ever happen to you?

[streamerstoscuds 0]

Recently something happened to me while tying that has never happened to me before. I was putting a size 14 dry fly hook in my vise(griffin MT pro). I put it in and closed the jaws with the lever. The hook literally shot out of the jaws and hit the wall on the other side of the room. I heard it hit, but I couldn't find it. I figured I tried to put it to far forward. Has this ever happened to you?

[Floyd 0]

Yes it happens when the hook is placed to close to the edge of the vise jaws. It happened to me with a size 14 hook. After a couple of months I found it when I stepped on it. Luck it just stuck in my sock and not my foot.

[perchjerker 0]

This has been a perennial problem with Regal vises. I have chips in the tip of the jaws on mine as a result of this kind of mishap. I no longer use this vise for anything smaller than #14. As a consequence of quitting tying the smaller sizes on this vise, I no longer have the problem. A cohort-in-crime has had the jaws replaced at least 3 times in his Regal because of the chipping due to such hook expulsion. Perhaps this problem has been resolved with their new Stainless Steel jaws.

 

The problem in the case of the Regal vise has been that one has to place the smaller hooks very near the tip of the jaws to have sufficient shank exposure to properly tie on the hook. Such close tip placement results in the hook being forced out of the jaws by their pressure on the every small area of the bend. The degree of force is exemplified by the very loud noise generated when they slam together, and the resultant chipping.

 

In a word, the answer to your basic question is:YES!!

[Druce 0]

hey man anything to keep it exciting.

 

Druce

[whatfly 0]

While the problem is often associated with Regal vises, you can have this happen with any vise on the market. Ironically, I've done it on my Regal and have NOT chipped my jaws (newer model) but I also did it on my Renzetti Traveller to and took a nice chip out of the jaws -- and for those who like to complain about replacing Regal jaws, check out how much it costs to do it on a Renzetti...

[Steve P 0]

I do that rather often and I've been tying for over 20 yrs... it happens I just try to see how many times I hear it hit now!! Kinda like trying to beat my old record or something.

 

Steve

[Bob T 0]

Recently something happened to me while tying that has never happened to me before. I was putting a size 14 dry fly hook in my vise(griffin MT pro). I put it in and closed the jaws with the lever. The hook literally shot out of the jaws and hit the wall on the other side of the room. I heard it hit, but I couldn't find it. I figured I tried to put it to far forward. Has this ever happened to you?

 

I do not use this vise but I always keep a good size magnet on my tying desk to pick up errant hooks that I drop now and then. Keeps me from stepping on them or the dog from finding one.

 

Bob

[JSzymczyk 0]

I'm one of the lucky(?) ones I guess... I've never had this happen with hooks down to 24. I've used several different vises, settling on Peak several years ago, and also HMH. I regularly tie down to 20 on the standard jaws of my Peak.

 

I honestly think most tyers put WAY too much tension on their vise jaws (Regal and clones excepted, where you don't control it---- but evidently it is excessive). Put it this way, if you can break your thread with steady downward pull, the jaws are tight enough!! I always laugh when I see the photos of hooks bent into pretzels in a vise jaw to market how "strong" the vise is. If there is enough potential energy stored in the jaws to fire a hook across the room and make a scary loud noise, it seems to me just a tad overkill when you consider many of the old "Masters" held hooks in their fingers, not a vise.

 

IMO if this is happening in your life, there are issues to be resolved: the vise jaws are worn, or you need to learn correct hook positioning, or your jaws are severely over tensioned, or some combination of factors. If I remember correctly, HMH includes some instructions along these lines in their literature.

[Silver Doctor 0]

the Regal is the only vice I've experienced this with, as was said you do need to be careful how you seat the hook in this vice. Excellent vice but like all vices you do have to use it properly.