FLYMPH FORUM

Ron EE, Howdy;

You must have forgotten to tell zen about the step about
breaking the thread... ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F46xl7i2AFk

hank

I've tried to tie with Pearsall's black before and don't think that I've ever successfully finished a fly from start to whip finish without breaking the thread at least once. I know why it was tied with brown.

As a dyer I thought I would add my 2¢ worth to the discussion. Until fairly recently the very best black for silk was logwood with an iron mordant. Sometime enough iron was used, such as for a silk scarf, that it added considerable weight so the garment draped solidly. The downside to iron is that it is corrosive (think rust). So perhaps black thread tended to break more easily than brown. Even today, some trappers allow their new traps to rust and then boil them in logwood to remove any human scent and to darken them. This is the same principle as dyeing silk black. Bill

hankaye wrote:Ron EE, Howdy;

You must have forgotten to tell zen about the step about
breaking the thread... ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F46xl7i2AFk

hank

I overlooked the breaking the thread step. I do have a problem with my hackle pliers pulling the ends off of hun partridge and starling.

Bill, really interesting input from the dyers prospective. I wonder if Iron salts and corrosion actually help break the silk fibres as the thread is manipulated? Something I would have never considered had you not bought it to the fore.
Also interesting the "weathering" of traps. Over here we hot dip galvanise modern traps to protect against corrosion and the old plain steel traps I used to use, I often painted the plates white. We discovered that curiosity kills the possum over here (about the only trapping target species available in NZ) and traps that either shine/reflect light at night, or reflected light off the white painted pressure plates actually helped attract possums and increase catch rates.

Zen, could be your pliers. Look for burs on the jaws and any sharp edges, dress the edges smooth with a very fine wet & dry sandpaper. Place a small piece of plastic tubing over one jaw (or shrink wrap tubing).
More likely, just like me- you just pull too damn hard on the fine stems of game bird hackles. Bit like thread control on fine silks, tension and twisting of fine feather stems leads to breakage and you must learn "plier control" just like thread control.......... then again- some skins are better than others.

It's stripping the fine feathers off the end of the hackle that's causing me an issue. I think I am heavy handed on them and the spinning hackle pliers I use has some tiny tubing on the end. This problem only happens when I'm using a short hackle and trying to maximize the fibers. I go to the extreme end of the hackle and usually during the first wrap I spin the pliers off during the first turn.

I break the silk thread rarely. Ron got me to use the Wapsi bobbins and except for one I broke the bottom end out on, they work perfectly. I figure the bobbins have the famous 5/5 warranty. 5 feet or 5 seconds, whichever happens first.

Three more days and a Washington caravan leaves for Yellowstone.

Don't forget that laying your tying thread along the natural curve of the feather. It helps with the hackling bit.

I checked the box the silk came in. Turned out I had the foresight to order brown also. I now see what brown looks like after waxing with cobblers wax.

I've tied about every type of fly to take to Yellowstone and think I'm ready to pack the tying gear for transport. It's about time to gas (diesel) up the truck also finish the final packing -- clothes and food.

hankaye wrote:Ron EE, Howdy;

You must have forgotten to tell zen about the step about
breaking the thread... ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F46xl7i2AFk

hank

Dang, Hank. Is that still around the interweb? The folks at the Albany, Oregon Expo asked me to demo that one. At least I recovered.

Great video, Ron. You have a very nice instructional style and the history behind the fly is excellent.