Tom Hester

You might want to look at the TwisTech. I'm biased, of course because I own the company that makes them. (But we don't sell them directly. Available at many on-line dealers though)

We use fluidizing beds with vibratory effects, turn the air flow up until it 'volcanoes', and then reduce the air flow until it just settles down to a liquid-like state. You'll know it's right when it looks level but is swirling.

I don't do hackled spinners but do create large spinners with bucktails. I do them by using a bucktail tied to a hollow rivet and then sliding the rivet over the wire shaft down to the hook. Maybe this will work for you.

The TwisTech makes a loop that is 1/8" on the I.D. The minimum closeness is determined by the thickness of the forming die which is 5/32" for the standard models. While the eye size matters mainly to the human sense of balance and symmetry, the real limiting factor is how well the eye of the hook (or swivel) fits in the loop and still allows you to close and wrap the loop.

Just a note about the clevis. While there are folks that favor folded over stirrup and vise-versa, the folded is best used on monofiliment for leader rigs like Wedding Rings or on cable for lake trolls/flashers. For use on wire a stirrup clevis is best.

The white undercoat really does make a difference. I use an acrylic lacquer fluorescent paint and a UV enhanced clear coat. That said, successive light coats of the lacquer will give the 'pop' as long as you are not trying to apply it over a dark color. By the way, it may seem counter-intuitive, but nickel is actually a dark substrate. Silver plate will give you a much brighter result.

Gaspumper is completely right about the clevis-to-blade placement. It's a little hard to tell from photo, but it appears that your shaft eye might be off-centered as well. This can be a source of spinner wobble. If getting a quick start to the spin is an issue try using a completely different style of blade with a rounder profile and a cupped lip. French blades are great but don't always start right up.