Bodkins......Who else uses them

[plateboater]

I have been using these for a couple years.........Just built some new ones (-5 today and staying warm inside). I have other bad habits like leather work (sail needles for hand stitch work). I am using sail needles for these with 3/8" dowel rod with gorilla glue. I normally use these if I screw a whip finish or something gets out of place on my smaller gill jigs.

I believe tiers use these for for fly's. Anybody have thoughts?
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[Jig Man]

yep, lots of uses...

 

[hookup]

What are they used for?

 

[Mike Andrews]

What size / type needles are you using?

 

[Fatman]

Have several sizes - as plate said you can fix a messed up whip or problem area on a fly. My daughter actually took one of my bigger ones and sterilized the needle and used it to pierce my nephews nipples!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to kill both of them!!!!!!!!

 

[plateboater]

I am using W.Smith and Son sail needles from England. I believe Sailrite is where I purchased. You can get a variety pack for under $20. They are made for repairing sails but I normally use them for making leather bags and pouches from deer hides. To many hobbies.

I purchase the variety pack Size 13- 19. Sail Maker's needles. Very tough forged cast needles.

 

[plateboater]

How I clean the tool with a small bottle jammed very tight with 000 steel wool. This is how I also clean my scissors
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[ridgeliner]

A bodkin works great when you have a knot in your shoe lace. I tied flies before I started doing jigs. Always had at least one bodkin around. Like Fatman said you can use it for many things. Use your imagination. We use to use 35mm film canisters to put steel wool in. Put a hole in the cap and you were set. I'm sure there is still a lot of them on tying benches.

 

[plateboater]

Thanks for talking about them Ridge! I take the cap off my prescription bottle......will drill a hole. Good idea!

 

[Pup]

Bodkins are great for holding loops for whip finishing knots tied without a Matarelli or Thompson tool.

 

[Lost Pole]

Have several sizes - as plate said you can fix a messed up whip or problem area on a fly. My daughter actually took one of my bigger ones and sterilized the needle and used it to pierce my nephews nipples!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to kill both of them!!!!!!!!

Let em be kids, bro. A hole in a flappy lobe or errr ummm… is better than one in the face or chest over something much more trivial.





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[JUNGLEJIM1]

I don't whip finish but use the bodkin to make a series of half hitches on all my jigs. Usually 4-5 half hitches and they won't come apart. It's how I learned to tie and haven't seen the need to change now.

 

[AllenOK]

I use a bodkin that I bought at BPS. It has a half-hitch tool on the other side. Before that, I had taken a large yarn needle and glued it into a lollipop stick.

 

[Kdog]

I have several mostly homemade but my favorite has a leather needle that is 3 lobed, Makes the best eye cleaner around.

 

[StumpHunter]

I use a large and a small bodkins almost every day. Makes life easy.

 

[Muskygary]

I like to use them for cleaning powder pain out of the hook eye as I powder paint. Works great while the paint is still warm. Also like to use them for separating hackle on a feather to get the right amount.

 

[plateboater]

Thanks for the responses.....did not know it was that popular

 

[LedHed]

Nice to have around - pick & poke