Normand, see if you can get this idea put into the fly tying tips section in features. They have some ideas on fly boxes but not this one. This a very nice idea, a very good ‘‘How To’’ like the pinking shears idea, very neat idea and low cost is the way to go. Thanks for the tutorial, take care, John.
sure! foam on one side, foam on the other(cover)
but the slits in the foam hold midges just like the C&F boxes
Cool stuff Nornand. I’ve been making them out of altoids boxes for awhile but never thought of pinking shears. That oughta free up some time. Thanks, Jim.
i’m just using the pinking shears to get nice even spacing without the additional time ist takes to lay out the lines. pinking shears are not even needed but i had them on hand so i used them.
Spectacular! I often give away flies to friends and friends of the family and have never been happy buying boxes to put my gift flies in. This will allow and inexpensive, custom box to be added. Sometimes they arrive in an envelope, but from now on they will have a neat custom box.
One question. You mentioned 1/4 foam. I usually see 2 or 3 mil foam. 1/4" is closer to 6 mil. Do you find 6 or 7 mil foam or do you laminate two 3 mil pieces together to get the thickness that you want. I have some spray adhessive that is used to laminate a couple of colors of 2 mil foam to build some multi colored, thicker foam flies. Looking forward to building a couple of these. Just have to find out what’s less expensive, Altoids or Fisherman’s Friend containers.
Rick
Edited to add link for Altoids: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=353474 $1.07 per tin and you actually get mints too. I’ll have 6 boxes to give away to friends, now I just need to tie more.
1/4 inch = 6.35mm
i found the 1/4 inch (6.35mm) foam at michaels craft store. it was also about 8 1/2 x 11 or there about. one thickness but i dont see anything wrong with laminating multiple sheet to achieve the desired thickness
the foam i used is a bit thicker than the foam use for the C&F fly boxes, but i’m not sure by how much. i will measure the foam when i get home from work this evening.
here is another source of tin boxes
http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=63
if you click on the links for each box, you will notice that you can purchase them individually or by the crate. i checked out the boxes with the clear cover and found i could buy a quantity of 20 for $21 bucks. however, when you add in the approximate shipping cost of $18, i decided not to make an order. that would have been about $2.10 per box, still cheap enough if you were making a bunch of them.
Plastic boxes from McMaster Carr Cheap I ordered 4 of each of the first three sizes of style A
I have this sudden hankering for Altoids. 
Wow, what a great idea. I am going to have to go steal some small tins from my 8 & 10 year old kids.:roll:
I have always wondered if the Altoid boxes rust…do they?
These are the exact boxes that Cliff Outdors uses for their fly boxes…
Brad
I was wondering the same thing. I’m sure that in saltwater it would start rusting fast. But in freshwater, would it last at least for a few seasons?
I asked about shipping flies the other day and texfly suggested using a travel container for soap. You could make a box like Normand’s out of that and it wouldn’t rust.
Great Idea Normand, thanks for sharing! 
An Altoids tin would not work as well for this idea as the word “Altoids” is embossed in the lid, but a shot of spray paint inside and out then decoration with feather inlays or the like could make a really spiffy fly box, particularly for gifting. Contact cement a photo on the lid and cover with Flex-Coat or a clear acrylic spray for protection. These could be as spiffy or basic as a person might want.
The paint would cut down on rust, too.
I borrowed the wife’s rotary cutter with a pinking shear blade. With a straight edge you can make strips really quick and accurate. Use a razor blade for the straight cuts. Be sure to use a cutting board..
i didnt know there was a wheel for this
how about posting a finished product
i like it
clean and simple
I found some adhesive magnetic sheeting at michaels also, cut to size for the altoid box lid, works nice, I dont think it is a strong a magnet as in the Cliffs style boxes, but it holds small stuff well and gives you a place to park flies while changing. Now, what if I bored a small hole in the corner to attach a lanyard?
Great Idea…do you think hot glue would work?
I havent had good luck with hot glue, it doesn’t last. holds for a while then falls apart.