Flush Cutters

Much rejoicing for the flush cutter!

yes, use safety glasses

Dave "McFluffchucker" Lindsay is an awesome tyer and a down right cool guy. He has been tying for Pike Trek in England and comes up with some pretty sweet flies on a regular basis. He is also a great teacher for those that are looking for help when tying big flies for toothy predators. His latest post is giving some great advice to folks about how to get rid of the plastic peice on the back of plastic doll eyes. His method uses scissors which works fine, but I have a better method that I wanted to share with him and with everyone else that reads the blog. And maybe introduce you to a tool you haven't used before but might find indespensible... the flush cutter (and they have nothing to do with reducing water use in toilets).

further proof of my geekdom

I found flush cutters when I got into building plastic models again a few years ago. Yes, I am a geek, no need to remind me of what I already know. Flush cutters are an easy way to remove a plastic piece from the sprue, the plastic "twigs" that model parts come in. I was using nail clippers for that, but they don't work that well. And I found out that the flush cutters work pretty well on nails too, but that is another story. Xuron makes some very nice precision tools for and I like their flush cutters the best. You can find other brands in hobby shops, hardware stores and craft stores, but I have to admit that they don't work quite as well- but they do cost about half of the Xurons. 

Properly cutting with it

Here is the great thing about using the flush cutters with doll eyes- they cut the plastic off flush to the eye itself. Yes it will send that piece of plastic zinging around the room, ricocheting into the dog and causing much hilarity, but you really should wear safety glasses. Better yet, point the plastic at a bundled up piece of cloth like a tshirt so it doesn't fly all over and cause further discourse with your already annoyed mate (because of the mess of your fly tying). You will also find the plastic post to dispose of it so you don't step on it barefoot later- take it from me, OUCH!

bye bye post!

Flush cutters are also great for cutting wire for flies. They will cut materials flat on flies too. Perfect for precision cuts that you sometimes need. I use them all the time for trimming all sorts of things from hackle ends to wire. They can be pretty useful on the water as a way of cutting your line and bite tippet- great flat cuts! Drop the cash on a pair of these and you will really enjoy having them on the bench. And you can do some really silly stuff like this too:

yea it ain't pretty, but it is 5:30 am (and props to Fat Guy Fly Fishing for the idea!)