LAW Fly Tying Vice made by Lawrence Waldron in 2008.
The most functional, elegant and beautifully made fly tying vice of all time. In outstanding little used condition. Very rare.
£3,700.00
Sadly for those of us who tie flies, the estimable Lawrence Waldron no longer offers his superlative fly tying vices for sale. This one, made in 2008 and very lightly used, offers an increasingly rare opportunity to obtain what is regarded by many as the best vice ever made.
I knew Lawrence slightly and met him from time to time at the CLA Game Fair and fly fishing shows. The last time I saw him he asked me if I’d like to buy the vice he was exhibiting alongside some of his equally impressive reels. I’d recently bought a very good iteration of the HMH Spartan vice and didn’t feel that I could justify buying the one Lawrence was offering for what, with the benefit of hindsight, was a steal. Ever since, I’ve always rather regretted being so financially responsible.
The LAW vice is to fly tying what a Roger Smith watch is to horology.
The August/September 2021 issue of Classic Angling magazine carries a report on the recent sale of another LAW vice. I’ve included it in one of the accompanying pictures.
If you want to know how to use and maintain a LAW vice, Davie McPhail gives superb directions on his YouTube channel.
Apart from one or two very minor abrasions to the white finish of the pedestal and the merest hint of hand contact to the finish on the jaws, the vice is immaculate and 100% mechanically perfect.
Specification.
The jaws are made from CR12 tool steel hardened to Rockwell RC58. They will accommodate hooks from size 30 to 10/0. They are opened and closed with ease and precision via a brass star wheel.
The vice is adjustable in every direction and rotates on fore-&-aft bearings housed in a Delrin body.
The ample, stable pedestal base has a central dish for hooks etc and a suede pad.
The stainless steel stem has a screw in extension.
There is a Waldron-made removable articulated bobbin cradle and an Allen key that adjusts all of the vice’s Allen screws.
It goes without saying that flies tied on a Lawrence Waldron vice catch a better class of trout.