I made the mistake of trying to track down “cactus” or “ice” chenille, and rather than emerging victorious I am scratching my head over the outcome. This type of chenille is commonplace in the needlepoint industry where it’s sold as “edging”, something to border a needlepoint applique or fanciful throw pillow.
It’s a search engine nightmare, and tracking down the different types resold to us fly tiers is a real headache. You can find it under “eyelash” yarn, iridescent chenille, “scrubby” yarn, iridescent chenille thread, as well as using the familiar, “cactus” or “ice” chenille. Numerous vendors exist, many of which are in Europe, and use a different nomenclature for these products than we do. Mylar is called Lurex in Europe, so the search string changes depending on which continent you’re on. In addition there are many colloquial names like, “Cactus” chenille, “Ice” chenille, “Iridescent” Chenille, “tinsel” chenille, “Glass” Chenille, “Mylar” chenille, “Estaz”, and Lurex Chenille, Lurex Garland, among others. It’s made with a variety of materials, some with soft plastic like Estaz, or Kreinik’s “Micro Ice Chenille”, and some flavors feature a much coarser plastic, which we tend to call “Cactus” chenille.
What seemed like a simple item to track down quickly devolved into a multi continent , multi product mess, not the least of which was that fly tying shops sold it for less than needlepoint shops, which added additional mystery, besides being a first …
As I was looking to stock up on what I’ve known as “Micro Ice Chenille“, which is among the smaller versions of the product, I decided to leave all the other products for another day – or another fellow braver than I am …
“Micro Ice Chenille” is a trade name of Kreinik Threads, which is owned by another company called “Rainbow Gallery.” Searching for this product yields a few colors available from a dozen or so needlepoint shops, none of which have a comprehensive selection of colors. Likewise for the fly shops, as it seemed the selection was as sparse as the needlepoint shops. This is typically a bad sign in the yarn business, as it often precedes the vendor going out of business, or the discontinuation of the product itself.
I attempted to track down the status and found a couple old references to discontinued colors, but it appears the company is still making the product, although in less colors, and more importantly, they no longer make the “Fern Green” that is a staple of my warm water damsels and some of my better bass flies.
I’ll live … but only because I bought the last few spools remaining.
Kreinik’s base colors are available on their website, and many fly shops echoed this list, so it was obvious they were stocking the Kreinik product line, as the colors matched. Many shops had additional colors, so more vendors exist, but trade names and manufacturer information is scarce given the repackaging happening in both fly and needlepoint shops.
The best replacement I found was the result of using the search string, “Iridescent Chenille Thread” and while the size and texture was a match, they sold two different styles under the same name. One style of yarn is wrapped on a card (this is the identical version to Kreinik), and the other version was wrapped on itself, no card, and featured a thicker core thread holding everything together. Both worked well, but the tie off of the non carded yarn was bulkier due to the heavier core threads.
I ordered a couple of colors in both styles and they looked good, same soft mylar texture with several dozen new colors – including vibrant florescents, and available as a 10 meter skein, which is double the quantity of the Kreinik product, and about half the price ($2.39 vs $4.30), a great combination. The carded colors have the same thread core as the Kreinik Micro Ice and behave identically on both application and tie off.
Note this vendor uses the heavy thread core in its Cactus Chenille, better used on larger flies, not on the smaller trout offerings
The above picture shows the heavier thread core used in many vendors variants of these yarns, and you need to be concerned if you’re tying small flies as the heavier core will make a bulky tie off point.
The point of all of this is two fold, there is more than one name for cactus chenille, and once you find some you’ll find many more kinds and types of this yarn available. You need to choose your labels wisely, be mindful of the continent you’re on, and you probably need two or three different vendors to get a semblance of a color selection. Kreinek doesnt’ appear to be adding colors, so it may not be a credible source much longer (my instinct, not fact) .
Most tiers are using the subdued “trout” colors as that’s what’s sold by our fly shops. Mallard, Peacock, and Emerald Green, are the only greens available (Kreinik) , and myself and others would like some Olives, more Browns, and perhaps some Golden Stone type colors. Sprinkle in a few bright colors for Steelhead and everyone’s happy. The Kreinek catalog is sadly lacking all of that, which is a bad sign, so start looking for an additional vendor soon, and you may want to stock up on the colors you use most frequently.
Korry’s Little Shop in the UK has the best color selection but most of the colors we’re looking for are also out of stock. Remember to purchase the carded colors to ensure the same thread core, perhaps buying a skein of the non carded (thicker) core to eyeball before buying more.
I spoke with the proprietor of Korry’s Little Shop and she echoed the same issues I am having. Colors last for only a short time before disappearing, the landscape is ever-changing with most of the product lacking anything in the way of trade names, as it originates in China. Chinese cones are made into small cards for the millinery industry and the manufacturer or common name is neither translated nor transferred to the carded product.
Which puts us flytiers, in a bit of a quandary. I have confirmed the colors on a Chinese website, suggesting they are the supplier, but few if any of the colors are making it to our shores.
I’d like to find a cone of Olive, but it appears that’s not in the cards … and while that was a pitiful attempt at humor, it seems we’ll be dealing with the lack of cactus / ice / glass chenille colors for the foreseeable future.
ICE yarns sells a flavor called Metallic Glitz, but the colors available are fine for steelhead, not so much for trout fishing. ICE (vendor name) yarns is one of the larger players in this space, so this illustrates the paucity of our color selection. No one is making “nature” colors – most vendors are making “Christmasy tinsel/garland” colors instead.
Kreinik sells 50m cones for about $50 dollars, but the lack of colors means that kind of outlay is really questionable. A cone of Olive would be great for my tying, but your flies will differ, so the value of the larger quantity hinges on your planned use. Finding a backup supplier with additional colors in the Olive, Brown, Golden Stone, range would be a nice hole card to have, given the colors cannot be depended on to last more than three or four years …
For those about to begin their own search, note that all these yarns are called “Eyelash” yarns by the yarn industry. As you wander through vendors supplies this is the category of yarn to use to get close to what you’re looking for – a filamentous yarn with short fibers emenating from a central core. Add the material type, Lurex or Mylar to string and you’ll start hitting options that resemble what you want. Now you simply need to wade through the options until you find a match.
I think every fly tyer learned an important lesson with the advent of the Latex Dental Dam craze of the 80’s. Realistic imitation was “in” and natural latex caddis pupa imitations spilled off the pages of Fly Fisherman magaine and into our fly boxes like maggots fleeing a corpse …
We assumed that the waxy softness of wrapped Latex Dental Dam would make the most wary trout succumb, based on its lifelike look and feel, and suddenly fly shops were selling prepackaged Stonefly nymph latex shapes, Latex insect bodies, Latex hopper bodies complete with legs, and we were about to make wild trout kneel before our collective squishy awesomeness.
… then we opened our fly boxes to restock them the following season, and found all that Latex oxidized into broken bits resembling cooked Chow Mein, and realized we had forgotten one tiny little lesson in Physics.
That Which Stretches does not like Sunlight …
Anytime I am contemplating some form of stretchy synthetic in my flies, I remember the painful lesson of latex, and attempt to engineer the material out of the mix, given how little luck I’ve had with elastics.
I have been tinkering with Czech nymphs and their ilk for a bit, and have been slicing the bags the materials came in to make the thin shell backs used on these competition flies. Plastic bags stretch a little, but are not a true elastic material, and I hoped it would last longer than other materials. As the shellback is typically tightly ribbed with wire or monofilament, these flies are less prone to catastrophy than their Latex kin, where the oxidation of the latex eventually unwinds the entire fly body.
“Scud Back” is a material commonly used as the shellback for many of these Czech style nymphs, and I had an idea that I might be able to find the material in bulk form as there are so few transparent elastics used commercially.
Transparent elastic tape is used in the garment industry extensibly, and is used to seal clothing openings, like necks, wrist and anklets, on a wide variety of sports clothing. The transparent color allows it to be sewn into the lining of the aparture without altering the appearance of the outside of the cloth, and is used on nearly every swimsuit, bra, or strapped garment made.
Called “Mobilon Tape” or “Lastin” it is sold in some form by nearly every sewing store, and not suprisingly, for much less than us fly tiers are used to paying. Scud Back is a 1/8″ wide strip of Lastin, available in both clear and dyed colors. 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ are common sizes of Lastin for garment use, but it can be purchased in 1/8″ wide also. Typically Lastin is available in 0.12mm and 0.15mm thicknesses, just remember that the thinner the material the less likely it will survive hot sun and repeated seasons in your fly box.
Note this is one of the rare times NOT to lay in a lifetime supply. Rather it would prove smarter to replace the material regularly to ensure longevity on your flies. Consider that bras and swimwear see a similar amount of sun and water, it’s likely your flies will last more than a season, but you’ll need to test this due to the uniqueness of your storage method, and your fishing.
I tend to draw the material tight rather than stretch the material over the fly, which reduces the strain on the material and increases its lifespan. My flies are stored indoors in air conditioned splendor, so they are not fried in an overly warm garage, or similar inhospitable space.
Lastin or Mobilon can be dyed, likely with a synthetic dye or acid version, but I am reluctant to weaken the material uneccessarily with colors, hot water, and the mishaps that can occur with increased oxidation. I will dye some later to learn what works best, but that is a low priority.
I have used permanent markers to color the material, but once dry, the color wipes right off.
Lastin Shellback shown on a Czech Nymph
Most of my Czech nymphs use the simple transparent shellback, but I am contemplating a Hot Pink or Flo Orange Shad fly for use in the American, tied Czech style, so I might add a packet from Hareline just to be clever …
Scud Back is made by Hareline, and sells for $2-$3 for three feet. Lastin / Mobilon sells at most stores around fifty cents a yard, or about $7-$8 for a ten yard bag. Considering how many flies you can tie with a single 10 yard bag, I think I would opt to buy it one bag at a time, mindful to toss it every couple of seasons to ensure oxidation is minimized.
The smaller 0.12mm thickness is perfect for smaller flies, as it is noticeably more pliable than the 0.15mm standard. Extra pliability comes at a cost, as the thinner material likely has a bit less lifespan before snapping. When applying the material onto the fly simply draw it tight versus stretching it to the attachment point, as this will reduce the strain on the material as it ages/oxidizes.
I recieved both thicknesses from garment sources, so you’ll need to read the advert to determine which they are selling.
Mandala Crafts sells 33 yard spools of 5/32 elastic tape for about $9. This material is advertised as a thermoplastic, but doesn’t mention the Lastin brand. The material is clear compared to the slight opaque of Lastin tape, and the material can be stained with permanent felt pen. While useful, it suggests more than a single type of thermoplastic elastic tape exists, so you’ll need to try a couple to see which you prefer.
I wasn’t surprised I had nearly 32 sizes of brass beads, in 8 colors, it was all the nooks and crannies I’d wadded the little baggies into that was the revelation. Once you factor colors and sizes; Silver, Gold, Copper, Black Nickel, in at least four sizes; 4mm, 3.8mm, 3.2mm, and 2.4mm … add in those Olive and Coffee Brown beads you thought irresistible, and the White 2.4mm that you need for Shad, the four sizes of Coneheads for all the Bass minnows you throw … the combination of little plastic bags tucked into drawers, becomes a mess.
