FLY TYING TOOLS YOU MADE YOURSELF

[petelangevin 0]

I made a fly dryer out of an old paint tint mix motor. Probably cost me more than some of the cheap ones out today but i can adjust it from 3 rpm to about 12. Solid state sealed motor that will run forever. I also made a hook bender out of plate aluminum with a steel pin set in the middle. Various other things used for bodkins. Plan on building a dubbing brush machine eventually. I have a sewing machine motor that i salvaged for that project.

[perchjerker 0]

silkhdh...

 

Thanks for the compliments on the doll-eye applicator. I am a wood turner and made it from some scrap cocobolo I had.

 

silkhdh and Kirk...

 

You two guys are still wet behind the ears! You are both younger than my oldest son!

 

Jollyred...

 

A very nicely turned dubbing needle handle and Velco dubbing teaser handle. I especially like the three s lightly incised cuts on both. You can greatly embellish them by taking a piece of single-strand wire, stretching it between two sticks, and then holding the wire in the grooves while the lathe is running. I burns them into the wood, leaving black rings. O do this to the handles I make for my turning tools.

[perchjerker 0]

A couple of napkin rings to show the effects of burning the incised grooves.

 

Frank

[SILKHDH 0]

UTYER,

 

Thanks for the pics. I like the bobber tool idea and the old stick bait for a tool.

 

JOLLYRED,

 

I like the lathe work too. My father passed away a fews years back and had a wood lathe. I may have to spend a day at the house on that lathe. I have access to a full machine shop so I could make them from metal but nothing looks like a nice piece of wood. Man , I got to get off my butt and send some pics of my stuff. But I warn you all, I got a lot of stuff I made myself. LOL

[Jolly Red 0]

Perchjerker, usually do the burning on tool handles, don't know why I didn't do it on this one. Will probably make more, so might do it later.

Silkhdh, half the fun of any hobby is trying to make tools or gadgets to do the job easier or with better results. Might also save some money (as long as you don't count the cost of the tools and materials or count your time for doint it ).

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Kirk,

...I get colder, slower, more sore, and grumpier every day.. lol

 

 

Silk, glad I'm not the only one. Also, speaking of slower, it is slower to warm up and to get un-sore.

 

 

Kirk,

...I take it that it is foil wrapped, then embossed with something. I have done the embossing with a Exacto knife knurled handle. But nothing with the big scales as on yours. I like it. It is like a small form of expanded metal as the embossing media. The guard on a small fan like on the side of a computer perhaps???

 

Actually, I seal or stabilize my balsa bodies after I've shaped them with some thin CA glue and then sand down the raised grain. The CA penetrates the outside layer of balsa making it very hard almost plastic like, which makes it impossible to emboss after glueing the foil on and rolling a knurled handle on to it. So, what I do is what some lure makers do, I pre-texture the foil and gently press it to each side with a sponge and then burnish the back and belly edges of the foil.

I use Isopon Aluminum Mesh available as far as I know only from the UK but it is pretty cheap and goes a long way. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Isopon-Aluminium-Mesh-10inx8in-Reinforcing-Repair-Mesh-/370491371485?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item564301afdd

 

I also use it as a mask as you can wrap it around your lure and pinch it to hold in place opposed to having to use clips for flimsy/flexible nylon mesh. You can see the product at the 2:30 point of this video I did and see how I use it as a painting mask further in to the video.

 

 

Kirk

[sthrncomfort 0]

I added a SBS on how I create my Altoids Fly Boxes.

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=69736

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and I'll be glad to help.

 

Cheers

[SILKHDH 0]

KIRK,

 

Thanks for the video. I swear I have allready watched it. Should have known it was you. You really do have advanced painting skills. Some day soon I will have to spend a week doing some painting. Thanks for helping to make this forum special.

 

 

 

sthrncomfort,

 

Thanks for the SBS on the fly box. I guarantee by the end of the week, there will be many fly fisherman with Altoid

fly boxes running around out there. Looks like a fun little project to me. Maybe we should buy some Altoid stocks for the spike they are soon to have. LOL

[Dave Pamenter 0]

I had been looking for a material storage solution, came up with a little cupboard set up where I can slide containers from the local hardware in and out. Plan is to build 3-4 of these.

 

 

[FlyTieDad 0]

Neither of these are my own work but I have to say they intrigue me.

 

The first link is how to build a vise for $6.

I keep thinking about how good of a project this would be for a Scout troop.

How better a way to get the kids invested in fly tying then to have them make their own gear.

 

http://www.mwflytying.com/tools/The%20Engleman_vise.html

 

Next you can also make you own bobbin for a few cents as well.

 

 

 

Hope this inspires people who fear the cost of gear to get into fly tying.

 

FlyTieDad

[bass master 0]

Thought I would share this. Just picked up a new vise to replace my old Thompson pro. Thinking that I would put away the old one, but seems it still had a use. Problem was both are clamps. So instead of just buying a pedestal, I had a steel shim laying around and a bushing with a lock nut. A drill, JB weld, thumb screw and some paint later its done. Didnt glue on a cork bottom yet, but I will. The dry flyer was even easier. Have heard some use the motor for this. Why not use the whole can opener? I replaced the switch with a toggle switch. Unscrewed the wheel that turned the cans. Was on a 1/4" bolt. So I put on a nut..1/2 ways then a 1' 1/2 bolt. Attached a U clamp I had laying around to the other end. Push some foam on and its ready.

 

[Poopdeck 0]

Never even heard of using a can opener motor let alone the entire can opener. Good stuff.

[mikechell 0]

Can openers are noisy ... yes?

 

And my cats would be going crazy the whole time !!!

[bass master 0]

Yes, some what. But free, fast and easy... Still talking about the can opener?? Took me all about 1/2 hour. Works great.

[Bimini15 0]

My dubbing brush is a toothbrush that I shaved until the bristles felt stiff enough.