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Post by hoss on Mar 10, 2022 11:45:23 GMT -6
Greetings,
So I am looking to get a bit more organized with my fly tying materials. Right now my pitiful setup is a handful of plastic containers with feathers, fur, dubbing and the other usual items. Controlled chaos is a generous term for what I have. Looking to get motivated and upgrading the storage. So if you have any fly tying station / desk / storage ideas let me know.
Thanks!
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Post by darrelln09 on Mar 10, 2022 12:43:21 GMT -6
I use this Fly Tying Station from Bass Pro Shops. It’s pretty nice and has quite a bit of storage space for small items like hooks, threads, and tools. I don’t use the clamp that is supposed to hold your vise though. It didn’t hold it secure enough for me so I just use my pedestal base right in front of the station. www.basspro.com/shop/en/White-River-Fly-Shop-Journeyman-Fly-Tying-StationI see that it’s on sale right now too.
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Post by slinginbugs on Jul 18, 2022 13:08:28 GMT -6
My first advice is to really determine what you need, use, want, or have. You will find you use the same materials over and over so they get priority. Everything else is just in the way so store them, trade them, or give them away. I minimized my threads that I use, I still have the others if I need them, but basically tie with black, white, olive, brown, and I always have my 3 hotspot colors on a bobbin (red, orange, chartruese) and I use markers to color thread a lot. I minimized the space by using a "secretaries desk". I got mine on WayFair (it was super cheap but now they seem to be twice the price) and it was solid wood and had 5 drawers. I then put the Wall Control Hobby Kit (pegboard) above it. I hang my hackle, herls, tails, bucktails, and other large skins. I keep my streamer hooks and "boxed" hooks on pegs. I use the end of the pegs to hold tools, scissors, bobbins. I have trays on the peg boards that I keep resin, tools, glues, rulers, blades, etc etc. I installed a bar LED light into the desk by removing the light's base then inserting the post into a hole I put in the corner of the desk. I fitted half the surface with a self-healing craft mat (Hobby Lobby), which is a great work surface. 90% of my dubbing is on one of two shelves that came with the pegboard kit. I keep all wire in one of those Hareline wire caddies (it holds like 40 spools) and the thread I use is mostly on a bobbin, but I have a small metal rack I attached to the desk on the wall side that holds 60 spools. I keep my tinsel and floss there. All dubbing is kept in a dispenser unless it is the stuff I use to build heads, then I keep it in a streamer box that has congo hair, rubber legs, leach material, and other synthetics. The only thing I have loose anymore is Hair, Fur, and Marabou and those are in plastic shoe boxes below the desk. I store all my foam sheets behind those. I use a couple dispensers that Hareline sells to hold my flash which I store on a shelf on the pegboard. I have a drawer full of hooks in packages, usually the smaller hooks. I have two boxes that hold 30 smaller containers that I keep my jig hooks and nymph hooks. I keep my beads in stackable screw off containers but also keep my most used beads in a the Hareline bead boxes (I wish they were half the height). I drilled and counter sunk about 30 holes in the hutch part of the desk and I have the rest of my bobbins, bodkins, and other tools in them. I use a Renzetti tool caddy for everything else. I lined quite a few surfaces with slices of exercise mats to hold hooks and dry flie on. I keep two small plastic caddies on the desk that hold CDC, CDL, Scud back, Para Post, Fluoro Fibers, etc. Finally, the best part is that I use the large center drawer for trash. I have a mesh bin in the middle, but around it I have containers that I store surplus. By surplus I mean we always have extra wire, parts of feathers, the other side of CDC, snips of chenille, so I have little bins to drop those in so they are handy and not on my work space. I can now vacuum my desk and I do not risk losing anthing. The tools I keep on the desk (in a built in caddy on my vise base) are 2 sizes of bodkins with half hitch ends, Comb/velcro, razor blade, dubbing spinner, whip finisher, lighter, and tweezers. I keep loctite, solerez bone dry, and wax on the desk, the rest is in a bin hanging from the pegboard. All lights are hung on the drawer knobs. This only takes up 36 inches of wall space in my office.