Then there’s the fish hook issue. Old hooks in paper boxes, newer hooks in plastic boxes, recent purchases in those silly plastic sleeves, and even though it’s the same hook in three different sized containers, it’s not possible to save them all in the same drawer, and you have hooks spread out among all of your storage choices.
You might say, I’ve had enough …
It used to be a few thread spools we couldn’t find a place for … or an odd lot of tinsels, but now our craft is full of little bits of plastic, little metal beads, things that rattle, things that sparkle, and all of it changes shape everytime the vendor has a fit of pique, regardless of what our storage can handle.
When I started tying it was the Porcupine purchase that made me realize I needed to upgrade my storage. Back then everything was in a cardboard wine box. The smaller the item the deeper it sank into the mix, so routinely I would plunge into the box looking for yellow hackle and have to dig. One day I plunged into the box and came out attached to my chunk of Porcupine hide, and the plasticine baggy it was in offered zero protection to my now-bleeding fingers.
I upgraded to a desk dedicated to fly tying. This meant the Porcupine could be safely stored away from both my loyal hound, and my grabbling digits.
I think we’re there again. Desks no longer offer the kind of small item storage we now need, as their drawers simply aren’t segregated enough to offer their contents efficiently when searched. Little boxes cannot be stacked next to envelopes of fish hooks, as we cannot see their labels and must “deal” them onto the table like cards, to find the Dry Fly #12’s.
Options for compartments are available for this cabinet
What’s needed is the ability for us to decant the vendor’s containers into a standard container of our own choosing, that will allow us to label and store with others of the same size and type.
… and that’s the easy part of the quest, defining the problem.
In all my wandering through craft stores, only the beading community seems to share our problems with storage and container. They’re afflicted by countless small beads and the need to keep them all seperate and within arm’s reach. Figure they got a dozen different sizes and unlimited colors, and their work surface is as cluttered as ours …
I’ve been eyeballing some of their storage solutions. Lots of wonderful little jars that would accomodate hooks swimmingly, we just need the jars to fit within the confines of our existing furniture solution … or add something they will fit into.
One thousand 3.8mm brass beads will fill a one inch jar to the brim. 5mm beads will fit about 500-600 in a one inch container, so it looks like both the one and two inch jars are needed for a comprehensive solution. The two inch jar can handle the big hooks (by the one hundred pack) as well as the larger beads, coneheads, rattles, and fish heads needing storage.
The above links are for glass and plastic jars. I opted for glass over plastic, given many forms of plastic age poorly and become cloudy, brittle and opaque. Glass allows me to attach labels either to the glass or the metal lids – allowing me to peel or scrape them off year’s later with no damage to the container. Glass is heavier, and if I leave the container on the surface of my tying bench, will resist being brushed off onto the floor much better than plastic. Think several hundred size 16’s sprinkled onto your sock feet and carpet…
The small jars are part of the answer, but what to put the jars into is the balance of the question. Most desks contain four or six drawers in several sizes, and not all are suitable for the one inch size without stacking them. Stacked jars work, but it makes searching for the hook you want a little harder than specialized storage that shows ALL the labels on the jars at once.
I’ve opted to start with the Stamps and Storage Wooden Drawer Cabinet, to test its storage and retrieval of all my items. It can be purchased with different height drawers, so you can choose the jar sizes best suited for your tying. My first purchase was configured with six one inch drawers and two, two inch drawers. I purchased the dividers to compartment the one inch drawers into sixteen smaller squares, ditto for the two inch drawers. Each 1″ drawer can fit 16 jars, so I have a total of 96 1″ inch jars, and 32 2″ jars, or 128 seperate storage vessels.
Awesome. But Expensive.
The one inch drawers have no sides to them, only fronts and backs, so the strips of divider wood that make them into 16 individual compartments are necessary. The 2″ drawers have all four sides, making the subdividers uneccessary.
I’m thinking the 1″ drawers equipped with 1″ bottles are perfect for hooks, the 2″ drawers with 2″ bottles are for everything else. It’s likely that each unit may have a different configuration, should more than one cabinet be purchased.
The size of the unit will allow it to be used on your table, or located somewhere’s else. This is useful to pre-position all the frequently used sizes of hooks and beads, close to the work area for use. Offloading these items out of your desk storage will then allow you to reposition and optimize certain drawers for use with additional glass jars, making your desk hold additional small items.
See all the labels at once
With 134 compartments in one cabinet (as configured above) you have all of your small things available in storage that will never change shape, and will always have accurate labels, as you can peel the old and replace with the new.
I will be stockpiling a few flies going forward, as Winter is long and I keep fiddling with new patterns and ideas. If this cabinet works well, I will add a couple more configured with only the 2″ drawers to contain additional jars. If you figure 10 nymphs and 6 dries, that’s only a single drawer out of the six, so I don’t need to go overboard on the small size.
The 2″ drawers are better suited for the larger flies, so if I get industrious I might stash some leechs or big stoneflys. I probably not use these for feather storage as the handle area allows bugs access, and a sealed container is always the first line of defense.
Instinct suggests that while a beginning tyer could shift all of his hook storage into one unit, I should not. Firstly, because I have hoarded quite a bit more than your average beginner, and secondly, it’s the most commonly used hooks that i need storage for, not the odd, ancient, or esoteric crap I have squirrelled away. While you might still own Mustad 94840’s in paper containers, plastic containers, and plastic sleeves, you probably only own one type of container for Salmon double hooks, as they’re illegal in most California creeks.
I will be consolidating my trout nymph and trout dry fly hooks to these containers due to the mix of storage types the manufacturers chose over the last decade. The ancient Allcock hooks, and the Carrie Steven’s Streamer hooks I got from Partridge, are hoarded items that I don’t need close to hand.
Whether this makes it to my desk surface is another question. The one inch drawers work well for threads and tinsels, fish hooks, and small amounts of beads, but you’ll need to make sides for those drawers or buy the dividers from Stamps N’ Storage to ensure things don’t roll off the sides when opening and closing them.
The drawers have dividers in numerous configurations, so you need to determine what container size you’ll be using in order to purchase the dividers. I bought the larger size grid, with 16 compartments, but they make many more options. (Note that this 16 compartment option is only available after clicking the Configuration option on the purchase screen, it is not shown)
My desk has several shallow drawers that I had been using for hooks and beads, and now are available for other items, like tools, or packaged dubbing assortments. Offloading the small item storage to the cabinet has freed several drawers to pack with other things that are better behaved in shallow drawers.
The carousels look quite useful also, but I’ll wait on those until I’ve integrated the cabinet. Even without containers in them, I can see filling one with threads and tinsels, wires spools, lead, and bead chain.
There is a lot of confusion over Ice Dub and finding it in the wild. Years ago I wrote a piece on Meadowbrook Glitter’s Angelina fibers, and how they’ve since become Ice Dub. Since that time I have answered a lot of confused questions about the Angelina product and whether it is or isn’t what we know as Ice Dub.
I thought I might reiterate what it is you’re looking for and describe what it is you might purchase when looking for it … and how fraught with peril your purchase might be … and how best to fix it … which is a lot for a single post, but advanced fly tying simply ain’t for sissies.
What we are dealing with …
Meadowbrook Glitter makes many types of Angelina fibers. There are “straight”, “soft crimp”, “hot fix”, and several other flavors for which I don’t have a bonafide description or label. I will call them “small denier”, and “long straight.” All of these fibers are made from a thin polyester sheet sliced into tiny thin strips.
“Soft Crimp” Angelina is what we know as Ice Dub. It is a thin curly film soft to the touch and dubs onto thread fairly well. Soft Crimp Angelina has 15 denier wide fiber, whose filament is about two inches long, and is the only Angelina flavor that is Ice Dub.
“Straight” “Angelina is a similar width fiber to the soft crimp, but is NOT curly, is several inches longer than the crimped, and while it can be dubbed onto thread, is a little stiffer and less easy to dub than Soft Crimp. Straight Angelina is available in all the same colors as Soft Crimp, but Ice Dub has even more colors than Angelina, so Ice Dub has many custom colors unique to their product. Meadowbrook Glitter makes both the Soft Crimp and Straight fiber in about 27 colors, and Ice Dub has considerably more than that.
“Hot Fix” Angelina is a heat fusible fiber identical in appearance to straight Angelina, only the application of heat will make the fiber fuse into a mesh sheet or “bug wing” of iridescence. Simply drape fibers onto a clean surface in any pattern, lay a piece of paper over them, then pass a warm iron over the paper, Instant insect wings.
Why it’s a problem …
Angelina fibers were originally made for the glitter business, chopped into tiny fragments so folks could toss them in the air while inebriated. Angelina fibers are now sold to the millinery and yarn business, and that industry uses most of these fibers interchangeably, so they don’t care about the differences as much. Angelina fibers are woven into spun yarns to add flash and sparkle, and only the heat fusible fibers are of concern to the yarn crowd, as they don’t want their garments melting accidentally.
A fly tier intent on buying “Ice Dub” by the ounce can search for Soft Crimp Angelina on the Internet, and will likely get a mix of Angelina fibers, much of it the wrong stuff. The yarn or spinning vendor lists their Angelina fibers incorrectly, or without knowing which are what, and you wind up buying packages of the “straight” fiber Angelina rather than the Soft Crimp. The yarn vendor doesn’t seem to care about straight versus crimped, and you get a confusing mix of incorrect products when ordering online.
This is the source of the confusion, vendors selling straight fibers when you’re looking for soft crimp, and the product you get is close … but not exact.
As a test I ordered from five different yarn stores and recieved all three types under the “soft crimp” label. That means “caveat emptor” … and I cannot fix this for you.
The Good News being that while the straight and hot fix fibers are only slightly harder to dub, they are still very usable in fly tying and your money will not be wasted.
There are two kinds of fly tiers, those that go the extra mile, and those that buy packaged crap
While I can’t fix this issue of vendor mislabeling, I can teach you how to make Lemonade from Lemons, with the aid of a little knowledge and Science …
Think Taco Bell and it’s products served by high school kids. Any new product they debut will make use of existing Taco Bell products and processes, rather than something completely new. They’ll slap beans onto a taco shell, add a soft flour taco cover and call the Artery Hardening result a “Chalupa” … They already had the soft flour taco, beans, and crispy shell, on other products, as well as the process to cook and wrap them in greasy waxed paper …
The same is likely true of Meadowbrook Glitter, all their fibers stem from the same thin polyester sheets, so there has to be some simple process to convert straight to crimped, as everything but the shape is the same. The “hot fix” flavor suggests temperature modification may be the answer.
Enter Science.
Polyester has a melt point of 220 degrees fahrenheit, at that temperature solid polyester will turn into a liquid. At temperatures less than 220F, polyester will shrink, twist, and curl, changing both its form and texture.
Hot water from the tap is about 100F. All we need do is figure out what temperature will turn straight Angelina into something more resembling Soft Crimp. In addition, the heat fusible form of Angelina is an obvious special case, as it’s likely something has been added to its base polyester to melt slightly with warm iron use.
