Tying Tools Help

[KennyD 0]

I just purchased a renzetti vise. I need to order some tools now. I was looking at the Orvis Master Tool Set. If anyone recommends any other brands please let me know.

 

Thank you

 

Ken Devorak

[Redneck Fly 0]

Rite bobbing the new one with the tapered tube i think its called the Mag Bobbin.

[agn54 0]

I use a lot of Dr. Slick stuff. Their scissors are amazing and I like their ceramic bobbins as well. They have a tool set available that would be well worth the money (here) It's not cheap but the tools will probably last you a lifetime

[primitivepete 0]

I use a lot of Dr. Slick stuff. Their scissors are amazing and I like their ceramic bobbins as well. They have a tool set available that would be well worth the money (here) It's not cheap but the tools will probably last you a lifetime

 

Ditto on the Dr. Slick scissors...they rule. check out sierra trading post online for some good deals...found a pair one time there for 3 or 4 bucks.

 

With some of the other tools, quality doesn't seem to matter so much (bodkins, pliers, dubbing twister, half hitch tool) but a good bobbin and some good scissors make it really nice. I like my griffin whip finish tool, alot too. way easier to use than the cheap one that came with my kit.

[narcodog 0]

Try not to buy one of those kits, you will be spending more than you need. Go to Stockards web and pick what you need. Bobbins, scissors, hackle pliers, dubbing needle, whip finisher.

[samuraiti 0]

I'm personally not hot on the Dr. Slick scissors. I've tried a couple and wore them out quickly. I prefer the Anvil scissors. They're not cheap but they last and cut oh-so-nicely!

 

I love my Rite Bobbins as well and am looking forward to trying the new one with the tapered tube.

 

I have the Renzetti double sided hair stacker for most of my trout flies and a Dyna King stacker for my hair bugs (which I haven't tied in about a decade...). Don't have experience with others but they both work great!

 

Good luck and hope a few more people chime in as well.

 

Todd

[petelangevin 0]

Matarelli whip finisher if you use one. And a good hair stacker.

[Mr. Vegas 0]

dr slick for scissors and worked amazing since I was using generic for a little while. Get a brand name whip finisher! I found out that cheap ones are pretty much worthless.

[Hairstacker 0]

The Orvis set looks fine but it's pricey. The Dr. Slick set is probably just as good at about half the price. Personally, I prefer to pick my tools individually.

 

-- Mike

[agn54 0]

I agree with the others that you are probably best off buying your tools individually as you need them, that way you can get the right tools for you (for example get the right size hairstacker for your needs, etc.). If you do decide to get a kit, my only advice is to not use the metal bobbin threader for ceramic bobbins since it can scratch the insides and cause your thread to split. For about $2 you can get a pack of floss threaders at the grocery store that work great. The metal bobbin threader is still good for adding legs to poppers and hairbugs though.

[perchjerker 0]

Ceramic bobbin tubes are prone to shattering if dropped, so I am told. I prefer bobbins with the ceramic inserts in the tube ends. With respect to scissors, I am not personally impressed with the Dr. Slick products. I had a couple of pair given to me some years ago, and promptly passed them on to another unsuspecting soul! I use Anvil "Ice Tempered", both curved and straight, and have absolutely no complaints. I also have a GREAT pair of stainless steel scissors that were 'rescued' from a disposable suture kit. In spite of all of the claims to the contrary, these scissors have not rusted, or tarnished, or failed me after close to 20 years of service. The disparaging comments are based on the fact that they are made in Pakistan! What a pity, as untold numbers are thrown away daily!

 

I use the various brands of the "Y" bodied bobbins, and have quite a collection. If you have several, you can set the tension on one for each type of thread you use, and never ever have to reset them. I have one set for 8/0. one for 6/0, and one for 3/0 thread. I suspect that most people's complaint about them is due to the fact that they have never been shown how to properly set the tension on them.

 

I highly encourage you to follow the advice of many above, and buy your tools individually, as opposed to in a kit!

 

 

 

aged sage

[strmanglr 0]

the folks here are right, buy them individually. what you buy will reflect what you fish for too.

