Mars Rover

I never liked using saliva to moisten my fingers or licking materials to moisten them. I usually have a bottle of water at the desk anyway so just needed something to pour some water into. So I just dribble water onto a sponge that’s contained in this little plastic lidded box. I usually have some biots or quills soaking in there anyway. Another cool thing that happens when I open the lid - the soaking materials stick to the lid of the box, leaving the sponge free for your fingers - or perhaps to squeeze a marabou plume through it. This is due to the sponge being thick enough to touch the top of the box when saturated. Also, the biots just slide right off the plastic with a fingertip when you’re ready to use one. Saves you from fishing around in a jar of liquid for quills!

If you have a commercial waste bag that you never use because you hate to have anything attached to your vise stem, try mounting it to something else. This one is rigged to a frame piece just beneath the desk drawer and it swings completely under the desk and out of the way. I only swing it out when it’s time to scoop stuff into it. Also before you dump the contents, go through the waste materials with one of those mechanic’s magnets on a stick. I just found 3 good hooks and a hackle pliers!

here's a volume 1A (says so right on the front cover) which should be the same as yours except it includes a bonus section-tying instructions for 11 basic flies. I don't think there is an actual pattern supplement #3 to volume #1 but not sure. Tthere is a Volume #2 (green cover) that includes a section of tying instructions, in addition to the patterns. I don't know of any others supplements to volume #2 . My brown one is like yours and I also have the green one. I don't have volume 1A.

That vise appears to be a Crest "Custom" model. Those old vises are well made with good materials and are nicely finished. They operate smoothly and are capable of monstrous hook holding power. There is a current (or more recent) Crest line of fly tying tools, but I don't think there is any connection to the old Crest Tool and Supply company that made these in California USA.

Regals are convertible from right to left had operation just by loosening that 7/64 Allen screw at the front of the cam - and then swinging the lever handle from one side to the other. I don't know for sure but I bet backing out that screw would also allow you to remove what's left of that handle. You may have to grip and twist it with pliers because it's a tight taper fit to the cam body. Regal probably does not sell that handle as a repair part but if you communicate with them, perhaps they will just send a new handle.

The manual for the Universal #2 vise is like a tri-fold booklet. Maybe a photo copy but nicely done - like from a print shop. The instructions for the the #1 vise is just 5 pages of sheet paper. The first two paragraphs of page one are specific to the vise itself, then the last page has the diagrams. Moist of the information in both documents is really more like tying instructions. But I think they did a good job keeping it related to "rotary" tying. Especially for the #1 vise which has more and greater detail for rotary tying.

My Universal #2 came with the bobbin cradle and the manual, but no box. My Universal #1 is in nice shape but is missing the original bobbin cradle and I'd like to find the cradle. The document in the link below has some good information on Universal. Near the end of the article the Universal #3 is featured. These are rare, I think only 100 or 200 were ever made and it can go for $400 or $500 nowadays. Not long ago, a #3 was on eBay but it was in poor condition so I didn't track it and don't know what it sold for - if it sold. http://www.mtfa-springfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Universal-Rotary-Fly-Tying-Vises.pdf

Thanks for posting the pic of the Chase Holbrook vise with the box. I had not seen that image, but now I do remember something about a Chase vise. I've also seen the vise pictured with a Metal Specialties box, perhaps in eBay listings. I have seen the Roy Steenrod link that flytire posted but it's been awhile. That listing also mentions "Holbrook" so I guess it does have a model name-something else I had forgotten about!

Those are stamped on top "Metal Specialties Co, Attleboro Massachusetts". Not particularly valuable but somewhat collectable due to being used by some fly tying notables like Roy Steenrod, for example. I don't know the exact age but they're pretty old. They come up for sale on eBay once in awhile and over the years I've placed my max bid at about $30 and was outbid, sometimes by as much as $80. A few months ago, I finally got one for under $40 all in. It's a nice one that still has the original thread holding springy doodad for tying bobbin-less. First thing I did was to tie a fly using the thread clamp which I had not done for a long time. As you can see, 4th from the left,, It's tiny compared to some other old vises. Thanks for the tip on the Ted Williams video. I'll watch it today!

My old wonder wax cap was always hard to unscrew and at one time is was so so stuck that I resorted to hot air. This may be an old tip that's common knowledge but I read it somewhere: Clean the threads the best that you can then smear some Vaseline on just the threads. I did this just once, probably like 5 years ago - and it's just now starting to get some wax buildup but the cap is still pretty easy to remove.

Maybe those big fish are so fast they must cool down their drag drag discs.

I have the Universal Rotary #1 and #2 vises and enjoy using them. There's some good Universal information on the document in the link below. Good luck finding a no. 3 vise. I think I've heard that they only made about 100 of them. Very cool vise with a unique jaw closing system. I've only ever seen one, decades ago. I know it was near the Ken Lockwood Gorge in NJ so it could have been Shannon's fly shop in Califon but not sure. It was always set up on a tying bench there. You'll know it and remember if you ever see one because it's pretty weird. http://www.mtfa-springfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Universal-Rotary-Fly-Tying-Vises.pdf

That's funny. I don't feel jealous. But who knows. Perhaps it's one of those repressed emotions that's not healthy for me to ignore.

