Recycling hooks?

[Nick Williams 0]

Hey I have some flies that are either falling apart, look like crap or that I just want the hooks out of, so what are the best ways for getting the hooks clean?

 

Aside from using scissors, which I would rather avoid, are there other ways to clean them off?

[flytire 0]

nick

 

read this thread that is currently in the beginners corner

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=68953&pid=524410&st=15entry524410

[Chefben4 0]

I throw all my old flies or ones I dont like in a bag then a couple times a year sit down and start taking them apart. My favorite thing to use is a old school razor blade. Careful though or you will end up in the ER.

[brookiehunter 0]

I just use a razor blade as well. Just be careful not to slip and cut yourself. I just took about a half dozen flies apart last night.

[switch10 0]

Razor blade works best. I put the fly in vice and push the razor blade from the eye, to the hook bend. You can easily pull the materials off afterwards.

[Chase Creek 0]

A razor works very well, but as I did not inherit any of my family's coordination genes, I use an exacto knife - it has a handle.

[mikechell 0]

I agree with the general opinion here ... a razor blade. When cutting spun and stacked deer hair, use a regular double edged blade, nothing is sharper. For cleaning off hooks, you aren't concerned with the final looks, so a single edged razor blade is stronger and safer, just not as sharp.

If you are into gadgets and have good ventilation, you can use a hot wire knife. I used to make my own arrows, and I had one for cutting the fletchings. Having said that, I haven't seen one is years, so I don't even know if they are still available.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

Mike I still make my own cedar arrows for hunting in December with my recurve I have a feather burner like you described

[mikechell 0]

I had a brother-n-law try to string my recurve. He twisted the bow and split the lamination. I gave up all my bow hunting equipment shortly after that. All I have now is a compound with a fishing spool that I use to diminish the numbers of carp and gar.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I routinely re-cycle old flies if they're patterns that get bit over and over again. After a thorough rinse in freshwater, and being allowed to dry, I carefully remove the areas that need to be re-tied (usually wings, collars, remnants of wire weedguards) with a single edge razor blade (buy them by the 100 so the moment a blade dulls it's discarded - I save my double edged blades for new deerhair work exclusively). Once I have the bug down to good components then it's quickly re-tied and back in the game. The last thing to do before re-tying an old fly is to re-sharpen the hook, sharper than new, with a file (I'll discard any hook that can't be properly re-sharpened - or any hook with rust, since weakened hooks just won't do in my world...). Yesterday I re-did eight Night Flies to build up my stock for night bookings on Friday and Saturday, this weekend. When I'm running continuously those long, long days leave very little time for tying each night - but a few minutes at the vice and I can re-cycle a half dozen bugs that were chewed up that day and will actually be fished the next day (particularly Clousers).

[SCOwens 0]

yep, I was going to say a sharp razor also