Doctor Frankenstein I presume …
Dyeing polyester is a lot of fun, and being no stranger to the process as well as owning several pounds of soft crimp Angelina, I figured I could add to my available colors of Ice Dub at the same time I deduced what the heat properties were on the baseline Angelina product.
Case 1: Heat fusible Angelina. Heat fusible Angelina begins to lose its straightness at around 130F to 140F. Hot tap water is about 100F, so this is only slightly hotter than tap water. At these temperatures the width of each fiber and its straightness are both comprimised, and the result is essentially a better form of Ice Dub, with a thinner filament size.
Case 2: Standard Angelina (straight). The straight Angelina fibers that are NOT heat fusible have a higher deformation temperature, around 155F to 165F. At these temperatures the same deformation of fiber width and straightness occur, making standard straight Angelina into more of an Ice Dub flavor.
Note: If you wish to do this on your own, you need to have a good thermometer and remove the Angelina from the water bath frequently to check the fibers for the start of the malformation process. I initially removed the material after one minute of exposure to an increase of 10 degrees fahrenheit. In this manner I could determine a roughly ten degree window where the material began to change shape. Leaving the material in the bath longer, or increasing the temperature more can increase the amount of shrinkage and deformation of the Angelina fiber. So you need to assume you will destroy some learning how to shape/dye this material.
Hell, you destroy materials simply dyeing them the wrong color, and as I can buy a quarter ounce of Angelina for the price of one teensy pack of Ice Dub, we’ll have plenty of mistakes and unsusable mats, and we’ll make plenty of things you’ll want to make again.
Reproduce the Range of Outcomes
You know what Ice Dub looks and feels like. You’ve got a package of Angelina so you know its characteristics, now pinch off a dab and toss it in a pot of hot water equipped with a liquid or candy thermometer.
Every ten degrees of temperature increase over 120F you should remove the materials and check for changes. Once you determine the curl and shrink temperature, destroy some by leaving it for too long. This will show you how much change is possible with the water temperature changes, allowing you to reproduce the effect again.
Keep in mind you might not know what the vendor sent you (he might not know either) so record the temperatures and try the process on another sample, if you bought more than one color. If you get one package curling at a lower temperature, chances are you have a hot fusible pack, so make a few bug wings to see what they look like.
The above picture shows the “default Green” color that emerges first when you dye the Angelina fiber. This is “Crystilina Aurora” color and the opalescent refractions assist in making the result look green. This is “white” Crystilina Aurora dyed with Jacquard Brown iDye. The brown is beginning to take, but more time in the dye bath will be needed to get a dark brown.
Dyeing polyester requires a different type of dye
Polyester is a synthetic fiber, so you need a synthetic dye to color it correctly. Synthetic dyes typically will not dye protein, so you can dip your hand in the dye with no ill effect, other than suffering horribly from scalding water burns.
Spilling it on formica is a different issue, as most kitchen formica is synthetic, and every dollop, slurpage, or drip may dye your kitchen floor vividly.
RIT makes a synthetic dye called “DyeMore” for use on synthetic fabrics including Polyester. The Jacquard company makes “Idye Poly” for synthetics which will also dye Polyester. As Jacquard also makes an Idye for natural fibers, make sure you order the correct product. Jacquard iDye contains a packet of gel fixative to set the color, and the RIT DyeMore requires no additional fixative to set the color permanently.
The instructions on the labels of these dyes are a bit misleading, as they are designed for pounds of cloth, not tiny fragments of polyester. Often the directions will insist the dye bath be closer to 200F than the 120-160F range I described. Ignore the directions and test the process using a pinch or two of the Angelina material, testing shrinkage, curling, and color, before committing your entire purchase to the dye pot. THe physics are undeniable, as dumping several pounds of wet cloth into the pot is going to lower the temperature 20-30 degrees, whereas your little packet of Angelina will not have that cooling affect, and the small pinch of material will probably liquify into an unusable gum.
I tested both RIT DyeMore and the Jacquard IDye Poly and had great results with both. One of the unique things about polyester is that the initial color picked up by the Angelina is always a Peacock Green, even if you’re dyeing something Tan. I’m sure there’s an explanation for this phenomenon, simply leave the material in the pot longer and the proper dye color will eventually show.
I always yank some out of the pot if the initial green color is particularly fetching, leaving the remainder to acquire the actual color of the dye. This gives me two colors for the price of one.
Angelina has several white colors suitable for dyeing, each with a different iridescent or opalescent highlight. My favorite is Soft Crimp Angelina in the “Crystilina Aurora” color. This highlight is like shattered abalone shell and contains more colors than the other highlights, hence my favorite.
The above image shows the deformation of the straight Angelina fibers when exposed to hot water. The original sample is in the center, and the 155 Degree was a several minute exposure to 155F hot water. Likewise for the 135F specimen at right. You will have to watch carefully to get the right amount of change in your straight or hot fix Angelina, and as water temperature can differ at altitude you will probably require several attempts before you get what you like. Experiment with small pinches of the material before submerging your entire stash. Remember that Ice Dub has a shorter filament length than the Soft Crimp Angelina, so depending on what the vendor sold you there may be small differences still. Based on the above sample and temperatures, it appears this is “straight” Angelina, not the heat fusible or soft crimp versions.
As most of you are new to dyeing understand that you’ll need to approach this systematically. Your results will vary from mine due to simple things like size of pot, amount of water, amount of dye used, so don’t expect perfection on the first try. In my trials I used a full container of the dye, either Jacquard or RIT, mixed with about 4 inches of water in a large stew pot. The large pot allows the attachment of the candy thermometer without getting in the way of stirring the mix.
To make it easy on yourself, heat the liquid to the desired temperature and turn off the burner. This will allow you to soak materials for several minutes without scorching or destroying them suddenly. Once you’re certain of the time and temperature exposures you can get bolder in your efforts.
The above shows the results of testing both dyes and fibers. RIT DyeMore Sandstone, Gunmetal, Jacquard Green, Silver Gray, and Brown. Several of the greens shown are me pulling some out before the actual color takes over. Almost all the synthetic dyes yield a green on the initial dip with the color showing up only after some minutes in the bath. The Gunmetal color took nearly 15 minutes to show correctly, and I had to reheat the dye bath a couple times to ensure it remained near the desired temperature range.
With products as delicate as Angelina it is really easy to destroy them in the dye bath, so turn the heat off where possible to ensure you do not scorch the product or weaken it structurally.
In Summary, Angelina fibers are sold by many vendors without regard to whether they are soft crimp, straight, or heat fusible, and its possible to recieve any of these flavors when ordering the Soft Crimp flavor online, just as I did. Angelina will curl and shrink under heat, so if the “Soft Crimp Angelina” shows up and is the straight or heat fusible version, you can make it into a better version of itself with a dye pot and the appropriate dyes – or simply hot water.
Only two items are used at every step of the fly, and rather than spending precious dollars on tools that are simply more expensive because they can be, spend your money where it really counts, by upgrading your scissors or your vise.
The fly tier’s vise and one or more pairs of quality scissors will always justify their cost simply because they are constantly in use, their quality levels increase dramatically with the dollars spent, and their capabilities increase with the increased outlay, as blades and tips become finer and sharper, or jaws become capable of a wider range of hooks, can rotate, and can attain the same nosebleed price levels as lesser tools, so you don’t feel left out.
Fly tying vises being too expensive to own more than one or two of them, thereby making me blanch at the thought of buying several for review, but scissors are enjoying a renaissance in both price and quality, and a canny fly tier intent on upgrading his tool suite should learn where the good scissors grow, and how to determine what he really needs in light of this vast unexplored continent of expensive cutlery.
Scissors, and the Vastness of Options
All the best scissors grow in the medical and dental professions, and what’s available from fly shops are the cheapest quality scissors, mostly made in India or Pakistan. Both regular and dental surgery have created thousands of different types of specialized scissors that you cannot imagine exist, until you are curious enough to visit an online medical supply house, and dive into all the names, sizes, and shapes.
The myriad of choices, shapes, cutting edges, and materials are likely to be a bit daunting to your untrained eye, but I include enough information to help you limit your focus to a few important qualities and the types of tips, frames, and edges available to make your choice and your dollars go further.
Tips
For the fly tier the sharp fine tip is the most desirable element in a scissor. Medical scissors can have a tip fine enough to trim a single fiber from the inside of the eye of a hook, but that degree of metalurgy comes with a high price, both in dollars and in the education of the fly tier that spent the $600 necessary to own those scissors.
Medical scissors also come with blunt tips, rounded tips, curved, straight, and one rounded tip and one fine tip, but for most fly tying uses the dual fine tip is preferred. Fly tiers may lust after other types of scissors, once they learn of their existence, like Wire Cutting scissors would be superb for cutting heavy feather stems, wire, and bead chain. Medical supply houses often describe these as “heavy pattern” scissors, or heavier frames designed for increased force, and most come with one serrated and one straight edge designed specifically for cutting stainless steel wire.
Stainless steel wire is the preferred standard in dentistry and medical surgery due to its strength and possesses the highest intrinsic hygiene value, requiring less disinfecting chemicals to provide a sterile surface. Stainless steel wire would destroy most fly tying scissors very quickly, so the extra “beefiness” in frame of a heavy pattern scissor is welcome.
For most tiers the question of which tip will reduce itself to straight or semi-curved. Fly tying scissors are typically straight points, but scissors designed for fine work are often available in both straight and semi-curved. The curvature allows the cutting points and fingers of the user to not block the view of the area being worked on, giving greater visibility for precision cutting. Most tiers learn with straight points, many prefer the semi-curved once introduced to them solely due to the increased visibility garnered at the point of the cut.
Edges
The “Supercut” blade (typically with black handles) are superfine serrated blades. These serrations are much finer than anything available to fly tiers and will positively grab and hold anything ensuring no slippage during the cut. Tiers are familiar with hair or fibers slipping along the blade as it closes and we compensate without realizing it, often trimming two or three times to get a single even cut. Supercut scissors prevent any hair from slipping and you will get straight and even cuts on fibrous materials every time.
Tungsten Inserts are small insets of Tungsten Carbide imbedded in the leading edge of each blade. Tungsten is among the hardest of steel, so it makes a superior cutting edge. It is also the most brittle of steel, so you can destroy the points simply by dropping them onto a concrete floor. If you are not careful and cut toward the hook shank perhaps catching the tips on the hook shank, you can remove both tips in the blink of an eye, destroying the scissor in the process. Tungsten Carbide scissor usage requires the tier to relearn how to use scissors, and how to protect the points properly.
Most medical scissors are simply stainless steel which is a softer cutting edge and less prone to damage. Many medical scissors have “German Stainless” stamped or stenciled on them, which refers to the type of steel used versus the steel (or scissor) originating in Germany. Metalurgy analysis suggests sulpher and phosphorus are added to traditional stainless to make this variant, it is considered a “soft” steel.
Ceramic bladed scissors are a ceramic coating added to stainless or tungsten inserts to make the edges harder, sharper, and last longer than stainless or tungsten normally would. Ceramic coating also reduces glare on the scissor, and makes it resist corrosion better. Ceramic coated scissors are incredibly expensive, lusted after by every fly tier that handles a pair, and should be considered only if you have a friend whose a surgeon, a rich uncle, or win the lottery. Ceramic OR (operating room) grade scissors typically range between $250 to $600, depending on size and type.
