Wire Forming Tools

I have looked at a couple of wire forming tools but i can't decide which one to get. I also want one that forms a "smaller" eye like those of the commercial products like a rooster tail. I would like to know what you guys use and recomend or dislike(both of which would help). To make things more interseting Im looking for one more on a budget side maybe less than 50$. I've looked at all the ones on jannsnetcraft, barlows, and lurepartsonline. The little blue wire bender is looking fine to me though any complaints?

The little blue wire bender won't wrap the wire.

I wish I had the Bogg's tackle maker, right now I use one of the free hand held ones and it is really a pain. A stable base with a consistant eye bend and a stable twist would make things a lot easier. A more expensive one would be nice to have but I would settle for the Boggs right now and it would be a huge improvement.

And I bet you can find one for around $50 even with a couple extra heads for smaller/larger wire.

for many years I used a jeweler pliers the in's were round so you could wrap the wire around and make eye let's we made thousands of salmon spanners also for steelhead we did have a fancy hundred dollar wire Binder I did not like it and I believe I still have it laying here someplace but pick up a pair of those pliers if you're only doing eye let's.

Snake

I have the Netcraft Wire former which I've had since the 1980's and it puts out alot of spinners, but the eye will always be WAY bigger than the eye on a Rooster tail. This will show you the size of the eye next to an actual Rooster tail (on the left in the pic), the eye from the Netcraft on mine on the right WAY BIGGER.

Attachment 89410

I also have the handheld Worth wire former - It will make a smaller eye but I agree with fish it's a PITA, I use it mainly for making beetle spin frames.

I'm not sure what size eyelets are made on the Boggs or Twist Tech. The one thing I dis-like about the Twist Tech is that they assume you just want to mount the thing to a bench and you have to buy the mounting screw bracket sepretly (double your cost). the little blue bender is not for making spinners but for spinner bait frames.

Here's the instructions on the boggs and the eyelet looks pretty big but not absolutely clear. http://www.barlowstackle.com/instructions/Boggs.pdf

If I can help more just let me know

I wonder if you can modify the pin on the Boggs and make it smaller or put a smaller pin in.

I'll give the pliers a chance and I hope I'll like em like you do snake. I've seen that picture before fatman and thats what made me talk about the eyelet....you also got me obsessing over another type of tackle making....thanks!!! :bash! I've got fly and jig tying to fall back on just incase, but looking foward to trying the pliers.

na na na na na!!!!! Just because I post a pic doesn't mean I made you get obsessed over another tackle making item LOL Don't feel bad I'm fighting like crazy not to get into plastics!!!!!!!!!!! I've got a buddy who has the twist tech I'll see if he can send me a photo of how small the eyelet is on his.

Guess that I am in the camp with snakeriver. It is real hard to beat the round nose pliers. Btw if you are going to pick up a pair of them for wire wrapping get the better pair with the jaws that are tool steel. there are many inexpensive pliers out there and not all are created equal. Also there is if you look around a type of pliers that are made for making rosarys. They are call rosary pliers (DAH) and have finer tips on them so that you could make the smaller loop eyes. My favorite pair is one I picked up back in Jewelry school in 1969 they have repaired alot of jewelry and bend a good amount of wire for fishing. Not only that but they bent more than a few hundred hooks for a couple of molds that I have that require a special bent hook.

Redman

Fatman posted a home made screw driver handle with two pins some time back for making the small eyelets. I took the idea and modified my own version that works great. Most of all "IT'S CHEAP". Feed us some more addictive photo's Fatman...lol.
NightProwler

lol thanks for the feedback. Theres a lot more positive feeling about the pliers than I would have expected. HAHA I thought i was gonna get into plastics but decided to go the cheaper routes liike jig tying and wire baits.....for now hhehe

Ok I'll repost it here so it's easier - basically just an old screwdriver handle that you drive small nails into.

The directions make it sound more complicated than it is but step by step sometimes helps someone.

You need to have a piece of your wire ready. it's easier if you have a small piece that will lay on the handle without falling off
Take a spinner that you're copying that has a small eyelet and find a nail that will fit in the hole or a little bit bigger you need 2 of them
The Wood handle has to have a flat base so you may need to cut off the rounded end (on this one I did).
Clamp the handle in a vise or something that will hold it straight up. Take one nail and pound it into the handle, don't cut it off yet.
Take the piece of spinner wire you prepared and put it up tight to the nail you put in the handle
Take the second nail and put it next the piece of wire - as the nail has a pointed head you need to move it just a bit further away from the wire so that there will be space in between the nails then drive that one in.

It will look like this, I'd post a better pic but the wife has the camera in Florida but it's good enough to see
Attachment 89682

Ahhh the picture sure helps! It's kind of like a jig block or like the top of a wire bender just that the wire rotates and not the pins. Very good idea I'll have to try that too! Now I'm excited

Somewhere there is a twisting tool that makes 2 bends in the wire for the eyes. This lines up the wires so a perfect loop can be made. I have seen one but can't find it again. Was a small black table top version, my uncle had one some 10 years ago. Anyone know of the one I am talking about? I know it made some really small eyes even with heavier wire for salmon spinners.

Fish is this the tool you're talking about??? Dubro kwik twist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMsxz1qG_8w I've seen the thing in catalouges but never saw exactly how it works until today

No, that's not it, the one my uncle had was mountable on a desk or table. You did one lever to bend the wire around and then you used a second lever to make the bend on the other side. The wires were straight against each other when you were done with it and ready to twist them.

Hagens???

Ok Fish is this the one Boggs Tackle maker - Or you can call it Cabela's, Herters they all look alike.

Boggs Tacklemaker based on the pics the eyelets are pretty small. And it has some links to other places.

Go to YouTube and search wire formers for lures or search the Boggs and then to the right it usually shows a bunch of other video's and you might find the one you're looking for.

It's similar, have looked at one for a while but I don't see the second bending hing on them. It may not be made anymore, this was well over 20 years ago I used the other one.

i use round nose pliars for spinner wire bending.its nice to see more people that build inline spinners. they are one of the easiest lures to build i think

Comparative eye sizes between wire formers.

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Originally Posted by OTS

Comparative eye sizes between wire formers.

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This thread is 8 years old, but I am going to close it, but I would love to see you post this as a new thread! These things get talked about often.

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