Fly Press Handles

My fly press came with a single handle.  It’s the one shown in the foreground of the image “All Three Handles.”  It didn’t take long to start thinking about modifications to bettert suit my specific needs.

First was a grip issue.  The end of the round bar handle rubbed uncomfortably on my palm, so I welded on a steel sphere and eliminated that problem.

Next, I noticed that the handle had a tendency to unscrew from the threaded socket in the wheel, so I welded on a piece of thread rod and added a lock washer.

The single handle never seemed to be in the most convenient of the three sockets, so I added two more handles with slightly different design.  This has worked well for me and I haven’t made any changes in several years.

For one job I did make an adjustable handle that mounted on the handle which was closest to being in the optimal position.  It could be rotated and locked with a T-handle in the perfect spot.  It adds length to the edge-to-center distance and increases leverage too.