I have been tying some gulper specials in size 14 and it weems the haqckle pliers I use, and i have several different kinds, either break the feather or slip off. and yes i am being very careful.
Anybody have and tricks , suggestions or favorite hackle pliers to overcome this frustration?
Tom
There are a lot of different styles of hackle pliers on the market, but I keep going back to the real simple ‘english style’ ones that sell for about $2.00.
I usually need to dress the jaws a little to prevent break offs. Take some wet/dry sand paper and round off any sharp edges. Then I fold a small piece of sand paper in half so the grit is exposed on both sides and clamp it btween the jaws. Slide the abrasive back and forth a bit to smooth out the serrated surfaces.
I have one pair I keep for particularly delicate feathers that has a small rubber tube slipped over one jaw.
Some hackles are just too delicate for wrapping. I have a nice grizzly dun cape that has good feathers in sizes above 16 but the smaller feathers just break off. I often forget and frustrate my self by trying to tie with them. Finaly I got smart and stripped off the bad feathers. I will save them for wing tips.
Good Morning All,
One thing I have done in the past with at least two prs. of hackle pliers is to contact cement a small strip of rubber band on each side of the metal pads.
I have a Thompson pair that has a small round rubber pad on one side and the opposing side has a grooved or serrated pad.
My absolute fav hackle pliers though are the Tiemco ones (with the rubber finger ring) and they came with a small bit of vinyl tubing on one pad. In addition to the use of rubberbands, here’s a tip for anyone desiring to fix their hackle pliers or pad their clip on sunglasses so they won’t mar your prescription glasses: If you go to donate blood ask the technician if you can have a small section of clean/sterile tubiing or if you can keep your own tubing after they finish drawing the blood. Be sure to clean it thoroughly and run some straight clorox through it before using it for purposes aroung your tying bench.
Wire insulation. Strip the wire, cut to fit.It works
Are these the English type?
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/ducksterman/HacklePliers.jpg:7c2fb]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/ducksterman/HacklePliers.jpg[/url:7c2fb]
The ones with the finger pads are some I bought at the Ontario show this weekend to replace the ones without the finger pads. This type has held the hackle the best for me. The ones with the finger pad also have one of the jaws covered with a little plastic tube as Gerri describes. You can see the address and price I believe.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might make the old ones more comfortable I was thinking of soldering on a washer or something like that???
Yup, thats the ‘english’ type I was refering to. If the tension on the pliers is so strong that it hurts your fingers it might be too much. If you twist the jaws slightly you can unhook them and then over open or close the two arms to adjust the spring tension.
Too much pressure on the hackle stem could be crushing it and contributing to break offs.
Hi,
Like most of you I have tried all kinds of hackle pliers with the results that the best ever pair of hackle pliers are made from one index finger and one thumb.
However the best mechanical ones I have found have two vital features. They are sprung and they swivel. So far I have only seen two makes like this. One I have been unable to determine the maker the other are from Jan Sieman. These are the ones I use.
The Sieman ones have great grip as one side of the clip is covered with something like wet and dry paper, the other has silicone tubing. This combination gives the second best grip I’ve found (the best is finger and thumb).
Several years ago there was a piece in FF&FT about using a short length of mono as a hackle pliers for tiny feathers. The idea was to put a tiny drop of superglue on the mono and them touch this to the tip of the hackle and use this in place of hackle pliers. It works.
Alan.
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”
A mesquito hemostat with heat shrink tubing on the serrated jaws works for me. They hang on tight when locked and have a small enough tip to allow for close work. And they are heavy enough to keep tension on thread, feathers, dubbing loops, and such.
I get them from a company that sells scissors, tweezers, and other miscellaneous stuff at the state fair. Cost about four bucks. Overall length about four inches. You can get them either curved or straight.
Fish wise, cast flies, tell no lies…
The single greatest improvement I’ve noted is to simply add a piece of Radio Shack shrink tubing over ONE of the blades.
I have a pair of CF Design hackle pliers. They work great. The holding power of the clamp is un-matched, and because you rotate by inserting your finger through the handle it lays the hackle on nice without it twisting. They are a bit expensive at $35.00 but worth it.
The other tool I have is even more expensive but works great as well, is the Nor-Vise. You actually wrap the hackle onto the thread, which gives the hackle some strength and as Norm states it makes a bullet proof fly. Takes a little getting used to but once you get it down it is the best investment I have made.
Eric.
I agree with most of the suggestions, Have you tried spritzing the cape with a little hair conditioner? I have some old capes and this has really helped them. Just spray enough that they feel slightly oily and let them sit for a few minutes, works great.
baldmidge
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