 

i would recommend buying at least two bobbins three or four is really nice. it's so nice to have the thread you want ready to go. i don't use a bobbin threader anymore either-just put a little in the end and such it through, that way you don't scratch up the tube with the threader-a moot point if you get ceramic.

 

as for the scissors debate, i got some at joanns hobby shop they look exactly like the 6th finger scissors you see here only without the loop for your finger-which imo is useless. they have a lifetime warranty too. i like them because i can tie and keep them in my hand at the same time and they never leave. i think i read advice to get scissors like that from dave hughes book 30 essential trout flies. probably the best convenience in a tool i have.

 

i would also recommend two different size hair stackers.

[Hairstacker 0]

Perchjerker, I have some of those stainless steel suture scissors from Pakistan too, and I agree, they're great! I use mine for trimming all my deer hair bass bugs. As you noted, each suture procedure is performed with a new kit and then the scissors get tossed. There has to be thousands being thrown away every day. If you know someone in the medical field, you can ask them to save them for you -- that's what I have done.

 

-- Mike

[KennyD 0]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

Here is what I purchased to far:

 

Dr. Slick Tungsten Carbide Scissors 3.5"

Griffin adjustable hair stacker

Griffin hair packer

RITE™ Half Hitch MAG BOBBIN

 

If anyone else has any other nice recomendation let me know.

 

Thanks for all the advise so far.

 

Ken

[Hairstacker 0]

Kenny, since you're asking:

 

Scissors -- I like your scissors, I think they will serve you well.

 

Hair Packer -- Your hair packer will work fine but the Brassie is better -- it's designed to pack the thread wraps along with the hair.

 

Hair Stacker -- Typically, if you're only going to buy one hair stacker, you should buy the biggest one you can find so you're equipped to stack large bundles of hair. It is not the length of the tube that is the concern here, it is the diameter of the tube. I have not seen the Griffin in person so I can't tell how big it is, it may be fine.

 

Bobbin -- Regarding your Rite half-hitch mag bobbin, please see my comments in the bobbin poll thread. In my opinion, this will work fine but you could have gone much cheaper and simpler with ceramic inserts to boot.

 

In any event, there are still a few other tools you'll want to get:

 

Bodkin -- you can go as cheap as you want to, it won't matter. You can even easily make your own, really nice one with an exotic wood handle. That's what I did (large sewing needle and a chopstick).

 

Hackle pliers -- you can go with standard English-style for about $3 -- just make sure you get fine sandpaper and work the edges of the tips to eliminate sharp/pointed edges. With that said, you'll find many varying opinions on which hackle pliers to buy, and quite frankly, there are a significant number of folks who aren't happy with anything on the market.

 

Matarelli-style whip finisher -- in my opinion, you can go as cheap here as you want and it won't make a difference. You can get a great one for about $7 almost anywhere . . . or you can spend the $18 or so for the original. I'm perfectly happy with the copy.

 

Hackle gauge -- darn handy if you're sizing hackle. I like and use the Griffin one.

 

Hair comb -- for combing out underfur on hair cut off of hair patches. Regardless of cost, I challenge anyone to beat the performance of a plastic flea comb available at pet shops for $1. I think it works better than the Griffin hair comb I bought for this purpose.

 

Barb crusher pliers -- for crushing down barbs on hooks if you want to fish "barbless" and don't have barbless hooks. Most any pliers will do in a pinch but I've found nothing that does it better and faster than a set designed for this purpose. I bought mine for about $7 at Bass Pro Shops and they work great.

 

Hemostats -- any pair will do and they're darn handy for picking up flies and looking at them.

 

Tweezers -- get a pair that doesn't have fine pointed tips. They're handy for pulling a stray hair or feather barb out of position to be clipped, removing a single butt-ended hair from a stack of hair, etc.

 

Double-edged razor blades -- more of a supply than a tool, I suppose, but handy for trimming hair bugs and for removing everything off of a crappy fly so you can recycle the hook and start over.

 

Did I miss anything?

 

-- Mike