bobbin holders

[garryh]

Ive started tying up a lot smaller flies than i have in the past and for some reason i have started to have problems with my bobbin holders .mainly maintaining tension while I'm fiddling about with materials smaller than I'm used to.i am going to invest in a new one so i was hoping for some advice and tips ,types or makes etc.will be gratefull for any help

cheers Garry

[Fishtales]

Clip a wooden clothes-peg round the thread while you are messing about and then remove it to use the thread. Before I bought a proper bobbin holder I used this all the time

[rabbitangler]

I use Tiemco ceramic bobbin holders, the white tubed ones & can't fault them. If it's just that the tension has decreased so the spools turn under the bobbins weight you need to 'tune' the bobbin holder. If it's got bent wire legs then simply increase the bend angle of each leg a tiny bit and check if this tensions the bobbin properly. If not do it again and check....... repeat until its tight enough.   If it's not one with wire legs then I would buy one.

I have two holders, one tensioned for my normal thread & one for spiderweb.

[scotfly]

Garry, a new bobbin may be usefull, but an alternative is to adjust the tension on the one(s) you have. A fairly easy oporation, provided you follow a few simple rules...

The legs are sprung steel and these are what hold the spool under tension. The tension you are aiming for is tight enough so the bobbin doesn?t drop to the floor under its own weight when it is hanging from the hook, but loose enough that it feeds freely when you are tying.
To adjust the bobbin you need to bend the legs slightly to open them a little. You have to be careful though, do it the wrong way and you run the risk of breaking the bobbin.
The correct way to adjust them is as follow.

STEP 1
            Grip the bobbin tightly where the legs join the main shaft. This is the weak point and the area you must protect.



STEP 2
            Whilst keeping a tight grip on the weak point, use your other hand to gently spring/bend the leg slightly outwards (or inwards to increase the tension).
Before attempting this there are two points to remember.
One ? Don?t over do it. Spring it a little and try the spool in it. If it requires more simply repeat until the tension is right.
Two ? You have to bend/ spring both legs equally so that the spool of thread will remain central in the bobbin. So when you bend/spring one leg, rotate the bobbin and repeat with the other leg.

[garryh]

thanks for taking the trouble to post photos scotfly.I'm going to invest in a new one .i have three at the moment but they all seem a bit large for what I'm tying at the moment except a stonefly one which i find totally crap as its legs are plastic and cant be bent. i am leaning towards a tiemco.so thanks again to all for your help it really is appreciated.

cheers Garry

[SouthFly]

Out of curiosity, is the problem that you're having that the weight of the bobbin holder doesn't provide enough tension whilst it's hanging free or is it that the bobbins holder doesn't "grip" the spool tight enough and the thread comes off too easily?

If it's an issue of the weight, then a heavier bobbin would be the answer, though I've never like using these heavy bobbins and always preferred the lighter ones (just don't like the feel of the heavy ones in my hand).  You can always throw on a couple of extra wraps while you fiddle with stuff and the bobin hangs free, I just then undo these extra wraps when I'm ready to continue tying in materials.

If it's an issue of the legs not applying enough pressure on the spool, tuning the legs as suggested above will work.  You can also alow the thread to do a wrap around one of the legs between the spool and the thread tube, I usually do this when I'm using Pearsall's silk which is supplied on a small spool.

I bought a Vernaid CS Spigot Bobbin holder (it's got black ceramic inserts) the other day, found it to be a very good and well priced at about ?4.50.  The Tiemco's are very good but not as freely available and a little more expensive.

[Fishtales]

I just remember another technique to try. Before you start to fiddle do a half hitch on the last turn of thread, that will trap the thread on the shank and it wont try to unravel and go slack.

[Highlander]

The C & F ones are quite good. Got one as a present & quite happy with it.
Tight Lines

[toms dun]

C&F ones are brilliant especially for small flies ceramic tube very thin only problem is the price
  Tom

[garryh]

thanks for all the advice gents.new tiemco arrived today ,getting along much better now

cheers Garry