Goldfish culling net

Japanese culling nets

These nets came from the mountains of Nigata in Japan from someone on a koi buying trip. 

Culling, the hard part: SXK 1/6/13 about a week old

The worst part of the process is culling. It's made easier by knowing the out come will be better and by having the right hand made tools for the job.  Here are all my hand made nets.

1.25 inch pan net

5 inch pan net

5 inch pan net close up

Overdose ms-222

The early process (1 week+, first 50%) is a continual cull for obvious defects and runts. They are culled into a floating Petri dish with an overdose of ms-222 aka tricane.

This way they are continually put to sleep and you don't second guess yourself by staring into a dish of culls, tempted to give this or that one a second chance.

Suzuki x Kageyama (SXK) Topview Ranchu 10 dpf spawned 1/6/13

First Net with Coats DaBond thread and a new net knot

This is the first net made with the new high quality sail making thread: Coats Dabond. It worked great in the Riccar RZ208B Japanese sewing machine I picked up at a garage sale for $25. It was just serviced for $30 before I bought it. They sold it because they couldn't lift it anymore. The thing is a tank. Cast iron and all mechanical. I finished the net off by stitching the mesh onto the frame with a new knot I found while researching Japanese Tenkara fly fishing nets. Damn, didn't need a new project but I think I'll be making those soon.

And a demo from Youtube so I can remember how to use it.

COATS dabond® V69: a major thread upgrade for my nets

COATS dabond® 

Sun, salt water and wind — marine conditions can be tough on any thread. But even tough conditions like these are a breeze for COATS dabond® — a bonded, twisted continuous filament polyester thread. Combining superior sewability with excellent UV and abrasion protection, COATS dabond is specifically designed to provide resistance against nature’s toughest elements. And because it’s from Coats, you know you’re getting the guaranteed quality and performance globally from the world’s largest thread manufacturer.

Key Benefit:

Can withstand UV degradation in all outdoor applications exposed to marine water and sunlight.

Main Applications

• Sailmaking 

• Boat tops 

• Flags 

• Tents and awnings 

• Canvas and tarps 

• Inflatables/hot air balloons 

• Marine lift slings and tiedowns 

• Military supplies

• Applications requiring chlorine bleach-fastness

Special Features

• Excellent UV resistance for sunlight protection

• Unique bonding technology that safeguards against ply untwisting in zig zag and can sew through many layers of heavily finished fabric

• Dual level lube finish for needle heat protection and smooth sewing

• Excellent bleach, mildew and rot resistance

• The only environmentally-friendly bonded polyester thread available in the market

• The industry standard for sail making and other outdoor and marine applications

Chemical properties of CF Polyester

• Melting point 480-500oF (250-260oC) 

• Low moisture regain 0.4% (drip dry) 

• Excellent resistance to visible sunlight and UV rays 

• Unaffected by mildew, rot and marine water 

• Good resistance to acids and cold alkalis 

• Excellent bleach resistance (chlorine, peroxide, etc.) 

• Specific gravity = 1.38

A set of 3 for an Adventure Junkie named Cynthia

These are the first nets I've made to sell.  2 inch, 5 inch and 10 inch culling nets.  

A Nice Set of Culling Nets

See all my other nets here.

Thin film culling

See all my other nets here.

2" Culling Net

See all my other nets here.

10" Pan Net

See all my other nets here.