8 replies to this topic

[sniksoh]

i know this thread has been brought up before but i need more ideas... have you ever made tying tools with just objects laying around the house or from a store??? if so tell me.

[fly time]

I make bodkins outta heavy sewing needles, and I make wooden handles for em, they turn out pretty nice.

[nomad]

I did the same thing only I used driftwood for the handles.

[chemprof2001]

I've made bodkins from sewing needles & dowels, bobbin threeaders from fine single strand leader wire and dowels, and a Matarelli style whip finisher from a piece of stainless steel spinner wire, some 1/8"copper tubing and a small metal bead. the tubing was a pice of waste from my research lab. but1/8" copper tubing is available most places. About the only tools I do buy are hackle pliers and bobbins. And vises....got a bunch of them...

Mark Delaney

[Nick N]

I resharper my scisors, but only if they get really dull. With a little time and various hook sizes you can make a hackle gauge from some thin plywood, and nail, or even some cardboard. Just find a hacle for each hook size that you tie on frequently, then wrap it around the nail, and mark how far away the fibers project with a sharpie or pen. I have made dubbing twisters from drawer pulls and coat hanger wire, as well as some material bobbins from small diameter tubeing and some wire, and whip finishers from paperclips. Also, a simple hairstacker can be made from a beer bottle cap and some metal tubeing, just glue the end of the tubeing to the cap. Be sure to use a really strong glue though! You can make it as long as you want for bucktail and the like.

Oh, and my desktop flytying bench!

A link to some picsMy fly tying bench

[stony]

I use empty ball point pens for whip finishers.

[ArkieFlyGuy]

Believe it or not, I made a quite usable "Martarelli" style whip finisher out of a coat hanger....

Adhesive backed "hook" material (Velcro) stuck to the end of a popcycle stick and one wrapped around a small dowel make good dubbing teasers / brushes.

A hint I think I got from here was using the end of a "finger cot" (hard rubber "thimble" used in hand counting money or sorting paperwork) over a bobbin, then run up the thread to hold the hackle back while whip finishing... with my coat hanger....

[Thibodeau]

I've modified my wing burners from the shop to have a more realistic shape by using my dremel tool. A hair packer from an empty bullet casing. 30.30 and a 7mm Rem mag. Works just as good as the other hair packers. and they make good hair stackers too.

[flyrod98]

I just finished a dryer wheel with aligator clips for drying epoxy coated clouser heads. Made it from a metal book end, some foam, aligator clips and diorama motor from a hobby store. Total cost was about $30.00. A person could probably scrounge up a rotisserie motor. The diorama motor only turns at 2 to 2.5 rpm.

Attached Files

•  FoamWheel_Clips.jpg   79.56K   104 downloads
•  Shaft_Collar.jpg   48.46K   93 downloads
•  Diorama_Motor.jpg   54.23K   108 downloads
•  Practice_Clousers.jpg   89.22K   132 downloads