'Finish' Hackle Plier?

[drolfson]

Okay, didn't wanna hijack a thread, so. . . .

In another thread, Buddy said he 'finishes' his hackle pliers. I was just wondering who else does this, and what you do to finish yours.

I find that most of my pliers are rough where they hold the fly, so they need something done, but I have yet to do anything. I just get frustrated at times and threaten.

Oh, pictures would be great as I am a 'visual' guy.

Thanks!

[flybinder]

Don;
Personally, I don't go thru the trouble of "finishing" my hackle pliers, although I totally agree with Buddy on doing so, because sadly,many brands and types are very, very, poorly made and the edges, on the jaws, can really destroy hackle not to mention just cut it in two while you're winding it.

But, instead of finishing, (filing, grinding down and smoothing out the rough and sharp edges), I either slip on a small piece of "shrink tubing", over the jaw or roll on one or two tiny o-rings. Actually, on larger hackles, like Schlappen, I prefer to use the o-rings.

[Buddy Sanders]

Don,

In A.K. Best's book, production fly tying, he explains in detail 'how' to finish a pair of hackle pliers.

Mainly it's:

Tweaking the jaws so they are absolutly flat and parallel and mate together exactly. Most of these pilers are mass produced and won't be in this condition when you buy them. You can do this with a pair of good needlenose, care and persistence. For this case, close isn't good enough, you need them to be right.

Smooting the jaws and their edges so they will grip tightly without any place being sharp' enough to cut the stem. Ususally it's the outside edges that require most of the work. I use a dremel, but deleicate file follwed by fine emory paper (400 to 1600 grit type stuff) will do the job. You want to make sure the edges meet exactly, are flush and absolutely smooth. Pay some attention to the face of the jaws also. You want them flat and smooth, no serrations, no dings or scratches. Again, not difficult work, just takes time and care.

Most of the pliers have too 'strong' a spring tension. This can 'crush and weaken the hackle stem. You want to hold it securely, not smash it flat. Fix that by placing the hackle pliers into a pair of slip joing pliers. They will 'nestle' into the pliers with the hackle plier jaws forward and the circular portion of the hackle pliers spring in the jaws of the slip joints. If you apply firm but gentle pressure, you will feel the spring wire flex and then start to bend. Just a tad is all you need, and you are done.

You only have to do this once, and it's certainly worth the time. No need for all the heat shrink, the '0' rings, coating the jaws. Once properly 'finished' a decent pair of hackle pliers will last for decades and hold hackles securely without slipping or cutting.

Buddy

[rookie]

Don, I like to put shrink tube on mine. It takes away all rough edges as well as cushions the grip without loosing any tension.

[TyroneFly]

With my english style hackle pliers I too follow A.K. Best instructions for preparing the pliers for use. Last year I bought at a ff show from Al Beatty a teardrop style hackle plier. I like them even better than the english style and no need to finish them off. Just be sure to select on where the tips line-up and are flat when the come together.

[modocdan]

Hey Marty, what do the "teardrop" pliers look like??

As for "finishing off" I guess I do that with every tool I buy. It just seems like hardly anything is really quite finished, or straight enough, or polished enough for me. I guess that's why I build my own mostly.........................ModocDan

[whatfly]

Agree with Tyrone. J. Dorin hackle pliers (aka "teardrop") are the best and as long as you don't buy the real cheap stuff, they never need finishing:

http://www.stoneriveroutfitters.com/...&preadd=action