skirt making tool

[Rusty Shank]

any ideas on what to use to make home made skirt making tools.

[reeves]

Rusty Shank,

My first answer on this would be . . . . . . 'your imagination'.

Ok, now that I have that out of the way, it totally depends on what you want in the tool along with the resources that are available to you. Then again, if you want to do it the easy way, go to FishingSkirts.com, Better Product Better Price he has a couple at a reasonable price that may interest you beyond tryiing to make your own.

[Spike-A-Pike]

The open end of a two piece retractable pen like the old black government Skilcraft pen would probably work in a pinch or a pair of snap-ring pliers if you have a set, even one of those strange new-age hook removers from one of the popular outfitter catalogs...

Sometime back, Charles of Skirts Unlimited (AKA: FishingSkirts.com) offered a free skirt tool to the first 10 TU members to PM him asking for one. I was one of the lucky 10 and that little tool not only gets a pretty regular work out in my spinner making area, but it also goes out on the boat with me. That simple, practical little skirt making tool is fast and easy to use and fits in a shirt pocket. As anyone at the TU meet can well tell you, Ole Uncle Spike don't pack light... but, if I'm carrying one, you can make book that I feel I can't live without it when I'm fishing.

Edited July 9, 2008 by Spike-A-Pike

[HookUp]

  Spike-A-Pike said:

The open end of a two piece retractable pen like the old black government Skilcraft pen would probably work in a pinch

No probably's about it.

I found an old aluminum two piece retractable pen and salvaged the bottom section. Then got some SS wire, put a small loop in one end (similar to an in-line spinner) fed the wire into the small tip of the salvaged bottom section, the bent a hook big enough to hold a skirt.

Roll a spinnerbait/buzzbait band down the bottom section, load a skirt into the hook, pull the skirt into the bottom section, roll the band down onto the skirt, push the skirt out, trim the end tabs, and you'll have a skirt ready for a spinnerbait.

[Spike-A-Pike]

Gees Hockup,

You were not supposed to give the answer that quick... And just for the record, go to a few of the different tackle suppliers and look at the skirt tools some of the places sell and then look at a snap-ring pliers - notice any thing in common?

George,

I think your right; we need to figure out a way to inspire more folks to use their imaginations and quit sitting on them. There was that old saying in the Marines, "We've been doing so much, with so little, for so long, we can do practically anything with nothing." It wasn't just bragging, it was a fact. I can't even begin to figure how many times that was applied in both the Marines and Air Force. In the Air Force, on the flight line in late Aug and Sept the funds for parts were normally gone for the fiscal year, we still had to put fighters on the schedule just as mission capable as the ones after October 1st and the new budget went into effect (if congress could agree and pass one).

None of the guys I worked with were going to put a fighter on the ramp that they were not will to sit in the rear cockpit... Those pilots trusted us with their lives every time they'd start engines.

As a youngster, I watched my father and grandfather devise fixes to farm equipment on the fly at least once a week. The equipment ranged from the milkers, chiller, and later the bulk tank, to tractors, bailer, mowers. Then there was always the fun and excitement of playing midwife for a cow calving for the first time and trying to revive still born calves.

Well I've gone off longer than I planned and strayed off coarse... I apologize for that. Just open your minds, do some research, tinker and tweak a little and just see what you can figure out. We'd be delighted to read more "Look what I figured out and want to share." than "What do you look for in an air brush this week that you didn't look for last week?"

[bamarocks]

i use a piece of an arrow and a practice tip. you can use whatever length of an arrow you want to hold as many collars as you want. then all you have to do is pull your skirt into the arrow witha pc of wire and roll your collar off. the archery shops around here have plenty of broken arrows and tips you can get for little or nothing

[Fatman]

Spike,

I know when I first logged onto the site I spent about 3 weeks just reading through threads up to a year ago. Then I did searchs of things that interested me or that I wanted help on. Then I did looked some more and searched some more.

When I was pretty confident that I had what I wanted I asked questions in a way that used everything I had found with what I couldn't find.

C'mon folks the reading here is excellent!!!!!!!!!!!! Their is so much you can learn from just reading threads way back.

Where I can give advice I do, I've received help from many members on MANY different sites whether it be hardware, lead, wire forming, painting. and being able to help someone else is pay back for all that I've learned and believe me nobody knows everything theirs always a neat little trick that can make a big time saver.

But I want every NEWCOMER to this site to notice that SAFETY!!!!!! is ALWAYS preached everyone. Yeah this is a fun hobby but we don't want anyone getting hurt either.

Just my two cents!!

Fatman

[HookUp]

And just for the record, go to a few of the different tackle suppliers and look at the skirt tools some of the places sell and then look at a snap-ring pliers - notice any thing in common?

They all look the same

[Fishpocalypse]

Size 12? (the gold one) knitting needle. Using a tubing cutter, I cut below the point ~.25" above where the full diameter of the needle starts as a transition. This helps when you slide the band on with pliers.

The shorter the piece, the easier it is to get the tabs through still resembling how you assembled them. A longer piece is a little more difficult, but you can load up on bands.

I think I read about this technique on TU?

[muskietom51]

I've never tried to make my own skirts but interested. The tool i seen on skirtmaking.com I don't quite understand the concept. An the skirt materials are they already separated? I'm wanting to make some skirts for larger spinners for muskies, can u get this material in 10 inch strips.

[Spike-A-Pike]

This subject is needs to be clarified once and for all. To that end, I put together a simple tutorial in the Wire Bait How To forum of the Member Submitted Tutorials forum. It is a series of 9 photos to step you through the process. The skirt tool used is one offered through FishingSkirts.com

Here is a direct link to the tutorial, http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/wire-baits-how/13977-skirt-making-made-easy.html