What a Hammy Handed Meathead needs to know before buying the Good Stuff
Medical scissors are available in four grades. There’s the disposable scissors from Pakistan and India that are $10 or less, and make up most of the offering from fly tying shops, and are available by the squillions on Ebay at much cheaper prices. A decade ago these were really poor quality, but the sample purchases made recently suggest vast improvement on both fit and tolerances.
As these scissors are less than ten bucks each, you can order a sample pair to check the points and quality of blade construction before ordering more. These are great scissors for equipping a club fly tying class – or used as loaners for same. These scissors mimic the fancy scissors by using gold colored handles, and stencil “German Stainless” on the frame, hoping you’ll think the scissor is made in Germany.
The third grade of scissor is the “supercut” and tungsten carbide scissors. These scissors can range from about $75 to $250, and are better than anything offered by fly tying vendors. The above picture (at left) shows the fit of the blades on a pair of semicurved Tungsten IRIS scissors. Note that daylight cannot be seen between the two blades from their tips all the way to the screw fastener. This is the hallmark of the best scissors as they only cut where the upper and lower blades meet. Daylight means little or no cutting ability on that segment of the scissor.
The ultimate grade is the ceramic coated scissor, and is largely out of the tier’s budget. Paying $300 to $600 for a pair of scissors that you are certain to destroy should they be your first set of quality scissors, is for trust fund babies who can afford thousand dollar fly rods, and $200 nippers. I recommend learning to use tungsten carbide scissors first before moving higher on the food chain, and prior to ceramic coated you should have destroyed at least one pair of tungsten scissors learning how to use them properly.
These scissors (tungsten and ceramic) should be approached warily, as the fly tier needs to learn how to use scissors of this quality, given that flesh and ligaments can be soft in the comparison to some of the things you may be cutting with your inexpensive fly tying scissors.
Learning how “soft” steel can be
Stainless is considered a “soft” steel, and using a quality scissor improperly will show you how soft stainless can be.The screw joining the frame and blades is a much harder steel than the stainless of the scissor, so the more pressure applied to the legs of the scissor to make the cut, the more the screw will deform the soft stainless housing that surrounds it. Over time this screw hole deformity becomes “slop” in the meshing of the blades, and the legs of the scissor will show increased play in all directions. Eventually the scissor will be destroyed, or the screw can deform the screwhole to the point where the scissor no longer functions as such.
Test your existing fly tying scissors for damage in the same fashion. Simply grip each fingerhole and move the legs in opposite directions vertically. The distance the legs move away from one another in the vertical plane shows how much deformity or slop is present in the screw hole.
Your first set of really excellent scissors will be your ritual sacrifice, you will destroy them learning what you can and cannot do. Destroying good scissors should take years if you don’t do anything stupid, so be mindful of their use and assume you will destroy them via time-honored trial and error.
Rule 1: Heavy cutting needs to be done with heavy duty scissors . I have a “heavy pattern” scissor with standard stainless blades that I use to cut wires, monofilaments. stems of peacock and other thick flight feathers, and bead chain. These heavier scissors have lasted about 30 years of commercial tying with no obvious damage, due to my choosing the proper tool for this job. I may succumb to a set of inexpensive wire cutting scissors just to try them in a similar role.
Rule 2: Stop cutting toward the hook shank with tungsten carbide scissors, learn to cut “away” from the hook shank instead. Closing the tips on a hook shank will remove those fine points you paid so much for – so learn how to minimize risk. Use Needle Scabbards on your best scissors to protect them when not in use.
Rule 3: Fine pointed medical scissors are designed to cut flesh, skin and soft organ tissue. They are not used to cut heavy tendon and bone. This learning curve is identical to a surgeon-in-training, you have to learn which tool is best suited for what type of cut. Use your heavy scissors to cut leather for mouse tails, brass or stainless wire, or anything else rigid or thick.
Of the thousands of medical scissors, what should I be looking for?
A fly tier who is ready to make the leap from fly shop to doctor’s office should focus on these attributes.
IRIS Scissor : Iris scissors have small, fine tips and sharp blades. They were originally designed for ophthalmic procedures but are now used in a wide range of applications like delicate tissue dissection, cutting fine sutures, or removing delicate ocular tissues. Note the medical uses all mention delicate or fine, pay attention. IRIS scissors are best suited for the fine work needed on flies. Stick with this style in your initial foray, and get more emboldened once you’re used to the types and styles.
If you want to look at a new type of scissor, order the seven dollar version of it from a medical supply or EBay. Test the heft, length, blade, and cut, using the inexpensive version. If warranted, you can buy a better grade of the scissor once you’re comfortable with its attributes, capabilities, and shape.
Length: 4.5″. Scissors come in many sizes, for fly tying … stick with the 4.0 – 4.5″ lengths, depending on your hand size. I prefer the 4.5″ length, it’s typically the standard length for most fly tying scissors sold in fly shops as well. (4.5″ is 11.4 centimeters, Germany is on the metric system. and many supply houses list their metric size.)
Large fingerhole. Scissors are available in different fingerhole types, ribbon and standard. Medical scissors are designed for male fingers so all should have large enough fingerholes, but given a choice, opt for more room.
Fly tying scissors all have straight tips, medical scissors offer semicurved, slanted, straight, and scissors whose blades are tilted 45 degrees. Start with straight points and work your way up to the semi-curved once you’re more comfortable. Semi-curved scissors are designed to remove scissor and fingers from the same plane as the cut being made – meaning you have increased visibility of the work area so you have better control over the single hair you’re removing from the eye of the hook. I prefer semi-curved, but I use both styles.
There are many high quality makers of medical scissors and most reside in the US or Germany. I cannot vouch for all, but if you are concerned and wish to make a large dollar purchase, I recommend the Miltex brand, Miltex being a German made scissor. I have also purchased numerous Hu-Friedy scissors, and I can recommend those as well.
I have used Miltex scissors for at least 40 years and have never had a bad pair. I have destroyed a couple pair, but this was the normal process of learning about the scissors and their limitations. That first sacrificial pair paid for itself many times over as I did not repeat the same mistakes with others I have purchased.
… and Lastly.
If you’re contemplating a purchase please recheck the scissors length, and tip type before buying online. You may even want to call them if the photographs are grainy or too small. It is easy to mix a round tip for a fine tip or a blunt scissor, if you’re not playing close attention.
Some states require the purchaser of the medical scissor to be a doctor, and in those states a license or license number must be produced at the time of sale. Don’t buy from the supply houses that are limited by this requirement. All the eBay scissors and 90 percent of the remaining supply houses do not have a license requirement, so simply shop a different state.
As only the largest of cities host stores selling these items, ask your dentist or dental surgeon to look at his tools. Most dentists are boring conversationists, due to all their conversations being one sided, you being hampered by a mouthful of stainless steel and someone else’s fingers, so have him show you some of the scissors he has at his practice, or … tell you about the merits of the different vendors he’s used .. or where he purchases his tools.
… and when the SOB isn’t looking you can pocket a handful of the Good Stuff ….
Fresh off my delving into bobbins, I thought I might dabble in the other mainstay tools to see if any are evolving. Most fly tying tools are in stasis, no significant changes have occurred since their introduction. Whip finishers appear to be one of these static areas, as surveying the web shows no new functionality, only a few minor tweaks to their design, and little to show for the increased costs inflicted on us by manufacturers.
Several decades after introduction, Frank Matarelli’s original tool has no real competitors despite advances in metallurgy and engineering. Reviewing the field of available options simply turned up copies of copies of Frank’s original design, and tools with new shapes and similar mechanics, suggesting little improvement is needed or possible.
Having been a victim of the ancient Herter’s Whip Finisher, and that experience scarring me forever, thrust me into a decade of “fingers only” whip finishes … until the callous on my forefinger started fraying thread mid knot … and I adopted the Matarelli Whip Finisher the moment I saw it.
Since then, very little has moved the whip finisher forward. Thread technology has moved into unbreakable, via Kevlar, and at the same time become more gossamer; Danville 6/0 giving way to Uni 8/0, yet the tool most used to finish flies has deviated little.
In reviewing what options exist, I found two “Familys” of change. The “flexible leg” group of Petitjean, Griffin, and Stonfo, and the “Extended Reach” group, led by Hareline and a host of inhouse brands, offering a larger version of the Matarelli whip finisher. The Petitjean family boasts different shapes and designs, but use the same mechanics as the Matarelli, and the Hareline Extended Reach copying the Matarelli Extended Reach, which is a larger version of their standard whip finisher. Larger isn’t so much a new feature, it’s more of a wrinkle on the original theme.
“Extended Reach” is a convenience that allows a tool-using fly tier to add a whip finish somewhere other than the eye of the fly. Some tiers prefer the whip finish knot to the half hitch, so the larger tool allows its use on other parts of the fly, as well as being able to do so on bushy flies and long shanked hooks.
In comparing the Hareline Extended Reach to my older Matarelli Extended Reach whip finisher, I found the Hareline to be about a half inch shorter (in overall length) than the Matarelli, and a poor fit to my hand. You’d think the larger tool would have a longer handle, but the Hareline only fits across half of my palm, and with the increased leverage of bigger tool and bigger fly, I found it to be a bit uncomfortable. The tool performed quite well, with only the grip and its placement in the palm an issue.
The Hareline Extended Reach whip finisher was able to place a whip finish at mid shank, at the tail, and similarly for mid and long shank hooks. The tool functioned well, spun effortlessly, and outside of the handle length would be a suitable replacement for the Matarelli I currently use. For those tying large flies and bass poppers, this is a handy addition to your tool kit.
I had high hopes that the Petitjean would bring something to the table to justify its $35 price tag. Having reviewed the Petitjean bobbin earlier, and admiring the new capabilities its designer brought to the tool, I had hoped to see something similar in the whip finish tool.
As a whip finisher, the Petitjean performed its task well, but not flawlessly. The spring side of the tool proved quite weak and immediately bent toward the rigid side, which closed the opening in the thread and gave it less clearance when the tool is spun around the fly. A finger is needed to clear the spring side of the tool from the thread loop and draw the thread tight. The finger must push the spring side out of the thread loop so the knot can be drawn tight – and the tool “hook” can release the thread completely. In addition, the polished stainless was not slick enough to cleanly release both the Danville 6/0 and Uni 8/0 thread, and while the tool functioned, the thread seemed “sticky” and did not slide off the tool as easy as chromed stainless. I felt I had to coax it a bit to come off the hook.
The Petitjean worked well as a whip finisher, but it brought nothing new to the table and seemed to be lacking a few refinements that would have made it much better. A stiffer spring, a different finish, and the tool would simply be an excellent, albeit expensive, whip finisher.
The Griffin and Stonfo whip finishers are made similarly. I would test these to determine the spring tension before purchase as they could be affected by the same issue. (Each user will have to decide if this is a “feature” or an impedance. Different tiers may react differently)
The Matarelli features two righid arms of the tool, allowing the tool to be moved within the loop it creates to release the thread from the indented side and the knot drawn tight while the thread is captured by the hook. It doesn’t require a finger to push the spring arm out of the loop formed by the crossed threads, typically, it can simply be pushed downward to free the thread from the opposing arm, then drawn tight. Less interaction means more efficiency, and not having to remove a forefinger from your grip on the tool – to push the spring arm out of the loop, means the Matarelli model wins outright.
