tying tools, magnifier

"George Adams" wrote in message
...
John,
YMMV, but I have found the "big round magnifyers" to be a total pain in
the
ass. Always in the way of something, no matter what position its in. My
eyes
are terrible in close, so I wear a pair of 4X magnifying glasses and use a
strong light. Works well for me for tying down to 26's.



I wear 3.5 (diopter?) reading glasses....the kind that sit down on your
nose like granny glasses. Its easy to look over them when I'm hunting for
stuff, and simple to look through them when I'm tying. I guess thats why
librarians wear them.

But I'm very careful to not be seen by SWMBO when I'm tying anything smaller
than a #12.

--riverman

Well, I'm already into bi-focals....

What do you think of the flip up flip down kind of glasses that fit over
regular glasses,

The thingy you wear around your head?

Already wearing glasses kinda throws a wrench in the works..

john
"George Adams" wrote in message
...
John,
YMMV, but I have found the "big round magnifyers" to be a total pain in
the
ass. Always in the way of something, no matter what position its in. My
eyes
are terrible in close, so I wear a pair of 4X magnifying glasses and use a
strong light. Works well for me for tying down to 26's.





George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only
dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller

George Adams wrote:
John,
YMMV, but I have found the "big round magnifyers" to be a total pain
in the ass. Always in the way of something, no matter what position
its in. My eyes are terrible in close, so I wear a pair of 4X
magnifying glasses and use a strong light. Works well for me for
tying down to 26's.

Agreed. I've got one of those "big rounders" I donated to SWMBO for her
hobby work with beads and switched to head gear. I got one of these:
http://tinyurl.com/5gdsg from Orvis' sale room for $16. I like them
'cause they flip up and out of the way when I don't need the
magnification, and they fit over my eye glasses.
--
TL,
Tim
---------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/

"asadi...." wrote in message
ink.net...
Change 'bait' to 'fly' and 'here' to hear'



I have and use the cabelas lamp. It generally works pretty well. This past
year or so I've come to realize that at close, and I mean close, distances I
see better without my glasses, and my bi-focals are worthless for tying. So
I have taken to tying without my glasses. Its works pretty well for me when
tying, but I have to find my glasses when I need a different material. If I
have my contacts in then I have to use reading glasses.

jh

"asadi...." wrote in message
ink.net...
Change 'bait' to 'fly' and 'here' to hear'



I have and use the cabelas lamp. It generally works pretty well. This past
year or so I've come to realize that at close, and I mean close, distances I
see better without my glasses, and my bi-focals are worthless for tying. So
I have taken to tying without my glasses. Its works pretty well for me when
tying, but I have to find my glasses when I need a different material. If I
have my contacts in then I have to use reading glasses.

jh

"asadi...." wrote

.. I need a
magnifier.



I use a cheap one on a goose neck and heavy pedestal that I got at a hobby
store ... 1/8" pipe has the same thread as the neck and I used some, and a
angle, to raise it off the pedestal a little and improve the "angle of
attack" to keep it more out of my way


I have a bigger one with a round florescent light around it too, but prefer
the cheapy

Mainly, I just wear cheater glasses, with them I can see well enough for 95%
of the operations/ flies, and I just pull the little magnifier down for the
finest detail and smallest flies

The most effective freestone waters caddis patterns that I use are not real
small, nor intricate, and work best when tied kinda funky looking and rough
.... you may not even need a magnifier

oh, oh, AND .... I recently visited my new eye doctor and discussing what
types of glasses to get ( new poloroids were first on the list ) I said
something about tying and clsoe work and a special pair .... the reply was
"Cheaters are probably just as good. Actually, LIGHTING will probably help
you more than anything, With good light, your pupils get smaller, and your
depth of field bigger, giving the impression of improved focus." I knew
this was true with cameras, but didn't know it worked that way for humans,
too. Anyway .... think OTT-LITE, ott-Lite, Ott, Lite .... if you don't use
one ( I understand there are now other brands of the same light, cheaper?),
get one, ..... trust me, just do it G

"asadi...." wrote in
ink.net:

So please, do not assume that I am in the market for the 'hot' set-up.
What I am in the market for is something to help me see a little
better. I need a magnifier.



Feather craft sells one that I use (tho I didn't get it there). It goes
around your head, flips up when you don't need it, and I think its called
"Mag Eyes" or something like that. I have one that bolts to my desk like
you showed, and I just use it as a lamp, not a magnifier.


Scott

The first thing you should try is a much improved lighting system.
After you have tried thiis you may not need anything else.

I purchased a gooseneck lamp with a true color lamp and a large
magnifier, also on a gooseneck. Both of these were anchored to a
steel plate. An excellent setup but at about $200 US it is a bit
expensive. 90% of the time I don't need the magnifier.

So get yourself a cheap quartz lamp to try and then go from there.

Dave M

wrote in message
...
The first thing you should try is a much improved lighting system.
After you have tried thiis you may not need anything else.

I purchased a gooseneck lamp with a true color lamp and a large
magnifier, also on a gooseneck. Both of these were anchored to a
steel plate. An excellent setup but at about $200 US it is a bit
expensive. 90% of the time I don't need the magnifier.

So get yourself a cheap quartz lamp to try and then go from there.


Something I've noticed is that it is practically impossible to properly
light a clamp-on vice! The vice is attached at the closest edge of the
table, and any light you try to set up will be leaning forward over the edge
of the table. I've tried gooseneck lamps, but they end up balanced on the
edge. I've tried those clamp-on architect's lamps with the long sections,
but they end up being right where my arms want to be when I'm reaching for
supplies. The only thing that really works well is to have a couple of floor
lamps behind me, one over each shoulder, but I end up looking like I'm
piloting some spaceship with all that stuff around me. My next vice will be
a pedestal vice, maybe for the sole reason that I can light it with a simple
table lamp!

--riverman

On Sat, 4 Dec 2004 23:27:01 +0100, "riverman" wrote:

Something I've noticed is that it is practically impossible to properly
light a clamp-on vice!

I have lots of tying problems, but that's never been one of them. I clamp my
vise on the left side of the front edge of my table and my light on the front
part of the left edge and it provides good light and isn't in the way (I'm
right handed). I have one of those lights with the large magnifier and a
circular fluorescent bulb, but I almost never look through the magnifier and
just use it as a lamp.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com/ - photo galleries
http://www.chocphoto.com/roff