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A tube fly tying vise (vice) for tying very small diameter tubes
by John Gray
Gray's Needle Tubes
were introduced in 2008. Developed and manufactured in Scotland
by Grays of Kilsyth, these fine stainless steel tubes are the
slimmest plastic lined metal fly tubes ever produced
commercially for fly
tying. Their introduction posed a slight problem however ....
Most conventional fly tying tubes, be they plastic, copper,
brass or aluminium, have outside diameters greater than two
millimetres and, consequently, most tube fly vices are not
designed to hold tubes of much less than this diameter.
Grays
Needle Tubes have outside diameters of 1.5 mm and 1.8 mm and
very few fly tying vises can accommodate such ultra slim tubes
efficiently. So we decided to make a dedicated
Needle Tube Fly Vise,
which might be conveniently fitted to most standard fly tying
table clamps or bases, to facilitate the dressing of tube flies
on needle tubes and other very
fine fly tying tubes.
The new needle tubes are now available from
Grays of Kilsyth
The Needle Tube Vise
The new tube fly vise,
designed by Dave Wallbridge, is simple and
uncomplicated, yet very effective, designed to be fitted to the table clamp or
weighted base of most standard fly tying vises. It consists of
three components, as shown in the photograph below - a
200 mm long stainless steel shaft with an outside diameter of
8mm; a pin vise which can hold securely very small tubes of less
than 1.5mm diameter; an aluminium adaptor to secure the pin vise
to the upright shaft, which is designed to be fitted to the kind
of clamp or base which is supplied with most standard fly tying
vises. The adaptor, with its knurled thumbscrews, also allows
the vise to be rotated through 360 degrees at any time during
the tying of the tube fly, without the need to loosen the tube
in the vise.
The Needle Tube Fly Vice fixed to a
standard vice table clamp ready for tying
Note: Gray's Needle Tube Vice is no longer available
but I have left this page for those who may wish to have a go at
making their own tube vice. The essential component is a pin
vice of suitable size, widely available on the internet.
Grays of Kilsyth now stock the superb
HMH Tube Fly Tool
Both the HMH Tube Tool and Grays's Needle Tubes are
available online at
www.graysofkilsyth.com
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