dairydave

[fshng2 0]

3 hours ago, utyer said:

Harbor Freight has a hole punch set for under $10.00.  Then just by 2 or 4 mm sheets from a craft store.

 

 

That set looks like the ticket and good price thanks for posting.

Do you know if they are sharp enough to use in a drill to cut 1"thick foam?

[Philly 0]

I have a similar set, though I mostly use them with 2 mm.  I do use a file to sharpen them every so often..  If you can fit them in a drill, you should be able to "punch" through 1 inch foam.

[fshng2 0]

4 hours ago, Philly said:

I have a similar set, though I mostly use them with 2 mm.  I do use a file to sharpen them every so often..  If you can fit them in a drill, you should be able to "punch" through 1 inch foam.

Thanks  for the info Philly.

[dairydave 0]

thanks for the great tips.... i will post a few poppers that i have been making. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Years ago, before I started using Perfect Popper heads (the pre-shaped, slotted soft foam ones) I used cut out my own foam cylinders for popper heads.  All I used were thin wall brass tubing with one end sharpened...  Instead of punching out the cylinders I set up each tube in my rod-building lathe and easily cut them out cleanly in whatever diameter we needed.  You could do the same with an electric drill if you chose.

The thin wall brass tubing is available at most hobby shops and comes in nice perfectly straight 10 or 12” sections.

Here's a pic of what I'm making these days - they work really well on small tarpon and snook, speckled trout and everything else that will attack a popper on sight

I'm not doing any production tying these days but here's a batch ready to have tail and body added...

Hope this helps.

[utyer 0]

On 8/28/2020 at 12:11 AM, fshng2 said:

 

That set looks like the ticket and good price thanks for posting.

Do you know if they are sharp enough to use in a drill to cut 1"thick foam?

I don't know for sure, but others have said they should work.  After years of working on rod building and repairs, I have a nice collection of old ferrules that I use for cutting foam.  

[RickZieger 0]

I have the Harbor Freight punches.  Had a friend that was a machinist  cut many of the ends down so they would fit in a half inch drill. I cut thru five 2mm sheets that I have glued together. 

I can cut 8 bodies out before the punch gets to hot.

 

Rick 

[SilverCreek 0]

I bought a set of used nesting cork borers on Ebay from India years ago. They were about $15.00 for a set of 14 sizes and I got a sharpener as well.

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=harrison+steeves

It's what Harrison Steeves, author of fly tying books "Terrestrials" and "Tying Flies with Foam, Fur and Feathers" uses.

 

[dairydave 0]

i did order that foam block from the yoga outlet in grizzly color thursday....i am going to stop in harbor freight today and look for one of those punch sets. 

i only bought a basic fly tying kit about 2 months ago i wasnt sure if i would have the patience to make poppers. i did put together a few and they didn't turn out so bad but i quickly learned i would need a better vise. i went yesterday and picked up a Renzetti rotary and wow what a difference compared to the first one. anyways i didn't take any pictures of what i made but i will get my act together and get pics on here for you guys to see. like i said i use my computer at work to post i don't have a home computer or laptop. 

thanks for all the info so far. 

dave 

[dairydave 0]

d

[dairydave 0]

so the poppers in the picture are what i did have on my computer that he made us 4 or 5 years ago... these poppers make a sound unlike any other popper i have come across. i bought alot of poppers online from a bunch of different guys to start this year. some that i bought just push water and don't make a pop sound. some just dive. these ones here i guess i should start calling them bloopers. bloooooooooooooooooooooooooooop is the sound they make. 

[skeet3t 0]

A foam cutter can be made from a piece of copper tubing or conduit. Cut to length and grind/sharpen the end.

[fshng2 0]

Just saw this Hollow punch set for use with a power drill or drill press from Harbor Freight $8.99. Depth of cut 2-3/4 in.
Sizes: 3/16 in, 1/4 in, 5/16 in, 3/8 in, 7/16 in & 1/2 in.

I will be getting a set. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-hollow-punch-set-67030.html

[mikechell 0]

7 hours ago, dairydave said:

i should start calling them bloopers

I've had several different designs/patterns of poppers that sound like those, Dave.  Big foam body, that float high, but with a slight tapered face that almost makes them a diver.  If you pull them hard for about 6 to 12 inches, they dive just under the surface, making that noise.

[Guest]

The spent cartridges work w/o sharpening.  Can use on most all foams.   FlipFlops are cheap and easy.  Works in some corks too.   I use 357, 45/70 and 223 calibers.  The 357 had to grind off the rim to chuck in the drill.  The OP can plunge these into his foam blocks too.