Best Bobbin Cradle For Regal Revolution?

[terp 0]

Because the Revolution is  a "long" vise, some of the standard bobbin cradles (like the standard Renzetti one) are too short.  Regal sells a "Bobbin Holder Extreme" but it's $45, which seems overpriced for a glorified bent coathanger.  I assume it's long enough, but it doesn't give dimensions.  Any ideas? 

JS has a cheap one but it's only 7": https://www.jsflyfishing.com/js-tools-bobbin-holder-rest? 

Renzetti's is 8": https://www.rdflyfishing.com/collections/vise-accessories/products/bobbin-cradle

HMH's is 9" but kind of overpriced: https://www.edsflyshop.com/hmh-vise-bobbin-rest-vise-assembly-fly-tying/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtfqKBhBoEiwAZuesiJANinX0835zKtWRriz5VotrEjA4EUo0EIXYCZoX2rk3l4Bl-KWBcRoC-1IQAvD_BwE

I may have to bite the bullet but out of principle it seems ridiculous to spend $45 on a piece of bent thick wire.

Thanks.

[Timijin 0]

Buy the JS. Buy a 36" SS 1/8" rod(?) and cut it to the length you want.
Strip off the actual "cradle" and put it on your new rod.
OR Bend it to shape.

https://www.fishusa.com/Regal-Bobbin-Holder?quantity=1&L-Model1=8135&msclkid=eb24ba756b4418715d41db2aee9905a1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ECI - Google Shopping - Fishing Accessories %2Fcombos%2F Fly Fishing%2FWading&utm_term=4584551177480351&utm_content=All Products

[flytire 0]

Make one from a wire coat hanger any length you want 

[Poopdeck 0]

On the rare occasions I need a bobbin cradle, I use a bent coat hanger. It’s free and it Works flawlessly, probably better then the ones in the link since there’s no thumb screws or need to tighten or loosen anything. I don’t care much about looks. 

[terp 0]

15 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

On the rare occasions I need a bobbin cradle, I use a bent coat hanger. It’s free and it Works flawlessly, probably better then the ones in the link since there’s no thumb screws or need to tighten or loosen anything. I don’t care much about looks. 

 

Poopdeck, is it difficult keeping that thing anchored and also being able to slide it up/down when necessary? 

[terp 0]

20 hours ago, Timijin said:

Buy the JS. Buy a 36" SS 1/8" rod(?) and cut it to the length you want.
Strip off the actual "cradle" and put it on your new rod.
OR Bend it to shape.

https://www.fishusa.com/Regal-Bobbin-Holder?quantity=1&L-Model1=8135&msclkid=eb24ba756b4418715d41db2aee9905a1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ECI - Google Shopping - Fishing Accessories %2Fcombos%2F Fly Fishing%2FWading&utm_term=4584551177480351&utm_content=All Products

Timjin, I had thought about that Regal one, but had read some bad reviews.  The price is definintely right, but now I'm thinking about a DIY along the lines you described and poopdeck uses.

[Timijin 0]

5 hours ago, terp said:

Timjin, I had thought about that Regal one, but had read some bad reviews.  The price is definintely right, but now I'm thinking about a DIY along the lines you described and poopdeck uses.

The advantage of the JS is that you can adjust the distance of the cradle to the head of the vise.
 It may not mean much now but there will be times when you need to hang not only bobbins but also materials from the holder.
Also, if your bobbin is that far from the head of the vise you will be constantly shortening the amount of thread you will have 
out of the tip of the bobbin. The least amount of thread that you have will save you time and increase you efficiency.

[Poopdeck 0]

6 hours ago, terp said:

Poopdeck, is it difficult keeping that thing anchored and also being able to slide it up/down when necessary? 

Gravity does all the anchoring needed. The weight of the arm cause downward pressure on the coils and keeps it where you want it. Just grab the coils or close to the coils and it slides effortlessly up or down. Let it go and it stays. 
 

just put a 3/8’s rod (not your vise stem) in a bench vise and tightly wrap a coat hanger around it. Make sure you end with 5 or 6 complete coils you can cut the initial loose wrap off. Easier is drilling a hole in the 3/8’s rod, inserting end of coat hanger thru hole and wrap. When done cut the coat hanger off at the hole. You may find it easier to clamp vise grip onto the end of the  wire to assist in wrapping. 

[niveker 0]

Good points everyone.  

On 10/7/2021 at 6:24 PM, Poopdeck said:

I use a bent coat hanger

That looks much better than the one I did from a coat hanger.  I'll have to make another one, with that dog leg in it for clearance.     

[Poopdeck 0]

I actually put the dog leg in because it naturally wanted to swing away from me for some reason. Possibly because the bench may not be level, it seeks true north or there’s oil under the house. Anyway, when I couldn’t figure out why I just bent the arm back to me. 

[XPATier 0]

I tried a few different ones including a homemade one and finally gave in and bought the Regal one. I like it and use it often. It's not cheap but works the best of all the ones I tried.

[terp 0]

Thans everyone for the ideas.  I decided to bite the bullet and buy the Regal one.  While I could probably make one as noted above, I work 80 hours/week and decided it's worth spending some cash to save time. Call me lazy.  But hey, at least I'm supporting a US company.  XPAT I have the exact same vise and love it.

PS I stumbled upon this great article on selecting the right vise -- one of the two authors is MIke Mercer who prefers a Regal (the other guy prefers a full/true rotary, in this case a Dyna King): https://www.theflyshop.com/choosing-your-next-fly-tying-vise.html