I read that you can use a weedeater line or tennis racket line to replace TDR snare gut, but nobody explained how to crimp the ends. I first searched fishing tackle and found nothing that worked. Then I thought of wire crimping and discovered that crimp terminators work great!
Weedeater lines are available in various diameters. I found that .065 inch diameter fits just right. There are round lines and hex-shaped lines (with edges for cutting.) Use the rounded lines.
You’ll need a crimping tool, and the wire crimp sizes are designated in AWG, which stands for “American Wire Gauge.” A crimp size of AWG 14 is .064 inches, but I had no trouble sliding the .065 line through.
There is a plastic insulator on the terminator that slides off; you don’t need it. Once you crimp the end of your line with the crimping tool, you can easily snip off the head with a wire cutter. The connector ends can be different types, like oval or circular rings or open “U” shapes. It doesn’t matter for this use. IMPORTANT: Use a wire crimping tool, not pliers!
I suppose you could hit the crimped weed line end with a lighter to fuse/melt them together, but I don’t think it is necessary. I recently replaced some missing gut with a weedeater line on an old TDR, and it sounds great! (TDR’s have a clean, sweet, and punchy tone.)
There are drum parts and service shops that will sell you new snare gut to replace the originals. You may still have to find a way to crimp the ends. Using a weedeater line is an inexpensive short term fix.
Final note NEVER put Kevlar heads on a TDR!!! You’ll bust the lugs.
See the images below for an AWG wire gauge chart, examples of wire ends, and photos of a TDR with weedeater line used as a replacement snare guts.
