We're interested here in rigging. Those happy with stretched sprue will probably remain so. If you employ either light fishing line or even thinner fly tying line (especially Uni-Caenis 20 Denier) this stuff may be worth a look. The item in question is Berkeley Nanofil uni-filament fishing line that has 1 lb breaking strength and an average diameter of .001" or .025mm. Someone on our site estimated Uni-Caenis thread at .05mm but I think that's considerably too thick. I've spent some time on fly fishing sites and it appears that giving a diameter of extremely thin lines is something of an estimate: "denier" is actually a function of length/and weight and would show itself in how much would be required to tie around a home made fly shaft: more turns, thinner the line. Break strength is also an estimate. Uni-Caenis is rated by Uni-Productions at 4 ounces break strength - but that's unimportant for fly tying. Thin there would be good for securing very delicate materials.
I have Nanofil, Uni-Caenis and Berkeley Fireline MicroIce Crystal (1 lb break strength at 4 ounces normal break strength: .06mm diameter.) If the estimate of a .05mm diameter was correct for Uni Caenis the Fireline MicroIce I used on my recent 1/700 Tamiya Scharnhorst should have been very close in diameter. In the pic below, you can see some strands of Uni Caenis strung vertically over some Fireline. The Caenis is obviously thinner, but the Fireline was the thinnest fishing line I had seen until that point. Here's a pic that should show what I mean (should note that this is about as close as my camera will allow me to take a picture so if both lines look hefty, you're getting an ant's eye view):
The NanoFil arrived today. A photo would be pointless so you'll just have to trust me. In terms of diameter NanoFil appears, as advertised, about half the diameter of Fireline MicroIce. (The MicroIce is thicker, but the example in the photo was run under a sharpie and the ink actually adds to apparent thickness I think.) I would estimate that the Uni Caenis remains the thinnest of the lot, but not by much. How one determines proper scale on items like this, I haven't the foggiest other than guess work. All I know is that from 10 feet away Uni Caenis is essentially invisible and that photos of Scharnhorst taken from considerable distance showed some obvious rigging.
Uni Caenis does have advantages. If thin you want it's the thinnest, but only by a hair. (No pun intended.) It costs $2 for a lifetime supply. And, being thread, it snips off with the slightest contact by something sharp. It comes in black and white, so you can chose the poison - I don't know if real lines and cables are dark or light - models in our gallery show both.
NanoFil is $19 per 150 yard spool, no doubt a life time's supply. (If MicroIce would work well at 1/350 or smaller scale, it is available in 50 yard filler spools for about $6.) The material is remarkably strong - not even the bravest fisherman is going to want to actually fish with a 4oz test line - so it might be a little trickier to trim, although I found a new #11 Xacto blade cut MicroIce very easily. I haven't rigged a ship with NanoFil, but I've done some knots etc. There's no question it is much easier to work with than Uni Caenis. The problem with threads is that they have zero memory. Pick a piece up and it wiggles where it wants - I don't even find dipping the tip into CA much help. Fishing line has to have some memory - if a maker says it has none, he means it has less. You have to be able to tie a knot with fishing line and if it won't hold straight for a moment, that can be a real challenge - especially at night when you have to re-rig in the middle of a school of striped bass. Anyway, if you have 4X glasses NanoFil will go where you aim it. I find Uni always difficult but possible to deal with in very easy situations, but a real trial if it must be threaded through a fine point. That will be a far lesser problem with NanoFil - although you will still want glasses, because however it compares to Uni, it is far thinner than standard 2lb mono.
Anyway, the stuff is really thin and it will be pretty civilized to work with. And being a filament line, it tightens under heat just as sprue does. (I don't know about Uni 20, but Uni 6/0 line - still very thin stuff - will also tighten perhaps because it's "waxed" with some kind of polymer.
NanoFil or Crystal MicroIce are both available at competitive prices at the Berkeley web site http://www.berkley-fishing.com/ . You can also find either on Amazon or at Cabella's. NanoFil comes in clear, smoke and moss green color.
If anyone would like to check out a few inches, send me a private message and I'll send some out.
Eric
