Petitjean Magic Tool

I don't know if any of you tiers out there use this tool or not but a buddy of mine recently e-mailed me about it, inquiring about how to use the dowel rod that comes with the kit so since it is raining cats, dogs, and all kinds of other things here at home - well what better way than to spend the morning at the tyin bench (that is before the Penn State game comes on). Anyway, I mostly use this tool for CDC caddis dries but it can be used with marabou to make buggers and such. It's also kind of neat to use for nymph bodies. The magic tool kit is kind of pricey costing around $30 but if your looking for a different way of tying - I think it is kind of cool. Here is a link from Flyfisherman mag that gives a video on how to tie the caddis using this tool: http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/kbvideos/index.html
I have not found a step by step on how to use the dowels that come with the kit to pass onto my friend so I put this together for him and anyone else who is interested. These dowels are used for mixing in crystal flash or equiv. material. I'm tying a simple egg pattern with it and I know you can buy pom pom eggs with crystal flash at any store that you just slide on the hook  but with the ice bub I'm using here it kind of gives the egg a bit more translucency I think. Again - there are much easier and quicker ways to tie an egg pattern - this is just another way of doing it. Anyway here it is and I hope it helps explain using the dowel a bit better.

1. The Magic Tool
 


2. Start your thread on the hook
 


3. With one of your fingers, make a dubbing loop and secure the loop to the hook shank.
 


4. Place a small amount of ice dub on the top of the magic tool table, spreading it out evenly.
 


5. Now for the dowel part: take the grooved dowel (there are three different ones that come with the kit - each one thicker than the other - here I used the thin one) and evenly wrap around the dowel 4 strands of crystal flash material. Place the dowel on top of the ice dub.
 


6. While holding the dowel on top of the magic tool table use a razor blade to cut the flash material. Cut it on top of the dowel following one of the grooves.
 



 
7. Remove the dowel.
The dowel may want to pull some of the ice dub up off the table when you remove it. I always use the razor blade to hold the dub onto the table by placing it along side of the dowel - holding down the material when I remove it.



8. Using a piece of monofilament - stretch it across the top of the table and the material and pull the material evenly down into the table clamp. Then remove the mono by pulling it out of the clamp lengthwise. 
 




9. Take the material clamp that comes with the kit and transfer the material from the table to the clip.

 


10. Take your scissors and cut evenly across the top of the material while it is in the clamp. This evens out the flash material and eliminates the loops.
 


11. Place the material into the dubbing loop and using a dubbing twister, twist the loop good and tight.
 






12. Wrap the loop forward creating the egg. Whip finish.
 


Here's a pic of the egg when wet:
 




Here's a different kind of bugger tied with the tool using spun marabou, clipped for the body.
Put two different colors of marabou in the table. Remove with the clip, trim off stem, put in dubbing loop, and spin. Wrap around hook shank and trim.
 


And a marabou swinger tied with the tool - same as above just didn't clip the 'bou.  


 

Love the peacock.