History
How to Make Your Own: April 2009
How to Make Your Own: July 2010
How to Use the Evergreen Hand
How to Use the Deer Hair Tool
Examples of Evergreen Hand Modifications
Video of the Evergreen Hand in Use

History

Two years ago fly tying was introduced at Madigan Army Medical Center, at Ft Lewis, Washington, with donations and volunteers from several nearby fly fishing clubs. The benefactors were wounded soldiers being treated in the Occupational Therapy Clinic. One of them was Sergeant First Class Marvin Johnson, US Army. He had just returned from his second tour of duty in the Middle East. Although he was wounded during his first tour, he still went back to serve his country in its time of need, and was wounded again. His latest wound rendered his left arm immobile from the shoulder down.

Sergent First Class Marvin Johnson (right) with Jesse Scott.

It was obvious that we needed something for Marv and our other one-handed tiers. The solution we developed involved a fairly simple application of grass roots engineering. After several iterations, a simple, build-it-yourself device was developed. This webpage is designed to help you learn from our experience and to enable you to build your own. The Evergreen Hand Committee of the FFF Fly Tying Group is in charge of the Evergreen Hand Project and is hoping in time to develop a way to fund and distribute these as well. If you would like to help fund this effort, please send a tax-deductible check to the Evergreen Hand Project.

Our design goals were to make a device that actually worked and allowed the one-handed tier to make a decent fly, but to do so at minimum cost and with a design that many home hobbists could make. The heart of the device is a wooden block that attaches to the stem of a fly tying vise. It holds a number of devices to allow the one-handed tier to manipulate the tying materials (seen on the left in the photograph below).

The wooden block that attaches to the vise and is the heart of the Evergreen Hand
(This is a Steve Burkett 2009 version of the EH.)

The second tool is a metal plate that attaches to the base with an adjustable metal arm, allowing the tier to position the metal plate in space relative to the fly tying vise so that the material holders (various tools with magnet bases) are in the right place to place the hook in the vise or to add materials.

The metal plate is attached to the wooden block by a metal rod.
It holds various tools which have magnets on their bases and can be placed on the metal plate
so that the materials can be added to the fly.
(This is a Steve Burkett 2008 version of the plate, holding hair for a Clowser Minnow.)

The third tool requires a little more explanation. This tool is used to make the soft turn used to tie the tail on a fly. It has a small metal finger (SMF) that can be locked in a horizontal position or unlocked and allowed to rotate down to a vertical position. The tying thread is brought from the near side of the hook shank up and over the horizontal SMF and down the far side of the hook. (See this video for more information.) This forms a loop above the hook shank which allows the tier to position the tail material inside the loop and on top of the hook. Next the thread, material, and hook shank are pinched with two fingers while a third finger unlocks the SMF. The SMF rotates downward releasing the thread loop and allowing it to tighten around the pinched tail material. Several additional features are incorporated into the wooden block base. The round dowels on top of the block rotate against each other, cam like; this grasps and holds one end of the material. The small metal eye is used when working with marabou. Insert the feather in the eye, butt first, and pull down. The result is a gathered plume whose length can be adjusted with one hand. There is also a cork disc on the end of the dowel. This allows the tier to stick a hook in the cork and grasp it with of the clip tools. The tool is then positioned on the metal plate to hold the hook while the vise jaws are closed around it.