Vanity of vanities, all is vanity

[GlassJet]

Hello all,
I am thinking of getting one of these:
http://www.flytyingboutique.com/store/D ... category=8
(link is to a hotpoint cauteriser)

I want it to sort out problems like this:


Scrappy little spider by GlassJet, on Flickr

All that fuzz around the eye. This is purely a photography question, not a fishing question.

Is it the right tool for the job? Any experience of using something like this?

Anyone who suggests it is my tying technique that is at fault, please do so tactfully!

Andrew.

[GlassJet]

OOps - sorry - put this in the wrong place, thought i'd put it in tying wingless wets... feel free to move it, should you have the power

[GlassJet]

EDIT: DO NOT MESS ABOUT WITH MAINS ELECTRICITY! Pushing the switch short circuits the battery across the piece of guitar string. Only use normal batteries! DO NOT USE ACCUMULATORS OF ANY TYPE They may overheat and explode if short circuited.

Regards and tight lines!

Mike

DON'T WORRY ! I WON'T! LOL!

Will respond to the rest later, just didn't want you to think I was about to blow myself up! LOL

Andrew.

[narcodog]

I saw a tyer in West Yellowstone use one on a dry fly to say the least it impressed me. There was one little fiber sticking out and she burned it right off making a very neat head.

[letumgo]

Andrew - Do you have any ideas on how this is happening? To me, it looks like the problem may be happening during the whip finish step of the fly. I have found that it is helpful to do four or five thread wraps before to whip finish to see how the hackle and dubbing will settle around the eye of the hook. If everything looks good, form the whip finish, or unwrap a few thread wraps and reposition the hackle. Make sure your pulling the materials back out of the way during the whip finish. Seems like prevention would be easier than fixing the problem after the fly is finished.

As you say, for a fishing fly, it probably doesn't matter...

[Old Hat]

Andrew, I would go into how tying in the hackle first, followed by the rest of the fly and then winding the hackle to the rear as described by Leisenring would alleviate this but that been hashed out a few times all ready...just mentioning it friend....

[willowhead]

i bought a cauteriser from Mike Martinek years ago.....never use it............bottom line, just be more careful and exacting in your tying. There's simply no excuse for messey work. Maybe not tactful.....but facts is facts. Take your time, and watch what your doing, and that problem should cease to arise. In the end, the fish don't give a hoot.....torn up flies work best.....but, this is not about fish or fishing. It's about the care you put into your work. Case Closed. Good luck.

[Jerry G]

Andrew I use the simple rule of leaving one hook eye diameter behind the eye of the hook free of material. My thread wraps start one hook eye diameter back and nothing in the way of dubbing or wrapped hackle venture into that bare shank. That area is used to catch the last wrap of hackle if I'm wrapping forward and to whip finish the fly. The bare shank simply offers me a visual reminder. If I venture past that with material things are going to get messy.

Regards, Jerry

[GlassJet]

Andrew - Do you have any ideas on how this is happening? To me, it looks like the problem may be happening during the whip finish step of the fly. I have found that it is helpful to do four or five thread wraps before to whip finish to see how the hackle and dubbing will settle around the eye of the hook. If everything looks good, form the whip finish, or unwrap a few thread wraps and reposition the hackle. Make sure your pulling the materials back out of the way during the whip finish. Seems like prevention would be easier than fixing the problem after the fly is finished.

As you say, for a fishing fly, it probably doesn't matter...

Hi Ray,
That was a particularly bad example I put up - think it looks worse than it is, as a large part of that is a blob of wax!

I was just wondering if anyone had actually used the cauteriser. One of the consequences of macro photography is that you can see every stray strand - for me, just one out of place can take on a proportion out of all proportion!

Of course in an ideal world every head would be perfect... but for better or worse, I live in the real one!

And hey - Christmas is coming up - I'm looking for a bit of non-essential spending...

Andrew.

[daringduffer]

Nice fly GlassJet. If you have been a nice guy all year you may buy yourself a little toy/tool. Your flies don't need it but you just might.

dd