Clear Eyes

[Chase Creek 0]

This is a really old one, but haven't seen it in a while. Keep a piece of hackle close by. If you get some cement in the eye of the hook when finishing the head, thread the butt of the stem through the eye and pull it thru, it will clear the eye right out. Beats fumbling with the little pointy thing on the end of your clippers on the stream.

[camoham 0]

good tip.

 

if the eye is obstructed when im finished tying (hard to see for me on size 12 hooks without magnification)...................i wait a bit. i then heat up a needle and run it through the eye.

 

definately dont want to mess with that when im fortuneate enough to be around water.

 

camoham

[letumgo 0]

Good tip!

 

I normally use a single piece of peacock herl to clear the eye when I need to. I trim off the base of the stem and poke it through the eye of the hook. When you pull it back out, the head cement clings to the little fibers on the side of the herl and the eye ends up completely clean. The herl is also very flexible so you can run it in and out of the eye to remove head cement or lacquere around the base of the head of the fly.

 

[Fly Tyer Guy 0]

I use a piece of monofilament. When you stick it through the eye the glue comes of in little beads on the mono.

[flygirl08 0]

letumgo,

peacock hearl is genius! I always just stick a needle in the eye. I'll have to try it your way!

[mnorton 0]

HI there...I've used a toothpick before..if too big for eye just shave it a bit seems to work... Mike

[Skip48 0]

I also use a toothpick when painting jig heads and it seems to get paint in the eye a lot. When using powder paint it's very hard to clear after it's baked. However you can take a bodkin and heat the tip and when you stick it through the eye it will melt the paint even after it's baked on.

 

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