Many new designs exist but the mechanical principals are identical to the Matarelli, the wire bends appear different, but the mechanics of the tier are the same, place tool in thread, thread held by two “arms”, rotate around hook, disengage.
The Reigning Champion of cost, appears to be the Tiemco Dual Standard Whip finisher, which features only slight changes in the Matarelli design, and identical mechanics. It does have a half hitch tool on the end of the handle, but half hitch tools are a couple bucks, and shouldn’t warrant an extra sixty bucks in cost for the whip finisher. Cost for the Tiemco is about $70.
/beginrant
Hard to fathom why we exclude so many people from the sport using cost as a weapon, then ask for their votes to protect a watershed they might be fishing … if the cost of fly rods were cheaper. We need more people in the sport, not less.
/endrant
In summary, little to report in the way of evolution of whip finishing. Tools are static and growing in price, and the expensive whip finishers are not needed by beginner nor expert, as they offer little in new capabilities.
Manufacturers would be better served adding a thread cutter to a whip finisher than a half hitch tool, as you want to marry logical steps versus simply reaching for the tool twice. Completing the knot then cutting the thread increase efficiency and speed, searching for the tool to do a half hitch, then searching again to finish the fly doesn’t necessarily save time over owning a separate half hitch tool.
For us fly tiers, find yourself a good “shop” brand, and purchase the sub-ten dollar Matarelli clone, save your money for a more worthy purchase.
In Part 1 of this post we reviewed a mix of high priced engineering marvels leavened with a few of the lower cost traditional bobbins. The hope is with the increased cost of some bobbins comes a variety of new capabilities and features, rather than simply increased cost for the same feature set found in less expensive options.
In Part 2 we’ll extend our earlier efforts onto a new crop of bobbins, some expensive, others less so, in the hope we can find evidence of bobbins evolving into something more, other than simply high priced gadgetry.
As with the first post, we’ll use the same series of simple tests for each bobbin; different threads, different flies tied – some large, some small, the ability to fit different thread spool sizes, loading the bobbin via mouth, thread management – if offered, and evaluate any unique new features on the bobbin not shared by the rest of the group.
The Dr Slick BOB4 bobbin is a simple recreation of the original Matarelli bobbin, with a dual “glass” barrel insert. There is no explanation on the maker’s website as to the “dual” designation, so I’ll assume the dual “glass” inserts imply an insert in the top and a second insert at the bottom of the barrel … versus a single insert extending through the barrel.
It is listed as a 4″ bobbin, and is 4.5″ from glass tip to bottom of thread spool when loaded.
This bobbin performed all tasks admirably, with no issues. Construction seemed solid, spool tension was adequate, and the only visceral reaction I had to the bobbin was the color of the glass insert. Both tip and bottom are black – which made the thread hole appear small and hard to find, especially if you’re loading black thread. The air flow seemed less when sucking the thread through, as if the hole were smaller than other bobbins, even though the barrel is wider than most. I was able to consistently load the bobbin via mouth, so the functionality was intact.
Thread tension, and thread management, is via “spreading the legs” of the bobbin forcibly, identical to a Matarelli bobbin, and the polished brass feet gave a consistent feel and provided smooth resistance to thread leaving the barrel.
This is a long tube bobbin. The overall barrel width is wider than most as it will not fit a 14 gauge needle scabbard, you will need to purchase a larger gauge if you employ them to protect your bobbins.
In short, this is a good quality, functional long tube bobbin, no frills or features, and is a good replacement candidate for the cost concious angler learning to tie flies and intent on possessing several more of these.
Bobbin: 4 Stars. No additional features outside of those consistent with the traditional Matarelli bobbin. A ceramic or “glass” sleeve is a common feature of today’s bobbins, so it is not considered unique for this test.
The Ekich bobbin has been around for a decade or so, and is likely the last word in thread management for fly tying bobbins. The marvel is the brainchild of Faruk Ekich of Canada, and his company, AutomaticBobbin.com.
This bobbin approaches thread management in a different way than spool brakes or simple tensioners, rather the focus is on both thread payout and recovery, versus simply making a spool brake to increase the tension on the spool.
The Ekich bobbin features a coiled spring that tightens as small amounts of thread are pulled from the spool, allowing this coiled energy to recover thread back onto the spool should slack appear in the thread via a user’s manipulation of the bobbin. The bobbin is precisely architected to provide about 33 grams of resistance to hold the bobbin and thread spool at the position of last use, and requires tension control of the thread via the user’s fingers on the spool, versus any mechanical tension adjustment. As the spring coils the bobbin can be moved toward the work area to recover thread back onto the spool.
This bobbin requires a little getting used to on the part of the user, and is the most expensive bobbin currently offered on the market, so you need to approach this knowing there is a bit of a learning curve, and significant costs are involved.
All fly tying bobbins have been engineered to dispense thread and the Ekich bobbin is engineered to dispense, and recover thread, which sets it apart from the rest of the pack. The small spring and its coiled energy can be used to recover thread, tighten half hitches, and plague the owner repeatedly when he forgets to release the pent up energy and cuts the thread when the fly is complete. The coiled spring immediately sucks the thread back through the barrel and you have to reload the bobbin over and over until you learn this lesson properly.
Spring energy can be dissapated simply by lifting the spool away from the spool housing with thumb and forefinger to allow the small peg on the housing to clear the thread spool, and it will immediately release all its stored energy. This peg fits inside the thread spool recesses and winds the spring as the spool is rotated dispensing thread. It has a 24″ capacity, so once 24 inches of thread has been pulled from the bobbin, tension changes markedly queing you to release the coiled spool. Note that wooden spools cannot be used on the Ekich bobbin as they lack holes in their surface that can engage this small peg. A few other spool types have minor issues, and notes can be found on the maker’s website for both workarounds and probibitions.
Bobbin function is admirable, with no issues on simple tasks. Loading thread via mouth worked well, the fit in the hand, including one handed operation of the “spool lift” to release spring tension, also worked flawlessly, the frustration associated with having the thread pulled back through the thread barrel on fly completion is completely mental … “old dude forgetfullness”, not a function of the mechanics of the bobbin.
I tested the trout model and it was NOT a long tube bobbin. The maker makes a Salmon model with a slightly longer tube (30mm versus 20mm for the trout size) that approximates the long tube style. This bobbin does not allow midge spools as they are too short to engage the rubber “O” ring, and midge spools lack the proper hollowed area to allow the spring peg to fit within them.
I tied large flies and small with the trout model and felt the 33g of precision control both a blessing and a curse. For small dry flies and nymphs the bobbin performed well until you approached the coiled spring limit of 24 inches of dispensed thread. At that juncture tension increased and it seemed prudent to release the coiled energy by lifting the bobbin up the spindel with thumb and forefinger, making the extra tension disappear and allowing additional work. This was an extra step not required of any other bobbin, and it was wasteful. The tension abruptly resets to 33g and it will seem suddenly sloppy-loose – compared to a moment ago.
As a fast moving, former commercial tyer, I am judgemental over wasted energy and unecessary steps, and I did not care for the required spring-coil adjustments. This is not something insurmountable, this is part of the “getting used” to this particular bobbin and its unique foibles.
On large flies and heavy threads, 33g was much too loose. Tying a big saltwater fly requires constant tension and pressure given how the amount of mats and their control can often be unruly. Resetting the bobbin tension to 33G under these conditions was a pain, something I did not like. The now relaxed tension was much too loose for the large fly and materials I was adding, and I immediately had to clamp down on the thread spool to avoid unwanted thread payout – especially as there are no warnings when you’re about to hit the 24″ dispensed thread boundary.
I did not find any information suggesting the Salmon size bobbin had a different tension value, so I have to assume it’s set for the same 33G as the trout model. This is great for 18/0 midge thread, but doesn’t work as well for Size “A” and a fistful of bucktail.
This bobbin might be well suited for specific types of fly, as I tested with the trout size and felt it worked best with small flies. The cost of the thread management is prohibitive in my mind, so I was not prepared to immediately purchase the larger Salmon model to see if it was better suited for the larger flies.
In summary, a good bobbin with unique features that require the user to adjust their tying style – instead of simply use. Bobbin: 3 stars, as the tension felt too weak to tie large flies, and the constant release of pent up energy was a wasteful step, that I often forgot. New Feature: Thread Management: 3 Stars. The thread management worked well dispensing and recovering thread, but the tension was constantly needing assistance from my fingers, even when my fingers were busy releasing coiled energy from the spring. The cost of this bobbin will make it prohibitive to own six or seven of them, so specific uses may make this bobbin more attractive to own compared to general fly tying. This is not a bobbin for a well heeled beginner to own, rather it’s a unique use bobbin for an experienced tier with specific demands. Good bobbin, excellent construction, with foibles … and a nosebleed price for thread management.
The Hareline Double Ceramic fits a midge spool right out of the box, so I’ll assume that will loosen over time if using standard size spools. This is another Matarelli bobbin replacement, with only the ceramic insert to offer new functionality over the aging Matarelli standard.
This bobbin has the largest tube diameter of all those tested, and coupled with the traditional flaired ceramic cap will not fit a traditional 14 gauge needle scabbard cover. The inside diameter of the barrel is also larger than all others tested, so it should work quite well dispensing thin yarn or floss in addition to thread.
Not surprisingly, this is really easy to thread and the easiest bobbin to load with simple suction, given how much oxygen can be pulled through the barrel.
The ceramic material lining the barrel is the “roughest” tested – imparting a noticeable “grating: feel to the thread as the bobbin rotated around the hook shank. While disconcerting, as I’m used to silky smooth ceramic and stainless barrels, this did not actually grate on the thread, it felt that way. Occasionally I would hear an audible sound when winding, suggesting it wasn’t just my imagination as to the “rough” surface. Note that I use quotes when describing “rough”, the barrel is not rough nor did it sever thread or wear it in the slightest, it simply felt like it was destroying the thread, and didn’t actually harm it at all. Of all the bobbins tested this was the only ceramic that had this feel.
Bobbin: 4 Stars. No new features, a solid Matarelli replacement in a long tube design, that due to the barrel inside diameter should be considered for dispensing more than thread. This would be excellent for fine yarns and floss.
The bobbin comes in two flavors; the red version of the SMHAEN is standard length and the blue is their midge version. Due to the constraints inherent in the design there is little ability to fit differing spools sizes due to the legs of the bobbin being joined by the tension adjusting arm. Not surprisingly it would not fit a midge spool in the standard model.
I purchased the standard version hoping it was closer to the long tube I was looking for, and like many of the other makers, the SMHAEN standard version is midway between a Matarelli standard and a Matarelli Long Tube bobbin.
The new feature available is thread tensioning adjustment, likely the largest range of adjustment currently offered in bobbins. The Matarelli relies on pressure from the bobbin legs, the Stonfo and Petitjean offer small adjustments via a tensioning slider, and the SMHAEN gives you a true thread brake, allowing you to lock the spool into an unusable configuration for light threads.
