flymph_52 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I have received the past month the by “Chifly” ordered applicators from Renzetti and Tiemco as well. And to be honest, I was surprised about the Tiemco applicator when opens the package. A brilliant machined top quality product and I am sure it shall find many satisfied customers. The oversized wide bottom part is filled with cork what gives the very stable applicator more grip at the desk. A product where is seriously thought about. The needle, and in this case the needle holder is an explicit part of the lock system. Is this applicator worth the money? This is a subjective state of mind. I like to works with good quality products so it gives me not only a good feeling when works with but also a certain pleasure when just only looks at it when busy with my PC or reading some magazines etc… To give a better view at the applicators I place some pics…….. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 for me, i dont see the need for these products when the original bottle is perfectly good. just another added expense i dont want to pay for. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phg 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I have to agree. For the price difference, they just don't add that much to the equation. $3 vs $35? ...Sort of a no brainer, unless you have money to burn. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whatfly 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 Considering how many times I've spilled head cement on the table, and searched around for my bodkin under a pile of materials, the need is obvious. Whether or not the cost is reasonable is purely up to the tier, as the OP pointed out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I agree that all the costs are relative. I have drilled a hole right where I need it and now never lose my bodkin so that worked for me.(no not a labotomy) The bottles of nail varnish lay scattered around so can always lay my hands on that. But I do look at the 'proper' bottles and think they make the desk look finished, but I'd rather spend the money on fishing permits. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wavey1988 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 you can get a paint jar, like the one used on an airbrush, and some foam pip lagging, very cheap. Pop the bottle in the lagging and stick your bodkin in the foam, is what I do. The foam makes a wide base that makes the jar difficult to tip over. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyFishin'Jam 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I guess i have a question relating to this but i purchase 'head cement' at a shop, the type with the needle built into the screw cap lid... Why is the needle always only about half the depth of the bottle? Once my head cement gets low i have to tilt the bottle to get any on the needle. Kind of bothers me a bit, and wondering why the needle wouldn't say go all the way to the bottom? Bizarre!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I suppose the amount of 'extra' cement running down a long needle would involve more wiping off excess or risk of a big blob appearing at the tip just as you take it to the fly? I just dip my bodkin into the sally bottle and cut the brush off the lid as high up as possible. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyFishin'Jam 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 Ahh the 'big blob' could be a reason! I was quite perplexed and perhaps it is just to make me buy more head cement? Usually when using it i do wipe the excess on the side of the bottle tho. I do believe i have made it more complex than it needs to be, finishing heads i use the head cement when whip finishing. Then i use CCG Hydro, then a coat of SH. Seems to be quite a strong head and can be whipped on rocks during the back cast Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I'll have to start that too then. Maybe if I tried a blob of resin over the point it'd stop all my back cast issues. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phg 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 How you choose to spend your money is, of course, your own decision, but a bottle like this does not spill when tipped over, and it's a trivial thing to bore a 3/4" hole in a block of wood to provide a secure place to set the bottle down. You could even glue a piece of felt to the wood block to make it even more fancy, and still add only $.05 to the cost. At the $3 price, you purchase this and a tiers grade Collins hackle cape for less than your Tiemco glue bottle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chase Creek 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I gave up on the applicator needles years ago. I use the applicator bottle minus the needle, with Sally Hanson's (If only she knew). I use round toothpicks as applicators. I keep them in a shot glass near the vise. You can control the amount of cement on the tip by how far you dip it in. After, just toss the toothpick in the trash - no need to wipe anything off. AND, toothpicks are cheap! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
P.G. Beckett 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 I gave up on the applicator needles years ago. I use the applicator bottle minus the needle, with Sally Hanson's (If only she knew). I use round toothpicks as applicators. I keep them in a shot glass near the vise. You can control the amount of cement on the tip by how far you dip it in. After, just toss the toothpick in the trash - no need to wipe anything off. AND, toothpicks are cheap! Have to agree with you, a 1000 toothpicks is $1.00 at the local dollar store. I just can't see using a bodkin if you tie a lot of flies with large heads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phish 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 When i went and bought fresh bottle os sally HAN i simply whipped out the old bristle on the cap and heat weld a pin. Works beautifully! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lykos33 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2012 As anyone who knows me can attest to....I'm one cheap S.O.B. The foam is packing from something, soft and easy to cut out for whatever shape your bottle is. The long needle is one purchased in a pack at Wally world, about 6 inches long, a leather sewing needle is the thick one,my bodkin, and my favorite applicator is a 1/8 in OD piece of brass with a "E' string from a guitar super glued in it for tiny precise drops of glue I have tried the squeeze bottle with the needle applicator and all I had was grief with it drying up in the needle. I still use tooth picks on occasion but I tend to knock them over too, so the needles I have stuck in the foam work best for me....not to rain on the new guys' sales pitch or anything. I CAN see the beauty of a clean organized desk , but I tend to not be able to work in that kind of environment...another reason I won't post in "My Bench" .... Murray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites