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Pastor

Starting Over

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Several years ago I tried fly tying. I sold my equipment and now I want to try it again. I need suggestions for a good desk, vice, books, etc. Also a good shop that could help me with getting the items. Thanks.

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Made2fly has awesome desks at under $300. I just got one and love it.

 

As for supplies, I have never tried J. Stockard, but they are the sponsor of this board and I have heard very good things about them.

 

I buy everything as far as materials and clothing through hook&hackle (hookhack.com) because of their great prices and the service that Bob provides is remarkable.

 

I was recently leaving for a fishing trip out west and found out last minute that I would be needing felt bottom shoes. Bob responded to my email within 5 minutes and said he could rush the shipment out to me, and he STILL only charged me the $3.95 shipping rate. They are fist class if you ask me. They have gotten a life long customer from me.

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J. Stockard is great with friendly excellent customer service. headbang.gif I just got a Dan-Vise and it works great for a true rotary for under $100. As for tools I like Thompsons tool kit for under $40 get them at Thompsons website Good luck with your future ties.

 

Sam

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I second that on the danvise - I just got one about a month ago and can't believe how much it improved the quality of my flies and how many more flies I can tie in an hour.

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I have had my danvise for 7 mos and I love it love it love it!!! I get matereals from j stockard, barlowstackle.com, hookand hackle feather craft and ebay. I buy all of my feathers at a fly shop I like to open the feather bag and make sure they are what I want (length shean look quality etc...)

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The Made2fly desk is very nice and I intended to buy one until my HGTV addicted wife intervened. She was concerned about the industrial look of the desk in her house. I tie in my den which is a converted bedroom and she wanted something more like furniture . What I found was a computer desk at Target that is almost the exact dimensions as the Made2fly, but is made from real wood and was $100 cheaper.

 

Here is a pic user posted image

 

I'm still looking for something to replace the plastic drawers which my wife hates, but that will come in time.

 

All of the vendors and manufacturers mentioned so far will all give you good products and good service. A vise is a very personal investment, I wouldn't just buy one because someone else likes a particular style. Personally, I have no use for a rotary vise, I prefer the style that my Nor-Vise or my HMH gives me, but these aren't for everyone, they suit me and the types of flies I tie the most.

 

Look around and tryout as many as you can before you decide.

 

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

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QUOTE (TroutBum @ Sep 9 2005, 10:31 AM)
The Made2fly desk is very nice and I intended to buy one until my HGTV addicted wife intervened. She was concerned about the industrial look of the desk in her house. I tie in my den which is a converted bedroom and she wanted something more like furniture . What I found was a computer desk at Target that is almost the exact dimensions as the Made2fly, but is made from real wood and was $100 cheaper.

Here is a pic user posted image

I'm still looking for something to replace the plastic drawers which my wife hates, but that will come in time.

All of the vendors and manufacturers mentioned so far will all give you good products and good service. A vise is a very personal investment, I wouldn't just buy one because someone else likes a particular style. Personally, I have no use for a rotary vise, I prefer the style that my Nor-Vise or my HMH gives me, but these aren't for everyone, they suit me and the types of flies I tie the most.

Look around and tryout as many as you can before you decide.

Good luck and wecome to the forum.

The nor-vices are awesome! Although it does really depend on what, how, and how many flies you are tying. I will probably get one of those in the next 5 years.

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Nor-Vise is a great vise but it took me about six months to really learn to love it. My HMH is another great vise and I use it for when I travel, do a demo and for tube flies (it is an awesome tube fly vise).

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Paul,

 

Your wife need not talk with my wife about the plastic. We will both be broke searching the antique Stores up here for old postal slots and storage bins.

 

That old powder bow was disappeared a few years ago.

 

All being said. I would love to get a tier made roll top desk. pricey though. but it fits the furnature thing with the wife.

 

As far as tools and vises go get the best quality you can afford, and as Troutbum said try out the stuff before you buy.

 

A good place to get the "Hands on" experience is a Federation of Fly fishers club. checkout the website

 

www.fedflyfishers.org for a list of clubs in your area.

 

Irish

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Hi Pastor,

 

Gretchen & I made our tying table out of an unfinish, undrilled interior door layed over a couple of three door file cabinets. The set-up places the tying table surface at 28" and we adjust the vise height from there. Take care & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

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Cabelas has a fairly inexpensive ($19.99) "Streamside" fly tying kit that has pretty much all the tools needed to get started. Comes in a wooden box that can be C clamped to a kitchen table or wherever. Cheap way to find out if you really want to get back into things in a big way and then upgrade to more expensive tools. As for materials, look around, there is lot of stuff you can use without spending a cent! ie. copper wire in broken appliance cords; tails, feathers etc. from roadkills ( carry a pair of pruning shears in your vehicle ), duck feathers from the local park's duck pond; left over tinsel in the Xmas tree ornament box, etc. etc. All you need to do is constantly stay on the lookout for something that might be useful. The other day I bought some eye glass cleaner that was attached to a bonus bottle with some clear tacky silicon that I'm going to try as body material on some scud patterns. If it works, I may just invest in a tube of clear, permanently flexible silicone sealant that you can get at any hardware store for a couple of bucks. Good Luck!

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As far as a desk, I use a Walmart special I bought years ago for around $30. probably $40 now. The trick is to make sure you get one that is low enough so you can look down on the vise and fly as you tie. That or get an adjustable chair which will bring you up to that level.

The second is a good light, an adjustable shop light on a swing arm with a 100 watt bulb works well.

I would think next would be a good pattern book which shows both pictures of the flies, gives recipes, and instructions on different tying techniques. Eric Leisers book of fly patterns is a good one for that but there are probably newer ones showing newer recipes out there. With a good book you can pick out the patterns you want to tie then you get the materials to match the patterns.

If you get materials first you will forever be short a material to tie one fly or another, by getting the book first you buy the materials you need to do the flies you want.

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