Upward movement on the tension adjustment (clockwise) tightens the thread, and downward movement of the knob loosens the thread. As the tensioner knob is available while gripping the bobbin you can adjust thread tension on the fly, in an intuitive and hand-friendly manner.
The SMHAEN has a prohibition on using Kevlar thread in the bobbin, so please note that its use may invalidate any warranty.
Bobbin operation was silky smooth. Thread can be sucked through the barrel and the bobbin loads easily via mouth. It has the thinnest ceramic insert of any of the bobbins tested and fits a 14 gauge needle scabbard perfectly. This fine tip is worth protecting with a needle scabbard as its thinness could be considered downright “sharp” if the ceramic chipped or cracked. I’m unwilling to test the ceramic inserts strength given smashing an $80 bobbin strictly for science is not my cup of tea.
Because of the design of the bobbin, its feet move the least of all the bobbins tested, and any variation in spool sizes may be an issue. This same tensioning arm configuration also means that changing spools takes three times longer than any other bobbin, as the adjustment knob has to be loosened to the point where the old spool can be removed, the new spool inserted, and then retensioned to the desired setting. This is a manual and cumbersome process compared to other bobbins, so frequent thread changes are undesirable.
This is a solid bobbin, pricey, but effortless to use outside of the spool changing issue. The ceramic barrel may be fragile due to the thinness of its walls, but this issue may require extended use and more opportunity for mishap, like dropping a pedastal base onto the bobbin while its resting on the table.
Bobbin 4 Stars. New Feature: 4 Stars if thread changes are infrequent, 3 Starsif you change thread spools often.
My compliments to the designer as they were able to devise functionality never seen in a bobbin that I didn’t know I needed …
That’s saying something.
The double feet on the bobbin did not move the needle for me, in fact I found them a liability in an unlikely manner. When threading a traditional bobbin you have to negotiate the thread past the two feet and into the barrel. With a double foot bobbin, you have FOUR wires in the way, and threading is a bit more of an issue. Four wires provides a bit more resistance to the thread spool, but I can’t say it was noticeable when using the bobbin.
The aparture for the barrel is quite small, as is the ceramic tube itself. It was easy to load the bobbin via mouth, but the four feet (four wires in the way) and small opening had me looking for reading glasses to assist the threading process.
What was a major change was the adjustable barrel, and how I no longer cared whether I had a midge, standard, or long tube flavor, as all those bobbins were available within this single chassis.
WInner, Winner, Chicken Dinner…
The bobbin barrel adjustment is identical to mounting a bit into a power drill. Tighten or loosen the cap, adjust the barrel to the length desired, then retighten the barrel housing to fix the barrel at that length. This adjustment can be made with the bobbin hanging from the fly as well as on the workbench. This functionality is immediately useful and can be used on nearly every fly tied. Adjusting the bobbin barrel length to your favorite setting, and tie with abandon on big, small, complex, or dainty.
The ceramic barrel, barrel housing, and chassis can be disassembled into three pieces. The barrel itself is 1.5″ long, so you can adjust the bobbin length about an inch comfortably. There is a minimum amount of ceramic barrel that must remain in the barrel housing to ensure a good fit and initial experimentation suggests it’s about half an inch of barrel that must stay in the tube to engage the mechanism properly.This gives you an inch of barrel to move in either direction.
Barrel fully extended the bobbin is about 4.5 inches long, with barrel retracted, the bobbin is about 3.75 inches long.
The ceramic barrel has a small diameter and as the barrel is extended, is at increased risk for a potential impact break. Tying at a show and dropping it into a backpack might expose it to a pedastal base impact as you add a vise, and while the ceramic barrel is a cinch to replace, I don’t see the vendor selling replacement barrels. This might mean the ceramic will never break, or it may mean you might have to learn to retract the barrel before storage in your tool caddy or backpack. The ceramic barrel is too small for a 14 gauge needle scabbard, but retracted, the housing accepts that size perfectly. I want to protect ceramic where possible, so this is becoming increasingly non-trivial.
For some reason Amazon is selling these at half price from a vendor in Japan. I bought mine for $34 thinking it was retail, and find all the shops in the United States are selling it for $80. Three different barrels are available on the bobbin, fine, standard, and heavy duty, but I only see the standard weight barrel available via fly shops.
I am going to purchase a couple more while Amazon has them at the lower price, just to ensure I have several.
Bobbin: 4 Stars. New Feature: 4 Stars. Really nice bobbin, well made and easy to use. New features operate intuitively, making it easy to assimilate them into your tying on the first fly. Really expensive bobbin so jump on the Amazon price while they still have a few. I hope this barrel technology will be used by other manufacturers versus making multiple bobbin lengths. Vendor needs to sell additional barrels so you can swap or replace your barrel.
Bobbin Summary
Over the course of these two posts we’ve seen only four areas of change in bobbins. Thread Management, Thread Tensioning, adjustable barrels, and the addition of a dubbed loop capability, everything else is the same feature set as the original Matarelli bobbin, with a few material changes to the bobbin chassis, like ceramic barrels. While some of the bobbins showed merit, some were easy to use, some required relearning a thing or two, and some were downright silly, several of the technologies hold promise.
As there are more than a single type of fly tyer, and many types of flies, different functionality may appeal to some versus others. Thread management is low on my list, thread tensioning a bit higher, but outside of the moveable barrel on the Tiemco, none of these are about to topple the low cost Matarelli type bobbins from their well earned throne.
Engineering marvels, all … and beastly expensive in light of what you get.
Hopefully you found a few questions answered without having to purchase all these costly bobbins. As always, I paid retail for all of the bobbins in both articles, with an emphasis on all bobbins boasting of new functionality (and nosebleed cost). In my mind, only the Tiemco offered a mature technology to me immediately, with the Petitjean … a glimpse of future function.
For the beginning fly tier, stick with the inexpensive bobbins for the moment. Changes to bobbin technology are in their infancy and the large dollar outlay is not warranted at the moment. As with fly rods, fly reels, and everything else in our sport, wait until your skills outclass your equipment before you plunk down the big dollars for bobbins (or anything else in our sport).
Disclaimer: As always I have paid full retail for all the bobbins reviewed above. This ensures cost is factored into the features reviewed, and my righteous indignation crops up appropriately at the precise moment needed.
The Griffin bobbin I reviewed offered a small cap over the bobbin barrel as an enhancement, a thread holder. The cap ensured the thread remained loaded in the bobbin after use and the bobbin could be stored with thread at the ready.
I discounted the Griffin enhancement notion, mainly because the caps were small, they only gave you one, and it would be lost within the week. The idea has considerable merit however, only you need a 100 pack of caps to secure your existing bobbins, especially as most aren’t made by Griffin, and all the older models and odd sizes you’ve accumulated need caps as well.
Stuffing a bobbin tip into a tool caddy can put dust and/or feather debris into the barrel – which winds up in your mouth when you suck thread through. Yuck, Ptuii ..
The same type of tip used by the Griffin Bobbin is used on a variety of items from glue bottles to air compressor nozzles, but finding the correct term to purchase them proved elusive. These small rubber caps are called “needle scabbards” and can be purchased on the Internet in everything from 50 packs to several pound boxes.
As these are linked to needles, they are sized by gauge. The standard Matarelli Bobbin barrel is 14 gauge, so for most bobbins that’s the appropriate size of needle scabbard to purchase. As gauge number increases the inner diameter DECREASES, so larger sizes for saltwater bobbins would be 13, 12, or 10.
Amazon sells the 14 Gauge caps only, with a 50 pack costing about $11 dollars. JensenGlobal.com sells the other sizes on their website, but the postage costs are fearsome ($30), despite their being in New York.
I have covered all my old bobbin tips with these as the idea is a winner. The rubberized caps protect against dings or burrs inflicted on the bobbin tips when in storage, and allow me to load my working bobbins with thread and not have to worry about rethreading after I snag the thread on my bench when reaching for them. As many of the new “fancy” bobbins are ceramic barreled, these will be a great protective element – as well as a thread holder.
The folks at Griffin would be advised to sell these in quantity, as their “one per package” is a mite laughable, given our penchant for having it disappear into the trash when we rid our table of accumulated feather dander.
After surveying much of the candidate field, my instincts suggest that the Petitjean bobbin is the only bobbin offering capabilities and functionality that have never fit within a bobbin’s pervue. As such, its unfamiliararity and unique foibles require a deeper look at the bobbin, to assess whether its promise is realized already or it’s a prototype of something that can only be realized later with additional refinement.
Let’s Get Price Out of the Way
The 800 pound gorilla in bobbin assessment is price. There are plenty of inexpensive “house” bobbins offered by vendors that cost less than five dollars and are copies of copies of the Matarelli bobbin. These bobbins work flawlessly, and as such, should be the default option for most tiers interested in problem free functionality at reasonable cost.
Beginning tiers should not look at anything but “tried and true” until their skills surpass their starter gear. Ditto for the commercial tier, who is focused on speed and wants his tying gear to function flawlessly without his having to fiddle with foibles or shortcomings.
Seventy-five dollars for a bobbin is excessive. Regardless of the alloy used, the engineering marvels it contains, and factoring in its innate ability to ward off vampires and disable hungry zombies, it’s hard under any circumstances to justify this kind of cost.
If cost is king, you don’t want this bobbin.
What capabilities would be worth a $75 bobbin?
I found myself asking this very question many times over. I had come to the conclusion that the only way to justify the hideous expense would be in counting the tools no longer needed, or counting the minutes saved due to the tool’s assistance.
In looking at my tying bench and the costs of the many tools present, the only options that come to mind are vise, scissors and hair stacker. If my bobbin could replace any of those tools it would likely pay for itself.
Unfortunately, these options aren’t in any of the bobbins sold, so any real feature increase in a bobbin is likely to be minor, replacing only the inexpensive tools like threader cleaners, dubbed loop tools, and their ilk.
Hence, the Petitjean Bobbin.
All the things I found out since the last article on the topic
As I dug deeper into the bobbin’s use I had to create new tests to determine where the foibles existed, and whether some of my initial premises were correct.
Grip Does Not Matter
How I gripped the bobbin and which side I rested my thumb on was the first issue I found my comments to be incorrect.
I find holding the bobbin with my thumb on the tensioner keeps the thread contained within the wire guide. If I was left-handed, or wrapped the bobbin counterclockwise, my instinct now is that I would hold the bobbin 180 degrees differently.
It doesn’t matter which side of the bobbin is towards you – or whether your thumb is positioned in a certain way, holding either side of the bobbin works equally well. I tested this premise by gripping the bobbin randomly while it spun under the vise jaws. I found no additional issues with the thread coming out of the tip guide regardless of my hand position.
So how was the thread coming loose?
It was the advancement of the thread up or down the shank, and the speed with which I did so that cause the thread to come out of the tip guide. When I advanced the thread quickly down the shank the bobbin tip would be ahead of the thread, sometimes at an really small angle, it would scrub the rim and find the small aparture of the tip and come out. If I wrapped more methodically down the shank (instead of going from eye to bend in three turns) the bobbin acted normally no matter how I held it. It’s a mix of speed and angle that can cause the thread to come out.
