Dumbbells, Barbells, Hourglass, and Bead Chain Eyes – The Complete Review of Weighted Eyes for Fly Tying

[Kms]

I found this very informative, particularly the many sizing tables.

Dumbbells, Barbells, Hourglass, and Bead Chain Eyes – The Complete Review of Weighted Eyes for Fly Tying | The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

 

[wgmiller]

That's a great article with a lot to process. Personally speaking, I abandoned any type of "coated" eyes in favor of eyes that don't chip or get ugly. There's nothing worse than having to scrap or redo flies because the coating has chipped away. With flies like Clousers that ride "eyes down", chipping and eye damage is unavoidable. I either tie with plan lead/brass dumbbell eyes or eyes or something along the lines of this.

 

[Bamboozle]

That's a great article with a lot to process. Personally speaking, I abandoned any type of "coated" eyes in favor of eyes that don't chip or get ugly. There's nothing worse than having to scrap or redo flies because the coating has chipped away. With flies like Clousers that ride "eyes down", chipping and eye damage is unavoidable. I either tie with plan lead/brass dumbbell eyes or eyes or something along the lines of this.

I've had decent chip prevention by painting eyes with good old fashioned Testors or other model paint and coating the dried paint with a thin coat of UV-Knot Sense.

I previously used epoxy as a protective overcoat but it dries hard so it chips off as well but UV Knot Sense is softer and less likely to chip, at least in my experience.

I've also had good luck with the durability of Spirit River I-Balz.

As far as sizing goes, I just "eyeball" it and if it looks good, I use that size...

If it ever gets complicated enough that I need a sizing chart I'll stop using dumbbells, barbells, hourglass, and bead chain eyes. 😉