RayburnGuy Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) I know these have been discussed in the past, but wanted to show the quick and cheap alternative that is working great for me. I took a piece of 1/8" stainless tubing ( doesn't have to be stainless....it's just what I had laying around) and ground a slot in the end of it with the Dremel and a cutoff wheel. It is then chucked up in a hand drill for use. Best to have a drill with variable speed and forward/reverse capabilities for obvious reasons. It only took about 30 seconds to make and it works like a charm. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so there's one attached below. Ben Edited November 10, 2011 by RayburnGuy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toadfrog Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 Yea Buddy ! beats heck out of 12 bucks flushed down the crapper for one of the factory made jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 Ben, thats a good one. I have thought many times about ordering a screw eye bit. I actually tried making one by cutting a slot in a piece of round stock but it would slip off the screw eye every time. Being hollow, yours would be self centering and eliminate that problem. Thanks for sharing. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted November 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) Thanks guys. Normally I don't use a lot of screw eyes, but was building a prop bait the other day and got tired of screwing the eyes in and out while fitting everything together and figured there had to be a better way. This is what I came up with. Just hope it saves the folks that use a lot of screw eyes a little time and effort. Ben Edited November 10, 2011 by RayburnGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) I did the same type thing with a straight screw driver bit. A dremel wheel cut in the center did the deed. When I'm doing one or two lures, I use finish nails that are bent into a Z, with the ends 90 degrees apart. One left and one right. They are easier to turn by hand than a pair of pliers. The longer the nail, the more leverage you have. Just be sure to use the end of the nail with the head for the handle, so the other end will fit through the screw eye. It is still turning by hand, but it's really fast and easy. Edited November 10, 2011 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bass Man Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Great tip on the Screw Eye Bit Ben, Thanks for sharing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. BassLove Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Hi Mark, I can't exactly picture what you are describing for the z-bent finish nail. I can imagine the finish nail bent into a z, but not sure how the ends are bent 90 degs apart. Any chance you could snap a quick picture? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 I am currently photo challenged, so I'll try to explain it better. Just make the Z bend with two 90 degree bends, lay it flat on the bench, and then bend one of the legs up to 90 degrees. Of course, with metal you have to clamp it down, or use a vise. I make one for left, and one for right, but you can make just one work for both directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanmark Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Great idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 If you're doing a lot of the .092 screw eyes, make a bit for your reversible drill. I have a bunch of messed up screw driver bits from work, where the allan or straight tip got worn with use. I took one, ground the tip flat/square to the shank, and then used a dremel with a cutting wheel to make a slot that fits the screw eyes. When I'm making a batch of 6 swimbaits, I have 42 screw eyes to install and adjust. Before I made this tool, it took forever to install them, and my hands were sore when I was done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine_studios Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 This is great! I think I was over thinking it. I tried putting a slotted screw in my drill and using that to turn the screw eyes in, but inevitably, the screw eye would consistently walk it's way out of the groove and it turned into more of a hassle. With the hollow tubing, that solves the issue completely. Brilliant!! Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrybait Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 I had real good results by taking a short straight piece of tubing that the screw eye doesn't quite fit into the end. Put the end of the tubing in a vise and squeeze it until it until the screw eye fits nicely. Then put it in the vise again so that the oval part is clear of the jaws and squeeze it again at a 90 degree angle to the first squeeze. Done. The screw eye fits nicely in the end and the second squeeze stops it from going in any further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Great idea RayburnGuy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salty's Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Even better is to scrap the drill...it goes too fast and can easily slip and mess your lure up or your hand.. I use a Ryobi cordless screwdriver with a bad hex shaped screw bit that you grind off the end and then put the groove in. Small, turns slower and you are less apt to slip and mess anything up. And you can take the bit out easily to go back to a philips or straightblade in seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