The Plane of the bobbin may influence this behavior
If the bobbin is held parallel to the hook shank and the thread is advanced down the shank quickly, the thread may find the aperture of the tip guide and come out. If the plane of the bobbin changes the same law applies, but it may not be as obvious. The point is to ensure the angle of thread (between point of attachment on the shank and tip of the bobbin) is not too small, implying the tip of your bobbin is far in front of the point of attachment, where you took your last wrap. Remember the thread “scrubs” its way around the tip of the bobbin as the bobbin rotates around your hook shank, too acute an angle and the thread finds the opening and is released.
I tied several dozen parachute flies to test the bobbin’s attitude in relation to the tying area. In the first test the bobbin was held with the tip down and parallel to the parachute wing, wraps were applied to the wing post. In the second test, the bobbin was held with the tip pointing toward the parachute wing, and the bobbin was wrapped around the wing. Both tests were successful, and the thread did not come out of the guide.
It appears that only the acute angle issue, coupled with speed, causes the thread to find the aperture, instead of the attitude of the bobbin in relation to the work surface. The plane of the bobbin can influence the behavior, but the cause appears to be the same … acuteness of angle in the new plane combined with a meat headed fly tier intent on completing the fly quickly.
By now I’d tied about six dozen flies with the bobbin and most of the issues were moot. I’ve not used the thread tensioner while tying the trout flies as setting the tensioner once is all that’s necessary for similar sized flies using the same thread. Replacing the thread and changing the hook size to saltwater had me change the thread tension, but again only once.
Summary: This is a bobbin that functions well in the hands of an experienced tier. It is not without flaw, as the thread can pop out of the tip guide when you get forgetful and move the thread either up or down the shank quickly.
The dubbed loop tool is useful when tying nymphs, less so when tying dry flies, and I tied more dubbed loop flies than normal as it was so convenient to do so with this bobbin. The thread tension function tends to be “set it and forget it” if tying similar sized flies with the same size thread. This tension adjustment was the best I’ve tried so far – not a complete brake on the spool, but noticably increasing the tension.
The cost makes this a luxury item. This is not for the average tier who will eventually own a dozen of these bobbins. While the Matarelli bobbins copies are plentiful and cheap, most tiers will choose to own a dozen of them instead.
Rating: 3 Stars. The cost of the bobbin is prohibitive, and the thread can come out occasionally even when you’re used to the bobbin, New Functionality: 4 Stars. Good thread adjustment, dubbing loop tool works well, once you’re used to it.
In this day and age of the $700 fly tying vise, and the $1000 fly rod, the $75 dollar bobbin is in lockstep with what we’ve done to the sport. I can’t say I agree with where we’re heading, but I’m not surprised at any of this.
Personal Note: I really like the bobbin, but it does not justify my owning a dozen of them. This bobbin appears to be the only real advancement of the bobbin as a fly tying tool, but it’s cost is staggering in light of what you get. I can’t think of a capability that when added to a bobbin would make it worth a hundred bucks, but I have to applaud Mssr. Petitjean for his efforts and his vision.
I’m thinking of adding to my supply of long tube bobbins and realize that in the decades since the Matarelli era, dozens of vendors have moved into this space and replacement candidates abound. Many are simply low cost copies of copies, but there are numerous high dollar bobbins boasting of functionality beyond thread management.
What’s a curious fellow to do? ,,,
I found a few reviews of bobbins, but remain skeptical of the traditional angling press and magazines. Most reviews simply anoint the items as “dipped in Awesomeness” – whose author is more interested in not offending his supplier of freebies, than ensuring the rest of us get an honest appraisal. Few write about features or shortcomings, and none list any form of testing or criteria used. Like the Stock Market, fly fishing culture never lists a security as “sell” … only weaker shades of “buy.”
My quest started as a search for a good “long tube” bobbin, as they seem to be the most comfortable for me to use. They keep my fingers away from the work area and provide an unobstructed view of the works surface destined to recieve my next material or wrap. Wading through the long list of new candidates offered on web sites suggested that actual details of bobbins are rare. Trying to figure out which were “longer” than others was near impossible, given how little details were available.
First, most of the bobbins fail to mention how long they are … so you can’t tell if you’re looking at a “long tube” bobbin or a “standard” length. As standard lengths vary from vendor to vendor, the average fly fishing retailer does an abysmal job of getting information to their online users, relying on a picture and text supplied by the manufacturer, which simple restates, “trust me it’s awesome.” Most bobbin listings have no length described whatsoever, and others list the barrel length, but not the overall length, and as there is no “standard” other than the original Matarelli sizes, confusion runs rampant.
Example 1: $20 Bobbin. Loon Ergonomic Bobbin :An ergonomic and high-performing update to the indispensable tying tool. The powder coated ergonomic handle rests perfectly between the thumb and fingers, while the spring steel spool holder allows for easy adjustment in tension by changing the pressure applied by the feet. The tube is made of double radius polished tungsten – better than ceramic! It’s also designed with versatility in mind: the high gauge works well when tying small flies, and the tube is long enough to tackle large patterns as well. This bobbin will not work with a standard bobbin threader it need the extra long bobbin threader from Loon. [No information of bobbin or barrel length.]
Example 2: $114 Bobbin. TMC Magnetic Adjustable Bobbin: This precision-made bobbin has it all, including a fully adjustable ceramic tube and a unique magnetic tensioning device with a low startup inertia which puts an end to breaking even the finest thread. The length of the super-durable, friction-free ceramic thread tube is adjustable for different size and style flies and the versatile bobbin adapts to different width thread spools, helping to make the tying process smooth and effortless. It’s even got a built-in keeper for the tag end of your thread to keep it from falling back through the tube during storage. [No information of bobbin or barrel length]
Example 3: $37-$49 Bobbin. Tiemco Ceramic Bobbin. The durable TMC flanged bobbin tube is polished to perfection, which eliminates all friction, and simplifies tying and threading. [No information of bobbin or barrel length]
Example 4: $35 Bobbin. FlyRite Ceramic Bobbin. Standard size ceramic bobbin with tension control, allowing to adjust for different diameters and strengths of thread. [No information of bobbin or barrel length]
Example 5: $75 Bobbin, The SMHAEN bobbin is a super functional, micro adjustable-tension fly tying tool featuring a unique design and highest quality workmanship. Its tension system allows you to adjust tension with only one finger, while still working on your fly. Thanks to the perfectly designed ergonomic frame shape, you don’t even feel the internal tension system in your hand. A funnel at lower end of tube allows easy threading. The ceramic tube and the well balanced bobbin holder give you perfect thread control. Fits a range of spool sizes. [No information of bobbin or barrel length]
From the examples above you can see the problem. A fly tier with a length requirement (long tube versus regular) cannot even find out if the bobbin he’s interested in …. is either. There is no “standard” length for bobbins as the word is used to quantify different qualities, not just length, so quoting anything as standard is meaningless.
The lack of information on fly shop web sites suggested that i was about to embark on a search akin to finding vernille yarn, where I hope for the best, trust in the photograph, exhaust all due diligence, then order one and check its size and capabilities before ordering more.
The volume of new offerings suggest there are now two types of bobbins. The first being expensive bobbins that boast new features and capabilities, and the second being inexpensive copies of the traditional wire-handled Matarelli bobbin – with “inexpensive” being a relative term, as they might be two or three times what other makers charge for the same product.
I choose to investigate a few of each to test the waters. The end game was a good “long tube” bobbin that I could recommend to others, should I encounter some capability in these more expensive engineering marvels, I might be tempted to spend more … than my wire-framed baseline.
As regards testing criteria, it had to be functionality that was available with the original Matarelli bobbin to be allowed as a criteria. New bobbins might offer features not present on the Matarelli, but as different features are offered by different manufacturers, the basic criteria would have to be common to all :
Testing Criteria for Bobbin Evaluation
No impediments to threading the bobbin via mouth. Sucking the thread through the barrel to achieve a proper load.
Would it accept “sewing” machine spools, or is it limited to only standard sized thread spools. This would be a feature, not a requirement.
Was the barrel length equivalent to a Matarelli “Long Tube” bobbin, or was it best described as a “standard” length bobbin. “Standard” length being roughly equivalent to a traditional Matarelli bobbin.
Smoothness of thread payout. Bobbin feet are made from plastics, metal, composites, and can be cone, round, lozenge, or pill shaped. Thread spools sold in fly shops are all plastic. Does the bobbin feet (shape and material) payout thread smoothly when pulled, or does the material or shape provide an uneven tension when thread is needed.
If a new feature is offered by the bobbin, that was not available on the traditional Matarelli, does it work? Is the feature useful, or simply “really cool.”
For the purposes of this article, please note the following:
The Barrel Length is the distance between the tip of the bobbin and the bottom of the thread tube, where the thread is inserted to load the bobbin.
The Overall Length is the distance between the tip of the bobbin and the bottom of the thread spool when a standard sized thread spool has been inserted into the bobbin.
New Features are capabilities of the bobbin that did not exist in the Matarelli family of fly tying tools; Midge, Regular, and Long Tube bobbins.
Testing Methodology. Each bobbin tied three dozen flies; Caddis Poobah – size 10, Clouser Minnow – size 2/0, and Pale Morning Dun Parachute – size 16.
The Stonfo Bobtec 1 was a pleasant surprise. It isn’t a “long tube” bobbin, rather it is slightly longer than a Matarelli Standard (about 0.25″ longer), and shorter than a Matarelli Long Tube bobbin, so it’s precisely between the two. It was a perfect fit for my hand size, did not require any adjustment on my part, and I was tying flies instantly.
I liked the Stonfo enormously, but knew it was neither a long tube bobbin, nor would it feel as good to someone with a different hand size. So my initial reaction warranted additional study.
I was able to suck thread through the barrel per normal thread load. The thread tensioner added a little more tension to the spool, but not enough to make it a true tension adjustment. Perhaps it would be useful in adjusting between 6/0 and 8/0 trout thread, but it was not enough tension to make a difference on Size A thread and a 2/0 striper fly. The thread tensioner was not useful to me as it did not have the ability to bear down on the spool, markedly increasing tension.
I did not like the bobbin legs bending easily, and staying bent. I doubt they are using spring steel versus a cheaper less resilient flavor. Prolonged use of the bobbin should have an eye for determining if a leg needs adjustment, given they can move and stay that way.
In summary, the Stonfo was an excellent bobbin, Because it was ideally suited to my hand size and grip I really liked the bobbin. It performed well on both small and large flies, as well as with heavy threads. There were no thread feed issues, the thread barrel was immaculate and smooth. It will not fit the “midge” style sewing bobbin size spools, and I tested the tensioner to see if it would compress the legs enough to allow their use, but the tensioner simply isn’t strong enough to do anything than a minor tension increase. I would recommend the bobbin, but there are many bobbins cheaper than $30 that would work as well as the Stonfo.
Bobbin: 4 stars. New feature: Thread tensioner, 1 star. It tensions the thread slightly, not enough to matter.
New Feature: Thread barrel and thread barrel housing spin on bearings
This bobbin advertises that all “torque” is removed from the thread as the tier’s thread wraps are negated by the free spinning bobbin barrel and housing. Each turn of thread taken on the fly is now free of the rotational forces of our “clockwise” or “counterclockwise” wraps.
