iaflyfisher

I use Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish on mine. It doesn't dissolve the alcohol based COPIC ink and dries quick and glossy. My Firetigers: iaflyfisher

When I powder paint jig heads I use silicone beads to protect the eye. Go to a "dollar store" and pickup some silicone pot holders (they have to be silicone so they dont burn or have paint stick) Cut the bead edge off the the pot holder so you have a 'ribbon" of silicone. Cut the ribbon into short lengths. Next take a small drill bit (I used 1/16th inch) and drill a hole in the silicone piece. Use a larger bit for larger hooks. Pictured is a size 10, 1/80 oz. To use, push the silicone bead onto the hook eye. then appply paint. I use a alcohol light to head the jig and dip in the paint. When cooled, pull the bead off, pinch and roll between your fingers and the paint ill fall off. I am sure this would work on other painting projectsas well. iaflyfisher

I posted here some time back on a Copic Air Brush System topic that I use Minwax Polycrylic as a coating on my Wapsi hard foam poppers. Being water based it will not dissolve or run any dried paint that you have on a popper. The Copic ABS uses alcohol based paint that dries very quickly, much like Sharpies which is also solvent based (not sure what but it shouldn't matter once it is dry) A coat or two will protect the popper very well. Search this site for polycrylic and you can see my poppers along good ideas people have posted. iaflyfisher

I'm curious as to your method of "making your own...." Care to share?? We use the Copic ABS and a set of masks. We are working on writing up the procedures. iaflyfisher

We make our own..

I have used Minwax waterbased polycrylic to coat mine. It doesn't dissolve the alcohol based Copic paint once it is dry. iaflyfisher

Yes. The 'spout' was a magnetic bar-b-que light I picked up from the local big box store. It works really well as a fly tying light. I did convert it to plug-in power instead of battery. It is LED and gives a lot of light and stays cool to the touch. I am thinking about making the faucets work as switches to the light and future garbage disposal. This whole bench is to remind us to sometimes think outside of the box - waaaayyyy outside, and to have fun doing it.

I had to make the sink. This is what I started with: and what I ended up with: I used a lot of JB-Weld and silicone to hold it together.. Norm's Nor-vise worked perfect fo this. Sorry there is no step-by-step - the plumber confiscated it.

I am working on the garbage disposal problem for next year.

When we gather for fly tying, I am always accused of bringing everything but the kitchen sink. At last weekends cabin fever retreat I took care of that problem. Since I could not buy a sink that would work I had to make one. It actually works quite nicely and my things don't roll off on to the floor. iaflyfisher

Feather-Craft has a youtube video on their site with someone demonstrating tying the BC Dodger, a Pole Dancer Look-a-like. They also have some kits available on the site. The video goes into pretty good detail with some important aspects of the tye which make the fly dance. ( ) iaflyfisher

Larry Dahlberg has some neat lure making plastics. Check out his Make a Lure site.. He also has videos on how to make the castings. I am thinking about trying some of it for hard foam popper heads and bodies. http://makelure.com/index.cfm iaflyfisher

Try using tungsten powder mixed in epoxy for additional weight. Check with a golf club maker or Google it on the Internet. It is a very fine powder used to weight the heads of golf clubs. The epoxy can be coated on the hook as a simple coating or it can be formed into a body shape. iaflyfisher

I heard from the St. Paul Fly Tyers that the Great Waters Expo is being scheduled for April 1-2-3, 2011 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN. When I checked at a local hotel there, they were 98% sure it was going to happen but it needed to be finalized. I am sure when it is, they will advertise it. (I got my reservations just in case) I hope it does go on so we can pay tribute to and remember Tom's great work in this sport. iaflyfisher

Here are some more ideas to think about when making a mounting board (I used a kitchen sink cutout and plastic cutting board). I also customized my regular and portable board by adding dubbing holders. iaflyfisher - old poker chip case - Stanley tool bag - 1 inch holes with plastic base of test strip bottle - dubbing pots installed - plastic cubbing board