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longears

Tying Gadgets or How to make life easier

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I was sitting at my bench the other night combing out some seal buggers that I tyed with a popsicle stick with self adheasive velco attached and wondered how many people have come up with handy gadgets and gizmo's to aid them at the tying bench. You know like using coffee bean grinders to blend dubbing, dubbing rope machines made using sewing machine motors, using rotissierie motors for dying flies attached to a piece of styrofoam, pen cases for 1/2 hitch tools,etc. I put this thread on another site and they can up with a 107 look see's in 24 hours. Just curious to see what happens here.

What have you come up with that isn't a "store bought" tool originally intended for tying? :dunno:

I think that it's amazing how innovative some of us are.

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How about this for a bodkin. Just an old rooster foot. Heck, with a spur like that, I wouldn't have needed to put a needle in the thing! :hyst:

 

Happy Trails!

Ronn

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that's cool Ron but, only because you can also use the claws of their feet to pick out your mohair leech patterns :yahoo:

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Here are a sampling of the different wing burners I made. I think I have 13 different sizes for mayfly wings alone.

 

I've made tons of tools over the years.

 

Happy Trails!

Ronn

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Guest

I moved this into Timely Tips because we've touched on many creative tool ideas in our brief history, many of which are catalogued in this forum.

 

We hope the members continue these great additions to our community of learning and sharing. :clapping:

 

Enjoy

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That's cool JH but, that'll probably take the enjoyment out of catching a fish on the fly that you tied.

Now here's another gadget/gizmo for your pleasures.

Take a sponn tray like the ones that your wife has next to the stove. Mine is plastic cheapo that I got for less than $1.00 at Wally world. Drill a small hole in the center between the 2 spons indents.

Turn it over and glue 2 of them bussiness card sized refer magnets on the bottom of the spoon holders. take some plumbers putty and stick a wad of it over the screw hole. high enough to make contact with your bench when you turn it over. Now turn it over and attach it to your bench in a convieniant location near your vise. I use this gadget to hold beads and hooks so they dont end up all over the place and spill onto my hardwood floor.If you get a white plastic one it is alot easier on your eyes and easy to see what you've got in it .

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I use a clothespin(heavy wire spring) like a hackle plier for twisting and wrapping peacock herl ropes for fly bodies. If the edges are alittle rough, you can sand them with an emory board. The smooth, slightly rounded clamping ends don't cut into the herl. I lay all of the herls side by side, tight and flat in the clamps before spinning the rope. Works great!

 

AA

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An aluminum cigar holder makes a great deer hair tamper.

 

An old toothbrush cleans out the fuzzy deer underfur pretty good too before tamping.

 

I also have a dog-tag chain draped across the inside of my hutch that I hang my epoxies on to finish drying after they have quit running. Put the fly nose down and hang the hook over the chain. The little balls keep the flies apart.

 

 

 

Hey Ronn, where do you get the brass sheets to make your wing burners?

Thanks.

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I have a BBQ rotisory I have converted to a fly/rod drier, I use a coffee grinder to blend dubbing, I made my own rod wrapping jig, I've made my own cork handle turning atatchment for a drill press and I made my first fly tying vise from lock smiths vise( it was a little bulky and did'nt hold all that well but it worked for a 12 year old kid).

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Very cool Carver, I'd be really interested in seeing your cork turning attachment for your drill press. . I'm about to build another rod and it sounds like a time saver. Thanks for sharing that one.

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diermitt I like your idea for the tool caddy made from a hard glass case in another thread. Great idea!

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Longears my attachment for the cork is very simple. Take a piece of threaded rod(small diameter, but long enough for your handle plus 6 inches) put a nylon lock nut on one end about two inches from the end. Slide a fender washer on next, cover the rest of the threaded rod(portion that the cork will be on) to the thckness of your rod blank with teflon tape(plumbing grade white). Ream your cork rings to size. Slide them on one at a time with the epoxy between each ring. When you get to your desired length put another fender washer on followed be another nylock and allow the epoxy to cure. Find a bearing that just fits into the hole on the table of your drill press and use washers and nylocks to hold it place. Once the epoxy has cured put the end without the bearing in the chuck, bring your table up untill the bearing is in the hole. Turn on your drill press and use sandpaper to shape it the way you want it and fine sandpaper to finish it. Easy, cheap and effective. Let me know how it works for you. Oh incase any one is trying to figure out what the teflon tape is for it makes it easy to remove the cork from the jig(epoxy wont stick to it) Heres the results.

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