Mojo

[Traditionalist]

I have never heard of a pin vice but these look an incredibly useful tool. I can imagine tiny screwdrivers, saws and drills in them and also dare I say it multi-head dubbing needles with one needle set up for picking out dibbing and another for varnishing.

I have used these for a very long time as needle holders and for a lot of other stuff. A couple I have are well over fifty years old.  You can buy them at lots of places.

I also made my main tube fly vice with a pin vice in a one way roller bearing;



http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/276-9289278-7569154?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pin+vice

[Traditionalist]

I also use these for a lot of stuff;



these are "Stielkloben".  ( Not sure what they are called in English, probably just "hand vice").

[Traditionalist]

You can find some tips on use here;

http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4425.0

[Inchlaggan]

I also use these for a lot of stuff;
these are "Stielkloben".  ( Not sure what they are called in English, probably just "hand vice").

They are very useful, - wingnuts pin vice £3.95 from Chronos

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/info_WNV1.html

[Billy]

I have a small pin vice that I used to use when I was a toolmaker and later for model making. Most recently used for holding a pin to push through the end of my fly line to insert a loop of nylon rather thna use a braided loop.

handy wee thing.


Looking at mike's replies I may have a look at making my own wing burners. Never really thought about it before which is strange considering I used to make things like that for a living. Lazy now I suppose.

I have some brass sheet somewhere in the garage so it may be a wee job this weekend.


Billy

[Traditionalist]

I have some brass sheet somewhere in the garage so it may be a wee job this weekend.

Billy

I have made them from brass sheet and it works fine, but if you want to save yourself a bit of mess on get these;

http://www.fishingmad.co.uk/6951-eight-piece-wing-burner-set-for-may-stone-and-nymph-flies.html

( They are "Sunrise" wing burners made in India)

I have them myself ( had them for ages, don't know where I got them originally);




I got a box full of flat tweezers cheap at a flea market and just shaped them as I wanted, ( Dremel is good for that with a file to finish off).

These might do you;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-Straight-Curved-Action-Tweezers/dp/B009PLLPYK/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1357733911&sr=8-32

[Billy]

Cheers Mike,

i have set of four wing burners which would do stone clinger wing cases but to tell you the truth the quality is very poor.
Also made by the Sunrise Fly Fishing Company from India I should not be surprised. I think I picked it up in a bargain bucket at some angling equipment sale.

The ends dont line up but all it needs is a light dress with a stone in a dremel (got one of those as well in the garage). Its a two minute job but I keep forgetting to take the wing burners down the road.

I'll try to remember to put them in my jacket tonight.

Billy

[Traditionalist]

You can of course shape the burners yourself with a file. I have a second set somewhere with a lot of specific shapes I made.  Haven't used them for a long time now.

There are also some very expensive sets available, but they don't work any better. 

http://fullwingburners.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8

All you have to do is make sure the flats actually close flat and tight. I just hold them in a pair of pliers.

How to do it with tyvek and stuff like that;

Creating Mayfly Wings Using J Son Wing Burners

This should give you plenty of ideas;

https://www.google.com/search?q=mayfly+wing+burners&hl=en&client=ubuntu&tbo=u&channel=fs&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OmntUJLJBYbRtAa_t4EQ&ved=0CFcQsAQ&biw=2560&bih=1469&sei=UGntUJjFMIG0tAbyoYDQAg

You can grab any of those images and print them out.  If you treat the paper ( after printing) with UHU or similar glue you can burn them as shown in the video and then you have very lifelike translucent waterproof wings which are very durable.

[Traditionalist]

These are also extremely useful for foam and stuff like that as well as some feathers;

http://www.bearlodgeangler.com/other_tools.htm

You can make these yourself but it is not so easy unless you have experience.  They use patternmakers blade in a handle.

[otter]

In my experience whilst some of these winging techniques create some fantastic looking patterns, they do not all fish particulary well.

One technique that does work is the Devaux style sedge.  , SBS here http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sbs&action=display&thread=1763

Because the wing is made from a few separate feathers it is less prone to spinning than some other solid wing techniques. On more than one occasion I have fished a simple CDC bubble sedge vrs my friend fishing a devaux, no discernible difference in their attractivness to the trout.