Loon's "Vise Pawn", sold as magnetic material clip, is only $10 - but it always looked like a whiteboard magnet to me. Nearly the same shape and easy to grab. So that's what I use. I don't need 12 or 50 of them for $10, but someone gave me one that's magnetically strong and high quality. Sold as whiteboard magnets, magnetic map pins, magnetic push pins. Over the years I've found various uses for magnets at the tying desk but now I reach for the whiteboard magnet as it's small and unobtrusive but easy to locate and grab when needed.

Regarding those car-top rod vaults, I just thought of something. Because those tubes are about as long as a typical flagpole, you could probably see them in your field of vision while driving. Then you don't have to remember to not drive under any low hanging branches. Nah - I would still get them caught on something wreck the rods, my roof rack and the top of my car! Or maybe some crackhead would would damage my car trying to rip it off!

Here's one that I came up with, the Deadly Giant Mondo Bug. It has the well-weighted bumble butt of a Bully Bluegill. Except add a tail and hackle collar instead of rubber legs. Ringneck pheasant body feathers.

Here's a good one. I'm on the e-mailing list of this fly shop and today this one shocked me. I thought the item looked nice and could be something that I could use so I clicked the link and holy carp - $130 for nippers! https://www.tcoflyfishing.com/products/hatch-nipper-model-3 Also, although I live within a fly fishing mecca, I've never actually seen one of those stupid $500 rod vault / tube things strapped to the top of a vehicle. It must be a western guy thing. But I'm looking forward to the day it happens so I can have good laugh and make fun of the guy!

You're OK. I admit to being a workaholic to the point of never having a proper vacation in my adult life. No extended or overnight fishing trips or traveling for pleasure. My wife goes on vacations with my daughter and her friends and that ticks her off. However, I've been working from home since last April due the pandemic and I've managed to goof off a lot on company time (just like now). It's an easy groove to fall into. In fact I think that if I'm ever called back to the office, I'll continue to goof off!

One just came up on eBay. Link below. That's how I got my Universal #1 and #2 a few years ago. I don't tie true rotary very often but I do bust it out if I'm tying a larger or longer fly with carded materials. I think the #1 is a fine vise, highly recommended. I'm not as enthusiastic about the Universal #2. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Unique-Vintage-Fly-Tying-Bench-Vise-Fly-Fishing-Fishing-Tool/133637729315?hash=item1f1d6dec23:g:J1UAAOSwnDxgAJW-

Thanks for all the suggestions I guess I should get over the fact that they're not curved shanks and tie down the shank for emerger patterns and such - or go for a good body to gap ratio for some standard patterns. denduke - all of those flies look great on those bait hooks. You jogged my memory. I have used some of those Mustad 4xs hooks for extended mayflies and if I remember, they looked pretty good. I have to dig some up and see. Thanks again.

Especially the shorties. I’ve tied some spider-skaters but I don’t really use them and they’re a bit boring to tie after a while. Any other suggestions? Mostly just for fun and something that’s challenging to tie. For the longer 94842s, I’ll probably just come up with some sparse Catskill patterns and leave some bare shank at the eye for a turle knot. Suggestions for what would look good? The dries I’ve tied with these so far just look a little bit “off”. THANKS! 94825 4x short, Ex. fine 94843 4x short, 3x fine 94842 No specs on boxes, but I think they’re just an up-eye 94840

I recently noticed left forearm fatigue with my main setup - a Regal pedestal with the the 6 inch stem. At the preferred jaw angle, I'm thinking it's a bit too high at my tying station. I have some c-clamp options including the Regal 10 inch stem and clamp. So I may experiment. The thing is that it's barely noticeable and not at all painful - and it could have been something that was happening all along. But now that I've experienced it, it bugs me. This thread doesn't help. When stuff like this gets stuck in my head and I focus on it, I find that bourbon sometimes helps, so there's another option. Or maybe exercise - nah, just kidding. My casting arm / bobbin hand is OK so maybe I should just switch off between the two.

I've posted this before but since it's been a couple years or more, I can report that the bullet bobbin eye dropper thingy is still going strong. It hasn't bitten the dust yet and it's smooth. A bit bulky but I do like it for larger flies - and floss.

Thanks John. Back before the Materelli whip finisher, there was this E-Z Whipper. Never saw one but I copied it from pictures. When you think about it, all you really need is two hooks for the thread, set 90 degrees apart - and it puts the thread loop in the same figure 4 orientation, then whip finishing and releasing the loop is just as fast and easy as it is with a rotating tool. The difference is that this entire tool rotates between your fingers-instead of rotating within the handle. I find that I get a bit more control with these. I had an original Materelli back in the day but I sold it off and went back to these.

I’ve never liked to have anything attached to the vise so I made a free-standing bobbin cradle. I can just slide it closer, slide it further away – or out of the way. It’s instantly adjustable for altitude because it’s an old radio or TV antenna! The pedestal base is some old scrap steel machine part with a hunk of leather glued to the bottom. The tip top section of the antenna is solid metal that bent easily into a cradle shape and polished up nicely - it may even be stainless steel. I also made the whip finishing tool – with a section of plated brass tubular antenna section - and bent spring wire, soldered to an old brass half hitch tool.