This bobbin feels “fat” in the hand, and is the second longest of the first group tested. When loaded with thread it’s a full five inches from tip to spool butt, and for some pedestal vices that may be a bit much. A tier planning on purchasing a new vise should check the distance between jaw and table, as any bobbin approaching this five inch length may have issues when free hanging under the vise. Use of a dubbing loop or similar device requiring the bobbin be some distance from the hook shank, may not allow the bobbin to “hang” freely, rather it might have to hang off the table surface to hold tension.
The bobbin spins true, but only the black colored area of the bobbin allows you to impart spin to the bobbin. All silver areas spin without moving the bobbin, so dubbed loops require a thumb and forefinger low on the bobbin, in the area of knurled knob at midpoint. I did not find this useful, rather I felt constrained by NOT being able to grab the thread barrel and spin between thumb and forefinger. I can’t say the natural “torque” I impart to the thread via wraps as having ever been bothersome, so I cannot justify all the glitzy spinning elements as being warranted.
I had difficulty sucking the thread through the bobbin with my mouth. I could do it, just not as consistently as with any other bobbin tested. I was able to get the thread into the barrel, but occasionally it seemed it stuck to the sides of the tube (via damp breath?} and never came out the other end. This bobbin comes with its own threader cleaner to aid in loading the barrel, but for me these extra tools are simply something to misplace or drop.
Operation of the bobbin was flawless and silky smooth. There were no issues with thread handling or management with the rotating barrel or the rotating grip portion on the bobbin. Once threaded, the bobbin did its job admirably, and handled both heavy thread and trout sizes very nicely.
This bobbin will not fit the smaller “midge” spools of thread, only standard sized spools.
Bobbin: 3 stars. As I did not like the feel in my hand, too bulky. Could not load thread reliably via mouth, Had to grip below the midpoint to impart “spin” to the dubbed loop. (Silver portion of the bobbin is on bearings, only the black portion of the bobbin allows you to spin it.) Probably feels good to someone with larger hands than mine. New feature: Spinning barrel and housing0 stars. I cannot claim that the torque imparted to thread is that bad of a condition to warrant this extremely expensive fix.
I chose the Renzetti Salt Water Bobbin as it appeared to be the “long tube” version of the Renzetti bobbin line. As the dimensions of the bobbin are not typically part of the website write up, I used photos of the bobbin to determine it was the longer style. It turns out that the Renzetti Saltwater Standard Bobbin is the longest of all the bobbins tested in this first group, coming in at 5.25″ from ruby tip to the base of the thread spool.
Like the Kopter Bobbin, this long length could pose a problem for a pedestal user, whose vise is a bit shorter than most. The longer length is fine for wrapping thread, and it’s useful when tying streamers on long shanked hooks, as you can get the thread in close to the shank for precision work, yet keeping your fingers out of your line of vision and out of the work area entirely.
The plastic / composite feet held spools of thread well and provided a clean smooth surface when paying out thread while wrapping. The flared base of the thread barrel aided loading the bobbin with thread prior to sucking it through the barrel. The bobbin boasts a larger barrel diameter already, given it’s a saltwater bobbin, but I found the flared end to be a nice touch overall.
Renzetti’s use of the term “standard” is also a bit confusing, given that most makers use standard to refer to length, and Renzetti appears to be using it to distinguish it’s LINE of bobbins, versus shape or length.
There were no new features on the bobbin other than the flared thread barrel. The “ruby tip” I’m lumping into the ceramic tube category, and for the purposes of this article, makes it a new material choice instead of a new feature.
Loading the barrel via “suck” worked fine as did the thread barrel (ruby tip) and bobbin feet. Both thread barrel and feet were quite smooth and worked effortlessly. The larger size lent itself nicely to size “A” thread and lashing a gob of bucktail to a 2/0 hook.
In summary, this is a nice bobbin for any size fly and outside of the issue with length and short pedestal based vises, would not hesitate to use it as a primary bobbin.
Bobbin 4 Stars. It is a Matarelli replacement with no additional gadgetry and feature set. A worthy replacement for a Matarelli bobbin.
New Features: Flared Barrel (both ends), Thread retainer (Plastic cap on thread barrel)
Griffin was the second vendor to lump their “long tube” option in with “Saltwater” … not sure if this is a trend among manufacturers, but the longer tube doesn’t necessarily mean bigger flies, it’s mostly a hand configuration or “fingers away from the work area” issue, versus simply long tube equals big flies…
This is another of the traditional replacements for the Matarelli bobbin. The flared ends of the thread barrel are a nice touch. Feeding thread is assisted by the larger opening, and the flared tip of the bobbin didn’t give me anything new but it didn’t hinder anything either. I could suck thread through with minimal issue, and each thread load worked flawlessly.
Both barrel and feet fed thread smoothly with little resistance, and thread tension was liight and adjustable in the old manner, stretching the feet outward. The thread retainer, which was nothing more than a rubber cap added onto the top of the thread barrel, was a good idea but it’s likely to be misplaced immediately. I hope Griffin sells these by the dozen, as I’d like to add them to all my bobbins – and keep extras in my bench when I lose the SOB’s …
The bobbin comes with a wire threader in the package.
This is a suitable Matarelli replacement. A serviceable “no frills” bobbin, nothing new to speak of and nothing to complain about either.
Bobbin: 4 stars. New Feature: Thread Cap, 1 star, as it will be lost within the week. Four star idea to cap the bobbin tip with a simple rubber cap, but you need a couple dozen caps close by so you can replace them as they are lost or misplaced.
New Features: Thread tensioner, thread loading, dubbing loop tool
This bobbin is something otherwordly, and I’m not sure how best to characterize it. I love and hate it, and understand that in order to rate it properly, I will need to spend a bit of time learning how to use it. At the moment I’m unsure if it’s a work of art, an engineering marvel, or a complete waste of time.
Let’s start at the beginning. Of the first group of bobbins tested, this is the only bobbin that brings new functionality to the tier, but will require the tier to learn how to use the tool as not all of the features and functionality are intuitive.
It may help to watch a few of the videos on Youtube featuring the designer Marc Petitjean to see how effortless the bobbin can be used by tiers practiced in its use … it will help you over the rough spots as you fumble your way through your initial encounter.
As I did.
New Feature: No thread barrel. The thread is held by a small metal clip on the bottom of the tube, and is threaded onto a small circular wire at the tip of the tube, there is no hollow barrel – rather it’s a hollowed out groove for the thread to follow when inserted into the clip and the tip guide. The wire guide at the top of the barrel has a minute opening that allows thread to be inserted into the loop, but the minute opening also dictates how the bobbin is held, as the thread can come out of the tip as easily as it is added.
Think of it as, thread moves around the barrel when you make a wrap around the hook shank, so you want to avoid the thread approaching the opening. I found it easy to understand how to avoid the thread coming out of the tip when winding around the hook shank, I’m still attempting to understand how to avoid the thread coming out when winding a parachute post – and my hand is not moving in a vertical plane. It may be as simple as keeping the bobbin parallel to the parachute wing and pointed downward, as pointing the bobbin at the wing post allows the thread to escape the tip guide. These are small adjustments in the use of the bobbin that are not intuitive, you have to puzzle out the mechanics and practice.
Example of Physics: I wind right-handed, typically wrapping clockwise around the hook shank. I find holding the bobbin with my thumb on the tensioner keeps the thread contained within the wire guide. If I was left-handed, or wrapped the bobbin counterclockwise, my instinct now is that I would hold the bobbin 180 degrees differently. This may or may not be true, I’ll have to puzzle through the actual physics when I have mastered all the basic skill with the bobbin.
New Feature: Thread Tensioner. This bobbin offers a thread tensioner operating on the same principle as the Stonfo bobbin; a sliding block that brings the bobbin feet closer together, thereby increasing tension on the thread spool. The difference between the Stonfo and the Petitjean is the Petitjean tensioner really can adjust thread tension, and the Stonfo cannot.
I was able to adjust the tension on the spool to the point where I might be able to break a light thread, 8/0 or finer. This was a welcome adjustment on the large saltwater flies I tied, as I could adjust the tension for the size “A” thread and really secure bucktail and flashabou. This thread tensioner actually works, but isn’t a complete brake on the thread spool, just offers real noticeable resistance when set to heavy thread.
New Feature: Dubbing Loop tool. The Petitjean bobbin has a small notch in the thread guide area that allows you to throw a dubbed loop, add dubbing or other material to the loop, insert the bobbin tip into the base of the loop, then pull downward to secure the loop onto the notched area. Once secured, the bobbin can be spun to make the dubbing brush.
In the video the finished dubbed loop is fed onto the shank via vise rotation, and most tiers – even those with rotating vises don’t use that functionality often. I am attempting to learn to wind the dubbed loop using the bobbin instead. This is a bit awkward, yet I see videos of other tiers that have managed it so more work is needed before I can make the transition comfortably.
What I can say is that the bobbin makes dubbed loops so easy and convenient that I find myself using them a lot more than normal because of the new functionality.
Summary: This could be the bobbin that obsoleces the Matarelli standard. The Petitjean bobbin requires effort and time to learn and I am not there yet. The feed and thread management is largely effortless and works quite well, but the cost of the bobbin and the investment to relearn how to use it is non trivial.
I want to give the bobbin four stars, but I recognize that is the masochist in me speaking. I love a good challenge, and this bobbin provides a glimpse of what the future may hold for bobbin technology with appropriate practice.
Summary: This bobbin is not for the beginner tier, and the cost is approaching nosebleed levels, so I would advise potential buyers to find one they can try first before purchasing one. I really like this bobbin, but until I work through all the adjustments needed for winding thread in different planes, I would not recommend this for the average fly tier. A few videos on Youtube are available, most rate it as “dipped in Awesomeness” per normal, but it’s likely they did so after mastering the nuances of the device.
The price tag when compared to our existing bobbins is astronomical. The Petitjean bobbin eliminates a threader cleaner, and a dubbing brush tool, which reduces the nosebleed costs slightly …with the remaining costs compensated only by the increased functionality.
Bobbin: Will rate later. New Features: 4 Stars. The first real thread tensioning I’ve encountered, the first dubbed loop functionality added to a bobbin (that really works), and the threading on clip and tip, instead of the hollow thread barrel – works as advertised – provided you hold the bobbin correctly. Holding the bobbin with thumb on the lower barrel “clip” side works flawlessly, holding the thumb on the “non clip” side allows the thread to escape the tip when wound around the hook shank.
Part 2 of 2: Bobbin Reviews: Lots of Options, Plenty of Price Points, and a Glimpse of the Future
In the next installment I will select an additional set of bobbins containing as many high dollar “engineering marvels” as possible, with a couple low cost Matarelli clones to ensure we get a good cross section. All the bobbins tested so far provided the basic functionality needed, with the only unknown being longevity, and would the different types of barrels and feet survive several decades of use and remain smooth and unscathed.
Disclaimer: All of the bobbins reviewed above were purchased by me at full retail. This ensures some small amount of integrity on my part, and gives me the ability to factor in the cost with the functionality, something I would not be able to do with gifted products.
