Make 3D Eyes (Fly Tying/Hobbies/costumes) from scratch! For Teddy Bears and costumes!

3D eyes on fishing flies, costumes, and dolls can give them a special "Live" look. Learn how I make them from scratch using simple tools, and non-toxic glue, on my simple work bench. The size of the eyes is not limited, and can be as small or as large as you would like. See the links below for easy access to the materials I use in the video.
Punches: amzn.to/2C992ag
Mod Podge: amzn.to/2PrNNCh
Reflective eye tape: amzn.to/2PoM4Oe
Black pupil tape: amzn.to/2Pn152Q
Eye tape selection: amzn.to/2BwewcR
Tape selection: amzn.to/2LUib7I
Tape rolls: amzn.to/2Fd1LWP

[@davidhorton7541]

I absolutely love this video very well done

[@dct581]

This is brilliant! So much better than searching for "custom" eyes.

[@jennym.9099]

Great tutorial! Thank you for sharing!

[@PRACERZ]

FANTASTIC!!!

[@blackmanwv]

Thanks for this. I have been wanting to make some of my own.

[@Darkman-Fishing]

Best tutorial on eyes on KZbin period, thanks

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad you think so!

[@toddfullerton3930]

You did a dam fine job! Thanks for showing.

[@jimschmitz4821]

Genius! Thanks for posting.

[@elmomoul5256]

Thank you very much for your work it's easy and very important

[@TNFlies]

Thanks for sharing your findings!

[@Z71Ranger]

Great Video... Thank you for taking the time to video and produce this tutorial...

[@benhitchcock3057]

Thanks for posting this video. I made some eyes using your method today and they worked out way better than anything I've ever made before. I could even pour the glue with the eye resting on the bait (with a layer of blue tape between it and the lure) which allowed the eye to conform to the shape of the lure. Love your videos, keep up the great work.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad it worked for you. Thanks for watching!

[@MACINA1973]

Great job !

[@limmaanka]

God job! Great result!

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@brianwills4398]

Thank you fine sir, just ordered a punch set and some hodgepodge

[@kevinhutchinson8129]

very cool!

[@randymatson5710]

Thats awesome I'm gonna have to make some

[@woodslore4672]

Wow... 👍

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@hillesla1]

chris - i appreciate you sharing your fly tying knowledge. i hope you keep making them as i love fly tying and tackle craft and you are very knowledgeable and do a great job. - eric hillesland

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thank you Eric. Please refer me to friends. I am trying to get my KZbin funding back, but it takes a bunch of subscribers and views!

[@survivorjohnny44]

Genius!!!

[@RAPALILLA27]

buen video tutorial, me sirvio de mucho, thank you

[@jarvex]

Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sanjivpatil3650]

Loved the idea and detailing shared thanks a lot ❤

[@jameshughes9234]

You're a genius sir!!! I've been trying to buy some without luck and hey problem solved cheers

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thanks for watching!

[@pearldiver66]

Thank you so much Chris I made some lovely eyes for my rocking horse project using your method! Worked fantastic I used clear gloss nail polish as I could not access the mod podge but your great instruction helped me complete the project many thx from Australia

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Fantastic!

[@stryker2764]

I love your "how to videos" on different ways to save $$ on fly tying materials! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! :))

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thanks for watching. I will keep making them!

[@Raevenswood]

Thanks this will save me some bucks.

[@sebastianpudlo4399]

10/10 👍

[@FordFracture]

Holy cow ! You just saved me a bunch of money !

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad I could help. Thanks for watching!

[@jamesathendune9026]

Very helpful , going to use for musky and lake trout tackle.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad it helped

[@michaelneuland1581]

This is awesome!! I didn’t have any that glue but I did have a bottle of Aleene’s fabric fusion. Made up a bunch and worked great! Aleene’s is half the price and works the same and is washable, flexible, permanent and on the shelf at Walmart. Thank you so much for your videos!!

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Good to know! Thanks for watching.

[@oneplusone686]

This tutorial is the best I've seen so far. A lot of tutorials show you the UV Resin method but they didn't mention about the work after. Thank you for sharing.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad it was helpful!

[@morganlutton1434]

Worked very well good explanation

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad it helped

[@patcoyable]

This is absolutely genius. I cannot believe I never thought of making my own eyes! Literally walking out the door right now to go to Michael's lol Thank you for the info

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad I could help!

[@sebastianpudlo4399]

Nice 👍

[@MrBird94]

Thanks going to make these

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Have fun!

[@johnheitz1802]

Thanks Chris! I have used resin, but this is cleaner. I got some BiMart sheets for squid eyes. Great help.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Great to hear!

