Bobbins–Midge Wire Frame
The standard wire form bobbin that I reviewed in the last post has one disadvantage: size. Not that the bobbin is excessively large, but its bulk makes it just a bit awkward to handle in some situations, especially for the very tiny stuff. One of the standard wire forms hanging from a size 28 is a bit on the overkill side. Years ago I began tying with the “midge” or “mini” size bobbins while dressing the minutiae of fly fishing. To my great delight I found them so easy to handle that I started using them for all my tying.
The only problem with then is the need to wind thread onto the standard sewing machine style bobbins that they use. However, the sewing machine bobbins will easily hold 100 yards or more of thread, and they are super fast and easy to fill on a sewing machine, or even with a power hand drill. To me, filling the spools is a small price to pay for the maneuverability and light weight that these bobbins provide.
Like their standard-sized cousins, these midge-sized wire-form bobbins come with straight legs; I bend them around the stem of my vise to reshape them into a tool of great delight in the hand.My old friend Frank Maerelli designed and used many fine tying instruments. His was the first Midge bobbin I used. They are currently made by Wapsi. You can see them at www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?store=feacraft&action=category_view&target=509.
In all regards like the standard wire form bobbins except the Midge takes the small spools used as sewing machine bobbins.
The Midge wire form bobbins fit easily and most comfortably in one's hand.