I started by having time to sit at the bench. Using jigs, especially small jigs, in my small town stores were very hard to find. About that time I posted that I wanted to get into this, and I recieved a PM from a member, 1Perchjerker AKA Tommy, making an offer that could only happen here on CDC. He sent me two vises to try and if I didn't like them I could send back at no charge. Tommy sent me a Renzetti Traveler and a Danvise. I bought the Renzetti and TennTodd bought the Danvise. Tommy and I had never had a conversation before this and I saw this as a wonderful leap of faith in human nature on his part. He has now passed but this gesture on his part is something I think of regularly. As many have before me, I tied some for folks and learned my limitations both in time and tolerance for endless hours at the bench. The bookwork and taxes and so on were the kicker and I now tie for a few folks and myself, and my time has also changed to where the hours at the bench is almost impossible to find. I still have ideas that I have to visit the vise and make them come to reality, and some of the patterns I tie just out produce anything available commercially.
Skip, Stump, Ship, NP and many others have brought me along to where I am today. I'm nowhere near some of the newer guys that have come along and though I do what I can to help folks along the path I was shown, I think some of them can now teach me. Well done guys. I still enjoy tying and will probably never get rid of the vise or supplies and materials I have collected. Time is a commodity that ebbs and flows for me and I will again spend more time at the vise. I'll always enjoy seeing the new ties folks post. The Mayfly ties that Justcameslabdaddy has posted are really off the charts, the wings being the clincher. It's things like this that make this site, and this section, one that always bring a smile to my face.