Head Clinic

[GlassJet]

Blimey Willowhead, thanks for that - this is a completely different world for me - I just wanna catch fish!

But this is a brilliant insight into how you creative tyers go about your art, and learning these techniques can only be good, so thanks very much for sharing your knowledge. My main aim is to tie fish catching flies, but there's no reason why I can't become as good at the craft as my skills allow, and besides, I enjoy it!

dd - I too was rathr taken with those scissors, and have been giving google a hard time... Not found the ones Willowhead suggested, but am looking at these:
http://www.wharfedaleanglingonline.co.u ... re+Details

Anyone any experience?

Andrew
ps dd - look useful for trimming nasal hair too!

[willowhead]

Andrew..... i use mine for exactly that as well..... The Veniard scissors look pretty good, but the Doc Slicks i use are finer tiped.....points are significantly longer and finer. You'll find 'em eventually and you WILL buy them.
As far as your over-all tying is concerned.....tying for fishin is all fine and dandy.....very rewarding and a ton-o-fun.....BUT. Trust me.....there's a WHOLE-OTHER-WORLD out here, where you can go where no man's gone before. A place to "Utilize."

It's been said that, "Once an idea goes forth, it no longer belongs to those who brought forth the idea. It belongs to the world.....to utilize." ..........you dig?

[GlassJet]

It's been said that, "Once an idea goes forth, it no longer belongs to those who brought forth the idea. It belongs to the world.....to utilize." ..........you dig?

Oh I do dig... I think. I am just not convinced the bare hook is my best 'canvas'... you dig?

But I WILL get those scissors! An' keep on fishin'!

Andrew.

[Jim Slattery]

Hi Glassjet,
A few pointers that may help.
To get a clean head while using a spiky body a la the "Leisenring way" you may want to try this. Before you wrap the hackle take the meat of your finger tips and just push back the offending hairs. When you make your first wrap just be sure any of those hairs didn't move back in harms way. When tying off the hackle , just leave the excess hackle on the hook until you've wound through the hackle and complete you whip finish.
Don't snip the excess hackle off with your scissors but use the blade to cut the hackle as you would with a knife. Apply tension to the excess hackle and slide an edge of the scissor close to the tie off point of the hackle. It should just "pop" off so to speak. I actually do this to the tying thread after I have completed the whip finish.
If there are some offending hairs or hackle fibers try using a good pair of long nosed tweezers. Get a strong firm grip on the fiber being removed as close to the hook shank as possible and give it a tug. The closer the better because tugging higher up on the fiber tends to break where you have it grasped.
For scissors I really like the Dr. Slick 4" All purpose Scissors.
I believe the scissors Willowhead is referring to are the Dr Slick 4" Micro Tip All Purpose Model #SAP4GMT
You can see them here in the micro tip area there is an enlarged pic of the tips just below the Micro Tip column: http://www.drslick.com/products_scissors1.asp
And they available here: http://www.jimsflyco.com/products/DR_SL ... 5-123.html
Jim

[willowhead]

Yeah, i think the SAP4GMT might be the ones.....looks like that's it.....if i could see them with the blads closed, i'd know for sure.....but they look right. All you gotta do is make SURE you've got the ABSOLUTELY finest/pointiest pair Doc Slick makes, and you "should" be good to go. Pretty simple.....but first you gotta find someone in a fly shop that made it past 5th grade.....so-to-speak. Don't get me wrong, but i guess those places don't pay much. If they're wearin' sandles, don't bother.
...........j/k..........anyway, obviously Jim knows his stuff.
p.s. check the head on a fly i'm bout to post on the dressings page.....under "Artistics." Let's just call the fly Mustad 3301
go to the 13th page at Artistics and look under the pic itself, for a pic titled Mustad 3301

[willowhead]

GJ, another thing. Get yourself a piece (chunk) of tyers wax. This is NOT dubbing wax.....it's "Tyers Wax." It's used directly on the thread, just before you mount a married wing, or when finishing a head and other times.....very often it will save the day.....and a lotta curse words. You don't aways need it, but i had to use it on my thread to finish a head last night bout 5:00 a.m., and thank God i had it. Just make sure that when you do use it (specially heads), that you don't over do it.
Actually you'll probably never need it just doin' fishin' flies.....but it's a good thing to have no matter. Veniards may sell it. i've been givin' three chunks over the years by other tyers, so have never bought any. There are recipes out there, and a lotta tyers make their own.....try google.

[daringduffer]

Yeah, i think the SAP4GMT might be the ones.....looks like that's it.....if i could see them with the blads closed, i'd know for sure.....but they look right. All you gotta do is make SURE you've got the ABSOLUTELY finest/pointiest pair Doc Slick makes, and you "should" be good to go. Pretty simple.....but first you gotta find someone in a fly shop that made it past 5th grade.....so-to-speak. Don't get me wrong, but i guess those places don't pay much. If they're wearin' sandles, don't bother.
...........j/k..........anyway, obviously Jim knows his stuff.
p.s. check the head on a fly i'm bout to post on the dressings page.....under "Artistics." Let's just call the fly Mustad 3301
go to the 13th page at Artistics and look under the pic itself, for a pic titled Mustad 3301

Dear willow armatrading,

Your indispensible scissors...do they happen to be 4 inches long with, or without, serrated blade? SoonAsPossible4GreenwichMeanTime? Or SoonAs35GreenwichMeanTime?

dd

[willowhead]

Well now that the Jet is gone.....(although i'm all for letting him back), there may still be some out there who are following this thread. So in case Jet is still looking in.....i wanted to let him know another little trick or two, that can be very usefull in making real nice heads.
IF, when you are finishing off your head and you have created a drop off, because of butts or whatever being trimmed rather sharply of whatever it might be, and you still have room to fill in, in front of that.....DO NOT try and climb that hill abrubtly and force the head. Whenever your trying to incorporate an area in front of a drop off like that.....climb the hill gradually. Take your thread down the hill and then back up the hill.....and continue going down and back up, until you can naturally and easily get up over the top of the hill. You'll end up with a much nicer looking head, and the additional wraps will not adversely affect the over-all look of the head whatsoever. Sure, it may end up slightly larger that you would of wanted, but it will retain a nice shape and over-all look.Trying to force it NEVER works and you just end-up with your thread falling off the front end of the head when your whip finishing and that's alwasy a disaster. One key that can help this from ever happening in the first place is to do everything you possibly can to be sure that you NEVER take your thread in front of where you first put it on the hook shank. That spot you begin your fly, should NEVER be exceeded. That is of course, provided your beginning at the front of the shank. Oh and one more thing. You may, also want to flatten (take the twist out), your thread when doing your heads. Just spin the bobbin holder counter-clockwise and "watch" for the thread to flatten. With practice, you'll be able to tell exactly when it's flat. Good luck.