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Post by hoss on Jul 19, 2022 15:35:29 GMT -6
My first advice is to really determine what you need, use, want, or have. You will find you use the same materials over and over so they get priority. Everything else is just in the way so store them, trade them, or give them away. I minimized my threads that I use, I still have the others if I need them, but basically tie with black, white, olive, brown, and I always have my 3 hotspot colors on a bobbin (red, orange, chartruese) and I use markers to color thread a lot. I minimized the space by using a "secretaries desk". I got mine on WayFair (it was super cheap but now they seem to be twice the price) and it was solid wood and had 5 drawers. I then put the Wall Control Hobby Kit (pegboard) above it. I hang my hackle, herls, tails, bucktails, and other large skins. I keep my streamer hooks and "boxed" hooks on pegs. I use the end of the pegs to hold tools, scissors, bobbins. I have trays on the peg boards that I keep resin, tools, glues, rulers, blades, etc etc. I installed a bar LED light into the desk by removing the light's base then inserting the post into a hole I put in the corner of the desk. I fitted half the surface with a self-healing craft mat (Hobby Lobby), which is a great work surface. 90% of my dubbing is on one of two shelves that came with the pegboard kit. I keep all wire in one of those Hareline wire caddies (it holds like 40 spools) and the thread I use is mostly on a bobbin, but I have a small metal rack I attached to the desk on the wall side that holds 60 spools. I keep my tinsel and floss there. All dubbing is kept in a dispenser unless it is the stuff I use to build heads, then I keep it in a streamer box that has congo hair, rubber legs, leach material, and other synthetics. The only thing I have loose anymore is Hair, Fur, and Marabou and those are in plastic shoe boxes below the desk. I store all my foam sheets behind those. I use a couple dispensers that Hareline sells to hold my flash which I store on a shelf on the pegboard. I have a drawer full of hooks in packages, usually the smaller hooks. I have two boxes that hold 30 smaller containers that I keep my jig hooks and nymph hooks. I keep my beads in stackable screw off containers but also keep my most used beads in a the Hareline bead boxes (I wish they were half the height). I drilled and counter sunk about 30 holes in the hutch part of the desk and I have the rest of my bobbins, bodkins, and other tools in them. I use a Renzetti tool caddy for everything else. I lined quite a few surfaces with slices of exercise mats to hold hooks and dry flie on. I keep two small plastic caddies on the desk that hold CDC, CDL, Scud back, Para Post, Fluoro Fibers, etc. Finally, the best part is that I use the large center drawer for trash. I have a mesh bin in the middle, but around it I have containers that I store surplus. By surplus I mean we always have extra wire, parts of feathers, the other side of CDC, snips of chenille, so I have little bins to drop those in so they are handy and not on my work space. I can now vacuum my desk and I do not risk losing anthing. The tools I keep on the desk (in a built in caddy on my vise base) are 2 sizes of bodkins with half hitch ends, Comb/velcro, razor blade, dubbing spinner, whip finisher, lighter, and tweezers. I keep loctite, solerez bone dry, and wax on the desk, the rest is in a bin hanging from the pegboard. All lights are hung on the drawer knobs. This only takes up 36 inches of wall space in my office. Sounds impressive, I appreciate the detailed response. Thanks!
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Post by jonbo on Jul 23, 2022 8:58:28 GMT -6
I keep my materials in 5 large plastic boxes, the kind all divided up. There's 3 on one side of the desk, 2 on the other. One holds my threads; one my dubbings and flash/tinsels; one yarns, beads; 2 are feathers and etc like bunny and squirrel. My hooks are in several Tupperware containers in the back/middle of desk. I bought a cheap tying set at the beginning of it all that I regretted, but it left me with a little box that holds all my tools just right. It's all torn up now, but still works. Vice in middle, of course, with enough room around it to work. A couple of drawers in the desk itself hold more junk. The desk I rescued from my mother-in-laws garage where it was getting wrecked. I spray painted the top white. It's ugly as sin, but works great. This is how I stay organized: Everything goes back in the same divided container spot when I'm through using it, same place every time. Each box stays in same location on the desk. I'd say, that's my secret. If I wanted to improve some day, I might like one of those racks for tying thread so I could see them better. That, and a little better system for holding the hooks.
But I think "slinginbugs" has a lot more stuff than I do. Darrell, maybe as well. My particular system wouldn't work with a lot more materials and tools.
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Post by darrelln09 on Aug 5, 2022 21:20:46 GMT -6
I keep my materials in 5 large plastic boxes, the kind all divided up. There's 3 on one side of the desk, 2 on the other. One holds my threads; one my dubbings and flash/tinsels; one yarns, beads; 2 are feathers and etc like bunny and squirrel. My hooks are in several Tupperware containers in the back/middle of desk. I bought a cheap tying set at the beginning of it all that I regretted, but it left me with a little box that holds all my tools just right. It's all torn up now, but still works. Vice in middle, of course, with enough room around it to work. A couple of drawers in the desk itself hold more junk. The desk I rescued from my mother-in-laws garage where it was getting wrecked. I spray painted the top white. It's ugly as sin, but works great. This is how I stay organized: Everything goes back in the same divided container spot when I'm through using it, same place every time. Each box stays in same location on the desk. I'd say, that's my secret. If I wanted to improve some day, I might like one of those racks for tying thread so I could see them better. That, and a little better system for holding the hooks.
But I think "slinginbugs" has a lot more stuff than I do. Darrell, maybe as well. My particular system wouldn't work with a lot more materials and tools.
You've got a nice system, jonbo! I separate things about the same way you do except I'm up 6 large plastic boxes now ... and 8 small ones. The stuff just keeps piling up.
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