Sometime ago I happened across AK Best's book Production Fly Tying
in which AK discussed the importance of chair height and table height. AK
suggested that most tables are too high and recommended that either the
table be lowered or the height of the chair be raised.
At first I thought this was rather odd until I started tying flies commercially
and discovered that alot of repetitive motion ( ie carpal tunnel ) problems
arise from poor posture and using your hands at odd angles.
After some thought I realized that cutting the legs to size on my tying
desk was a bit extreme and very likely I'd screw it up and either cut off
too much leg or make the legs of unequal size. My solution became to get
an adjustable office chair. My back has never regretted that choice.
In selecting a chair I choose one with arms. This feature is important in
that I can rest my arms on the chair and remove pressure from my shoulders
while still continuing to work. The chair also is pneumatic and can be raised
or lowered to fit almost any position. I choose a model with casters so
that I can roll over and grab some stuff without getting up. Another feature
I like is a self- tightening tilt to make the back stiffer or softer. I
also sat in every chair on the display floor and selected the model I thought
felt the best.
My thought is that if you are uncomfortable, you won't be able to do good
work. Since I assume most of you spend some time at the computer this could
also double as your computer chair.
One of my pet peeves is annoying things. At the top of my list would be
the constant hum of fluorescent lights. I would guess I learned to hate
that sound after spending hours in library while attending graduate school.
No doubt somewhere in the back of my head that humming sound brings to mind
all of the tortured I hours I toiled away on various projects.
On problem with fluorescent lights is that the light cast from them is a
very faint blue. This cast will color your flies and make things appear
differently then in natural light. Objects may be lighter or darker than
you thought.
Normal incandescent lights casts light that is soft and yellow. Objects
under this light appear warmer than in natural light and will again be colored
differently than you anticipated.
To improve your lighting start by getting a Halogen bulb that is 100 watts.
These are made by several companies and sell for around $3.00. You can identify
the bulbs because they have a flat spot on the top rather than the usual
egg shape.These bulbs also have the added feature of being energy efficient.
I put this bulb into an art/drafting lamp. The lamp can be set to any height
and I generally prefer the light to shine down from the top onto my work.
If you are doing very tiny work, you can move the lamp very close for brighter
light. This will reduce your eye strain and color all of your materials
in white light. You may wish to buy a model that has a magnifier on it if
you have vision problems. Many stores have sold Halogen tying lights for
over $100. With the new bulb, I spent a grand total of $18.
As a side note: my Paramedic Bud warns me that these lights cause fires since they are very hot. Do yourself a favor and only use the light when tying. When done turn it off. If the lamp shade is hot to the touch, shut it off and let it cool for awhile. I'd hate to have anyone's house burn down.
To reduce shoulder strain I now use a vice extender.The vice extender allows me to lower the height of the vise and move the work closer toward me. By changing the height and moving the work closer, it improves how you look at your fly and where you rest your arms and hands. This in turn reduces eye strain and strain on your back and shoulders. Vice Extenders are available for Griffin, Renzetti, Thompson and Dyna King. Some Indian extenders are also available from Sunrise and Ty-Master. Prices range from $10 to $45 depending on the manufacturer.
( Note: to see the new Griffin vise offset click on the word Griffin above. )
I picked up a pegged bottom floor mat from an office supply place. This is a "floor" protector for carpets used for office chairs. This is a great additon for me since when I cut stuff, the clipping fall on the mat not on the floor. I can just brush up the deer hair and scraps and collect the mess, rather than trying suck the stuff out of the carpet with a vacuum cleaner. I bought mine for $10.
Nothing is more frustrating than bad tools. I started tying using an Indian
vice. The jaws on these vises are soft and the vise won't hold hooks very
well. This tip comes from Ron Ulhenhopp. If you have a knock- off Indian
AA vice, try replacing the exisiting jaws with Thompson jaws. Also buy the
jaw screw set. The new jaws have better metal and will not wear grooves
in them after they are used over time. The set screw allows you to change
jaws easily without removing the cotter key/pin which is a real hassle.
A new set of Thompson jaws runs around $14 each. If you buy an Indian AA
vice for $14, the jaw set and set screw, the whole set-up will run you about
$45.
Try adding a trash basket/waste trol to your stem. The basket allows you
to catch clippings, junk and loose threads. If you do much deer hair work
this is a must. Trash baskets are available from Griffin and Thompson for
around $18.00 to $25.
Mounting a small strip of self-adhesive magnetic tape on your trash basket
is a handy way to dry flies, hold hooks and razor blades. I mount my strip
on the plastic square which connects to the vice stem. Use Goop to attach
the strip.
On another web site I looked at amazement at some of the flies a world famous
tier from England made. I was also amazed at some of the ridiculous prices
this fellow asked for his tools. First he wanted to sell a dubbing loop
tool for $20. Then he wanted to sell a dubbing brush with a rosewood handle
for $19. Well, I suppose PT Barnum was correct suckers are born every minute.
Lucky you for stopping by I'll tell how to make these tools for less than
$1.00.
To make a very usable dubbing loop tool, get an ordinary paper clip. Bend
the paper clip apart so that it is "S" shaped. There is your loop
tool and it works just as good as a fancy brass one. Total cost: free if
you scam one from work or school. Different size clips are handy for making
larger or smaller sized bodies.
To make a dubbing brush. Get a popcicle stick. Cut the toothy side of a
piece of
velcro to fit the stick. With Goop cement, glue the strip to your stick.
The neat thing about this tool is that you can get a treat by eating the
ice cream bar to get your stick.
Actually, I use new sticks which I buy at Wal-Mart. They sell a bag of sticks
for a couple of bucks and I use the sticks to mix glue. Velcro can be bought
by the inch or yard and comes in many colors. When I showed my tool to a
friend he said, " Well the fancy one has a real wood handle."
I said," What's this?" (pointing to the stick). If you like I'll
autograph one and send it to you for $9.95. This is still 50% below the
retail of the other guy's tool. Sorry I don't have a video to advertise
my tools yet.
For more Info Contact:
Mike Hogue / Badger Creek Fly Tying / 622 West Dryden Road, Freeville, NY 13068
Phone: 607-347-4946