Gene L

This was my first good vise after the Thompson A.  I've moved on but miss the Patriot. If you have one you're willing to sell, let me know. 

Agree with Heff2. I think the "wire" is the hook wire and he's suggesting covering the gap in the eye.  As Heff2 said, it's not much of a problem with new hooks.  The eye of the hook is the most difficult part of hook making. 

Can't get there unless you're a member. 

They have them twice a year at the conference center, I think it's called.  It's off Satellite Blvd.

Thanks.

Where do you find poly yarn so thick you need to separate the thread?  Or is everyone tying very small flies?

I think it's a Barred Rock chicken.  I don't know the difference tween Barred Rock, Dominiker and Grizzley. I think Griz is just a pattern off one of the two gray barred chickens and not a breed. Bob Jaklin said BR but the modern term is called grizzly.

When I was a kid we had Dominiker chickens in the yard.  They were hardy chickens and avoided the typical chicken-killers like weasels. 

Is it a draw collet or a push collet vise?

I was contacted recently as an ordinary man to endorse a product.  They wouldn't pay me in cash, but promised me sex with a Victoria's Secret model. It was tempting but I remained strong. As strong as Ajax, the foaming cleanser that will leave your bathroom clean and shiny. 

I'd say you were lucky.  I ordered some stuff from him based on a couple of good reviews amongst all the bad and that was the last I heard of him.  I can't remember if I paid for  it and it wasn't delivered, but I think that was the case.   He does have an excellent website, though.

Those bushes must be for saltwater?  They are huge, or appear to be. 

I had a tool for making brushes but donated it to TU.  When I was making brushes, I used fine copper wire.  I was given a quarter pound of  this very fine wire and I'd spin the brush until the wire broke. I doubt the X Small wire you get for fly tying is as fine as this, but I use it for dry flies that need a bit of strength.  It's too fine for creating segments on the fly's body.

I use a Peak base; it's heavy and works well.

 I got rid of my TRV and agree it's an excellent vise.  My carpal tunnel was exercised when torquing it down.  I had a Master Vise and sold it long ago for some reason.  That was a mistake. I now have a 4000, which is also a very good vise.  I suffer from the same VAD illness.

I had also a Traveller, which had a light-mass base.  I solved that defect by gluing the base to the desk.  Caused problems later but fixed the problem for the short term.

I saw one at the Fly Show I went to Friday.  It looked OK, but was a bit cheesy.  Light weight, mostly aluminum looked like.  I didn't look at it all that closely, nor the original Nirvana so I don't have a comparison.  It's a small vise.

I love CFO reels.  Here's a history of the reels I copied from the N American Fly Fishing forum;

The Rusty Spinner: History of the Orvis C.F.O.

Went to the annual fly fishing show today in Gwinette County,  Lawrenceville which is about 30 miles NE of Atlanta.  It was very well attended for a weekday.  I didn't need anything except a pheasant tail, which I got for $2.  I was there for nearly 4 hours on the concrete floor, and my steel hip got my attention.  I bought a small reel from Old Florida Flyshop because I liked the look of it and it was cheap, at $45.  Looks retro for a 3 or 4 wt line.  Made in Japan.  Saw lots of tiers who were turning out some beautiful flies. The casting pool was popular, and one guy was roll casting to the end of the pool.  All in all,  I'm glad I'm home where I can soak some of this pain from my legs. 

I didn't watch ANY of the Super Bowl and didn't even know this was the weekend for it.  Not a big fan of pro football. 

Spectacular!  A work of art.

I tied a couple of size 24 larva.  From the last issue of Fly Tyer.  My 4000 did just fine, but the fly is yellow yarn with an extra fine copper wire.  They look OK.  I don't have tippet fine enough and couldn't see the eye clearly enough to tie on a tippet, if I had one. Which I don't and I won't.  For me just an exercise in  passing fancy.

All true rotary vises are spawn of Renzetti.  I looked up on true rotary vises and I thought I posted it here.  The original looked like a Renzetti 3000.

I think it was made overseas as well.  But it has some very good and well thought out features.  I think you're better with a Traveler, because it's got a proven record of use but it's more costly. The Nirvana seems a good buy.  US vises are unreal.  I bought an Anvil Apex vise about then years ago for $88.  Nowadays it's changed hands (now Wolff Apex) and more than doubled in price ($229).  It's a good but not that great of a vice, but it gets very good reviews.

New to me, at least and not for me as I'm vise poor. It's the new Nirvana vise, recently re-introduced. The earlier version had some problems, but these seem to be addressed.  In fact, if it turns out as good as it shows, I think it will replace the Peak vise for tyers looking for a decent rotary vise at around $150.  I won't post reviews here because I haven't held one but I encourage anyone looking for a pedestal true rotary well considered vise that's had a lot of innovations.  The angle of the head can be adjusted to keep the hook in line with the axis of rotation.  All the screws have holes drilled through them so you can insert a punch through to tighten them. I predict it might replace the Peak vise for those in the market for a good vise at a great price .You saw it here.

An Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar.  The Scot yells, "Drinks all around, on me!"  The patrons of the bar gave loud cheers.  The next day the local paper read "Irish ventriloquist found beaten to death."

Very inventive. Reminds me of the Norvise midge jaws.