BigDaddyHub 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 Being a warmwater fly guy, I seldom have the need to have perfect wings on a sz 14 Adams. BUT occassionally that situation does arise and I set aside my nymphs and tie on a dry. Wings have always been a HUGE pain in my arse! I tried for years to cut perfect wings. No matter how steady my hand, and no matter how I tired, I always have wings that were ( and more often than not, still are) out of proportion or badly mangled. One remedy for this is to purchase a set of the wonderful, commercially available wing burners/cutter sets available from finer retail outfitters (J. Stockard). Another, much cheaper remedy is to get out the rotary tool and dig around the house for suitable materials! Today I spent the bigger part of my morning getting together various materials to manufacture custom wing burners. After panhandling at a home improvement contractors office, I was able to procure, at no charge mind you, a 2ft by 18 inch piece of seamless guttering. It is high grade aluminum, pliable, and easily cut with tin snips. After cutting my strips, folding them, I began the process of grinding them with a Craftsman rotary tool (Dremel works fine as well) and grinding bits. The metal shapes easily and you can really get creative with your burners, making any size and style of wing you desire. After relishing in my minor success with the aluminum, I tried other, less likely materials. Using the rotary tool , I shaped the ends of craft quality popsicle sticks. I as able to make double sets, one on each end, in literally a matter of minutes. Now, you have to remember that these burners are wood. Wood burns! BUT, if the proper amount of heat is applied, you can make nice wings without even charring or blacking the wood. I have used these wooden burners all afternoon with almost no signs of use. Now, this is the catch, the aluminum burners are folded so they act like other commercial burners with a tweezer action. The wooden burners were fashioned by pairing two sticks and sanding each at the same time for a uniform grinding/finish. When you use the wooden burners, you have to sandwich your material between the two pieces and then make sure the burners are alinged....very easy to do with translucent materials and easier than you think with opaque materials. So there you have it....simple, quick, and cheap wing burners. This project cost me literally nothing. The contractor gave me the piece of aluminum for free when I told him why I wanted just a little peice. The craft sticks were in my garage....why? Who knows. But they make great burners. Gotta go guys! I have wings to make! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lykos33 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 BDH, i am expecting a few pics of your handiwork...you know as an incentive to do it meself! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigDaddyHub 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 was trying to find a way to get better photos posted, but here ya go...the last photo is a photo of various size wings made from cellophane, foam, and razor foam from Radio Shack packing box Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigDaddyHub 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 the second photo is of the wooden burners...the long tapered one makes GREAT dragon fly wings! The great thing about the wooden burners is that if you do eventually char and burn one, it takes literally 3 minutes to make another one Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Floyd 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 Looks like you made yourself a winner. :thumbup: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigDaddyHub 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 Thanks, Floyd. Did a similar write up back in the day when I was moding. Just wanted to update it for the newer members. I thought alot of our beginners could make use of it and save themselves some money. One of the aluminum burners (first photo) is a size 16/18 mayfly burner.....took two minutes to shape...And granted, you can use better quality material, but if you don't have too, why waste the money....I need postage $ to pay for swaps! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arkansas Mike 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 Well, BigDaddy. I studied art in college. I've done some fairly good woodworking. I can tie a few passable flies... But when I tried to make a wing-burner, it was awful. If I had a 6-year old niece, I'm betting she could make a better looking wing-burner than the awful looking hunk of brass I ended up with. To be fair to myself...I don't have a Dremel tool. Good job. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigDaddyHub 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2009 No Dremel? Oh, man, you gotta get you one of those , Mike! Use mine a thousand times a week around the house! No Dremel?! What's up with that, man??!! LOL! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PJCareyIII 0 Report post Posted August 13, 2009 absolutely awesome! never even occurred to me that I could make wing burners with popsicle sticks... thank you! even without a dremel I can make some good tools for a two bucks and the added bonus of having some ice cream snacks in the freezer!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigDaddyHub 0 Report post Posted August 13, 2009 Bingo! Now you're using your noodle! A sharp pocket knife and some fine grit sandpaper and you can shape the popsicle sticks in a matter of just a few minutes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
