled leader. It laid out perfectly. Thanks again, John! JIMMY
