Thompson A vise

[falconsprint 0]

I really am interested in starting fly tying.

I haven't started as of now.

A friend of mine GAVE me a kit he recieved and never tried.

It is a Warsi fly tying kit.

After browsing for hours, I found ot I believe the vice is a Thompson A vise.

I have watched a lot of tying videos and NEVER saw what the little round wound sprins around the vice, connected together with hooks on the end.

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING FOR?

All information on this vice would be appreciated.

Dosen't look high tech, probably not much to add.

Thanks in advance

FalconSprint

[peregrines 0]

falconsprint

 

Congratulations on the kit, and welcome aboard. There's all kinds of weird stuff used in tying, as you'll soon see.

 

If this is your kit:

http://www.wapsifly.com/wapkits.html

 

You should have these tools:

vise- if it has a spring on top that acts as a material clip to keep stuff out of the way- you put long stuff like ribbing or whatever that you tie on towards the tail between the coils of the spring to keep it out of the way while you finish making the body, then pull it out of the clip and wrap it forward over the body.

 

bodkin - the needle thing sticking out of a shaft used to apply head cement, or free trapped feather or hair from under thread wraps

 

bobbin- for holding spools of thread while tying

 

scissors

 

and........ hackle pliers. Another thing witha coil spring kinda look to it on one end. They're for winding feathers around the hook like an airplane propeller and are great for tying dry flies and other stuff. It makes it easier than trying to hold the feathers with your fingers.

 

Hope this helps. Keep asking questions as they come up. There are a lot of great resources here and on the web, but folks here are very helpful. If you can you might want to look around for a local flyshop and/or your chapter of Trout Unlimited or Federation of Fly Fishers. Most will offer beginning tying classes, or will certainly know where to find them, and that is absolutely the best way to learn. You'll learn a ton and get all kinds of tips and tricks.

 

Good luck!

 

peregrines

[Old Hat 0]

:thumbup:

The Thompson A vise is a good beginner's vise. I would be willing to bet that more beginning tyers have learned on a Thompson vise than any other.

They are simple to use, take care of and will last. My first vise was a Thompson. Unfortunately, the company went out of business a few years back, but you can still find parts for them if you need any extras or ever want to add different jaws.

 

[Guest]

The spring you are describing is for holding materials that are already tied in out of the way as you tie in other materials.