Fly-Tiers' vise. There are many styles of fly-tying vises on the market.
The simplest is just a slot cut in a 3/8" piece of square steel with a
hacksaw, and a thumb screw to tighten the slot. This type of vise will
work all right, although rather clumsy and hard to tighten enough to
hold the hook truly. Another simple vise is just a small pin chuck,
soldered to one end of a 1/4" brass rod, bent at the desired angle, and
the other end of the rod soldered to a small C clamp. However, I prefer
a vise of the cam lever type. That is, a vise that has a cam lever for
opening and closing the jaws. These vises, of which there are
several makes, are {2} adjustable to various angles and hook sizes. They
will hold all sizes of hooks very firmly, and are easily and quickly
opened with a flip of the lever.
Hackle Pliers. These can be purchased for about fifty cents and will
prove a worthwhile investment, as they are rather difficult to make
satisfactorily.
Scissors. One pair with curved blades and sharp points for small flies
and one pair with small straight blades. A needle pushed into a stick,
for picking out hackles that are wound under, and for putting lacquer on
the finished head, completes the list of necessary tools.