[@fridgeraider8255]

Thank you so much I am 14 and I make lures. I needed eyes and I tried This and it works Thank you ⬇

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad it works for you. Thanks for watching!

[@labtrainer09]

Absolutely marvelous, in concept and execution. Your camera work (angles and distances) is also terrific. And the recommendation of Mod Podge is much appreciated. I had never heard of it!

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chrissmith4512]

That was great! I'm stuck in waterless El Paso, so there is not much in the way of fly shops here. I've been trying to make do with craft stores and such. I move back home to North Carolina in a few weeks so I've been tying, getting ready for when I'm back home. Now I don't have to wait on the mail to order eyes! Thanks for the awesome idea.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thanks for watching!

[@randymcgee9176]

Thanks for the video I started doing this a few months ago when I seen the video and they work great for at swim baits

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Great to hear!

[@frizellculley1238]

Thank you very much for your very informative video with great idea. I am going to try making my own eyes.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Best of luck!

[@manicwhiteguy]

Just ordered what I needed off amazon can't wait to try this out thanks for sharing you earned a subscription from me

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Thanks for the sub! These eyes are so versatile that I find more uses every time I tie a new pattern.

[@manicwhiteguy]

@@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852 can't wait to start finding my own uses for them . Thanks again stay safe

[@sam111880]

cool, so your using like a epoxy clear resin or a mod podge. Curious if you can uses this same principals to create eyes for other taxidermy eyes it seems the eyes for the manikins are the mystery how there created but this clears some of it up.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Most eyes for taxidermy are glass, and they are made in a whole different way, and are pieces of art by themselves!

[@rocko112camaro]

I bought a 6mm hole punch from Walmart to punch out round reflective pieces. Then I use Devcon 2 clear gloss 2-mix epoxy ( 20min to dry) for making the round eye shape. Then let sit for 24hrs. Works great.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Good job! Thanks for watching!

[@turner427]

I am so thankful for this! Although I couldn’t find the Mylar strips at any craft store and I can my find anything on Amazon... but I got some holographic letter stickers from the dollar store and just ran some tests! Thank you! Hope they turn out!

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

There are mylar pieces listed through amazon in the "Info" section below the video.

[@turner427]

Thank you, I saw that after commenting, looks like the seller isn’t selling those but I was able to use the same search to find different pieces!

[@michellegibbs7280]

Love this video. Can you show one more step? How do you attach these eyes to the fly/lure? TIA

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

If the sticky back of the base material won't stick on it's own, put a tiny amount of UV cement on the back of the eye, set it in place, and hit it with a UV light. This is just to hold it in place, so don't over do it with the UV glue.

[@tkcenterline1]

Very nice. What type of mod podge? Theres lots to choose from

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

You can see the bottle at the 7:00 minute mark. It is Dimensional Magic, and it comes in a neat dropper top bottle for just this kind of project. Thanks for watching!

[@morganlutton1434]

Can you use a q-tip and black paint to make the pupil

[@tylerhodges2842]

Is the mod podge able to combined with solarez. If u wanted to make the eye and then seal it to the body of the fly with solarez

[@vinfish4697]

Thx for sharing an alternative way is the mod just as hard as epoxy??

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

No, the mod podge is slightly soft. Think Elmer's glue when dried.

[@vinfish4697]

Chris Mihulka - NW Fishing Stuff Thx so needs to topped off with epoxy just hope it still maintains how clear they are Thx for sharing

[@mikemerc74]

Can I use a hole punch, the type you use in for office work?

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

Yes, you will just be limited by the size of the punch.

[@randomguyw5kids685]

Craft stores sell all types of easy to use hole punches just clip and go

[@banditva8040]

What type backing use on prism tape.

[@ghart91]

Does it make any difference weather you use Gloss or Matt finish?

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

The last layer of finish determines the look. If you put on a matt finish, then put a glossy coat over it, your final result will be glossy.

[@banditva8040]

What mm punch did you use on black tape for eye pupil

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

3 mm

[@adamblair3726]

I can’t find Mylar anywhere around me. Where’s a good place to look.

[@chrismihulka-nwfishingstuf3852]

In the "Show More" tab below the video description, I have some listed from Amazon. If you are looking close to home, try craft stores, party supply stores, auto parts stores, and even Walmart usually has some, but finding the department it is in can be a challenge.

[@adamblair3726]

Thank you. I’ve checked all the craft stores, Walmart, and automotive stores. None of them had it. I’ll check out the amazon link you have. Thanks again.

[@raywalteroutdoors]

Cricut 😊