How do you thread your bobbin?

[Ed Gallop 0]

I use my tongue to make a quick ticking while creating a suction. Oh hell... I don't want to say I suck too, but I do. As for the thread falling out of the tube when not in use... I place a small 1/4" section of flexible tubing, such as in a tube fly kit, or plastic fuel line for small engines available in auto parts stores, over the bobbin tube when not in use. It comes in different sizes. Works great.

[kimjensen 0]

Bobbin threader. I don't suck on my fly tying stuff :-P

[Christopher K 0]

just push the thread up the tube, not that hard...

[LP ID 66 0]

My girlfriend makes fun of me cuz she say I look like i am token on a crack pipe when i suck

[joman 0]

Personally I use whatever mono or oter line happens to be on my desk, my try te sucking, never thought of that

[Gene L 0]

All different ways. If you moisten the thread, with some bobbins you can push it through, some not. Even combined with a suck. The ones I have problems with using the suck method are the ones with ceramics on both ends of the steel tube.

 

The blue dental floss threaders work well, but I misplace them. A loop of mono trapped in a wooden handle (two flat chopstick ends glued together) works well. S&M long bobbin tubes won't suck through. I have a wire bobbin threader I made myself by heating red hot a thin piece of wire and fixing it in a wooden handle, then reheating and letting it cool to temper it.

 

Any way to get the damned thread that works is fine. I've got a goodly number of bobbins and try not to change all that often.

[Crackaig 0]

There are not many fly tiers that don't have wire or mono lying around their table, so surely the biggest suckers are those who pay good money for a tool they already have lying on their bench?

 

I suck the thread through as I work on the principal that the fewer tools I use the faster I tie.

 

However, a friend of mine uses a threader that he modifies by cutting one side of the loop off, leaving a small hook at the business end. Push this down the tube, twist the handle and pull. The wire hook picks up the thread saving the effort of threading it through the threader. Interesting idea but still slower than just sucking it through.

 

Cheers,

C.

[Davidpensfan87 0]

I find using a threader is much quicker than sucking through the tube.

[Crackaig 0]

Does that include the time spent finding the threadder and picking it up off the floor when you drop it?

It is like a friend who insists a whip finisher is faster because the thread is turned quicker. With any of these tasks it isn't a complete task it is part of the process. When speed is a factor it should be measured with reverence to the process. The example of the whip finish tool is a good illustration. My friend wants to time it from when he has the tool set up ready to go with the thread already threaded in place to when he removes the tool. Yes that is faster, but the object is to finish a fly. The time should be taken from the completion of the last step before the whip finish to when you reach for the scissors to trim out the thread. Then fingers are faster.

There are valid reasons for using all sorts of tools, but speed isn't one of them. If it can be done without a tool it generally results in faster tying to do so.

Cheers,

C.

[shoebop 0]

It's probably a good thing that fly tying is a solo pursuit.

[Flyfish007 0]

threader

[Goats 0]

I tried sucking and it didn't work for me so I went back to threadin-her

[Roland58 0]

I was reluctant to answer until I saw some of the other answers. Mine is a suction type motion....Kind of a reverse "spit." Hey, it works! As far as the cleanliness goes, if that is the worst thing I get in my mouth, I've got it made!

[skeet3t 0]

I use a long piece of copper wire from an extension cord. I double it over and use the loop to pull the thread through the tube. I also use the wire for weighting flies. You can tie a lot of flies with an old cord.

[Kentuckysteve 0]

I used an old small E string from my guitar and made a threader.It works great but most of the time i still suck the thread through.It's just faster.