Philski

I like the floatability and results I get with the Royal Humpy, the Stayner Ducktail and Royal Wulff Philski

As an engineer who maintained/repaired SEM's (for the semiconductor industry), getting a micrograph/photo with one is somewhat problematic... SEM's use a vacuum chamber for the specimen after it has been prepped and attached to a stage. In prepping the specimen, it is usually metallized - that is sputter-coated in a layer of what is normally gold. This allows the specimen to be imaged by an electron beam. Sputter coating a length of thread might be a little bit troublesome. I have coated a lot of organic materials - including flies - but haven't tried prepping cloth or thread. It may work, it may not. The thread has to be glued to the specimen holder with a conductive glue and it may wick the glue up the thread. Your better bet is to try finding an illuminated microscope and mount the thread to a glass slide for viewing. Most microscopes have camera attachments. And most have digital camera available. Again, a university or decent lab will have them available. Remember also that the sample must not outgas during chamber pump-down. Philski (probably more that you wanted to know....)

In reviewing posts on the group, I came across this LIFE SAVER! Now whenever my wife complains about all the s*** I have around for flytying, I just haul out a printout of your area, Dave.... It saves my life each and every time! "Look Honey! - Seeeeee!!! I am not obsessed!" Philski

i have been tying on a Regal vise for 15 years now. It may not be the most high tech vise around. Mine doesn't even have a rotary feature, but it is bullet proof. I tie flies mostly in the #12 through #24's and have tied my share at #28's. I think the Regal is a brute. I do wish it had smaller midge type jaws sometimes but find it suits my tying style perfectly. If I ever find the need to add a second vise to my collection, it will probably be one that I turn myself on a lathe and mill. I think the only trouble there is getting the jaws hardened. But machining a vise from scratch has an appeal to me... Philski

Thanks everyone! I never did keep total track of my hours. I guess it took me 150 hours or so to build it. I started, then stopped, then restarted again. My shop is my garage so during the winter, I didn't work out there much. I can heat it just fine but keeping it heated for glue to set up or a finish to dry is another matter. Materials are white oak - about $400.00 (US) worth. The drawer sides and tray partitions are poplar. The linings are incense cedar and the drawer bottoms are oak faced ply. I had to order the drawer pulls (the brass salmon ones) from Rockler at 16.00 each and the tray pulls were Home Depot. The finishes are red mahogany water based stain on polyurethane on the bottom, and red mahogany stain, alcohol based on the top again with 4 coats of poly. I am guessing my total cost was around 550.00 to 600.00. Was fun to build. Next project will be a gallery cabinet to sit atop the desk. Thanks again for your kind reviews! Philski

Here is the tray side....all the drawers are partitioned except the very topmost tray which I kept shallow for tying tools... Phil(ski)

Because I can post only on pic at a time, I will post the tray-side pedestal with this reply and then reply again with the left side drawer assy. I have set up the right side pedestal with dividers for fly storage. The left side pedestal top two drawers are cedar lined and divided for necks and for hair/feather storage. These pics are obviously taken during the build and prior to any finishing.... Hope you like my efforts. I am looking forward to having a dedicated flytying space! Philski

Well I finally finished the desk portion of my flytying station. I will building the rest of it this summer. Hope you like the pic. Thanks! Philski

LOL! - I forgot to throw in the Ginsu Knives and the Veggie Chopper! Philski

Thanks for everyone's comments! I am really looking forward to getting started on the gallery - the "chest" that will sit atop this desk. It will have plenty of small drawers, thread holders, tool drawers and places for tying/pattern books. It will be this summer's project. I am including a pic of the desk w/top (white oak w/wenge inlay) prior to my staining and varnishing. It will give you a better sense of proporting and how the top is shaping up.... Thanks All Philski

don't you just love it when someone replies to his/her own post? Oh well.. Here is one more pic of the desk. (I have a LOT of them...) Hope you like the drawer pulls... Philski

Since that pic is small, I am trying to post a larger one within the 50K limit... So try this image.... Philski

Here is a pic of the flytying desk I am building. I hope to have the desktop finished and installed this weekend. Philski

I usually carry two Orvis boxes, one Wheatley, and 4 Cabela's. The Orvis boxes are subdivisible - I can move the dividers around to hold more/less or bigger/smaller flies, the Wheatley is the two-sided compartmentalized version and I fill it each visit with flies for the water I am visiting, the Cabela's boxs are the small plastic boxes, each a different color and each color has a different type of fly (i.e. nymphs, wet flies, dry's and a load of Gold Rib Hare's Ears).... Can't carry too many in my opinion. Philski

You might try looking into Microsoft Access or Filemaker. It is really quite easy to construct a full database with a little reading, and using a Wizard to create your database structure. Access lets you enter photos or images as well as a lot of other data that YOU decide to include. You can also make the database "relational" to other databases you create. You might have tying instructions in one, images in another and available flytying materials in another. What you include is up to you. Search on "Microsoft Access" and "Tutorial" to seach the Web for ideas. Philski