Stripped Peacock Quill Bodies

[Boarmountain]

They look great

[Theroe]

John
Yes, I’ve tried them, and they make nice bodies, but I would rather strip and dye my own. One thing about Peacock is that it is not very translucent or durable-ditto for goose and condor.
IMHO, the very best “Quill for body” material is the stripped mallard quill, ala Ted Niemeyer. Duck quills are translucent with two dark edges, and slightly elastic.....very similar to grouse quill. LiBelieve me, once you try it, you will use nothing else.
Here’s a few pictures of some I made over the weekend, what do you think?

Dana

[tie2fish]

Dana ~ Please describe (and maybe illustrate with a photo or two?) how you go about processing a mallard quill. Specifically, where does it come from on the bird and how do you "strip" it?

John ~ Your flies look really good to me. Nice tying.

[Theroe]

The pieces I use are the center stems: the rachis. Sometimes I color them with Pantone pens, but more often than not I let the color of the silk underneath shine through.

It’s definitely a job to separate the hardcover written from the rest of the feather, But it’s well worth it. Someone on eBay is selling pre-stripped quills from Ted Niemeyer’s estate - I bought some, and they are beautiful.

[tie2fish]

The pieces I use are the center stems: the rachis. Sometimes I color them with Pantone pens, but more often than not I let the color of the silk underneath shine through.

It’s definitely a job to separate the hardcover written from the rest of the feather, But it’s well worth it. Someone on eBay is selling pre-stripped quills from Ted Niemeyer’s estate - I bought some, and they are beautiful.

Please be more specific, Dana ... I really want to know how to do this. The rachis from what feather? Do you cut the barbs from the stem or use some other method?

[ronr]

the Polish quills work great.. been using them on jig flies, and small mayfly nymphs for a couple years. I also will strip my own quills, by using an eraser to remove the barbules(sorry not feather tech savvy) and have also used pens to color the natural peacock. I have found the dyed peacock feathers don't work as well as the naturals. Apparently the dying process weakens the quill and when they are stripped, they are more fragile..... but the Polish brand uses a dying process that doesn't seem to weaken the quill...
I also use a UV resin to coat the bodies. These nymphs hold up very well and I like the segmented look and slim profiles of the bodies...

Here's one that works for me....

[Theroe]

The pieces I use are the center stems: the rachis. Sometimes I color them with Pantone pens, but more often than not I let the color of the silk underneath shine through.

It’s definitely a job to separate the hardcover written from the rest of the feather, But it’s well worth it. Someone on eBay is selling pre-stripped quills from Ted Niemeyer’s estate - I bought some, and they are beautiful.

Dana,

So you are stripping the shaft?



John

Yes
BTW - those are GREAT looking flies you tied with the polish quills - deadly!

[Trifly]

John
Yes, I’ve tried them, and they make nice bodies, but I would rather strip and dye my own. One thing about Peacock is that it is not very translucent or durable-ditto for goose and condor.
IMHO, the very best “Quill for body” material is the stripped mallard quill, ala Ted Niemeyer. Duck quills are translucent with two dark edges, and slightly elastic.....very similar to grouse quill. LiBelieve me, once you try it, you will use nothing else.
Here’s a few pictures of some I made over the weekend, what do you think?

Dana

Does the soft hackle actually wrap around the body of the fly when it is in the water? I am referring to the first photo.

[Theroe]

The pieces I use are the center stems: the rachis. Sometimes I color them with Pantone pens, but more often than not I let the color of the silk underneath shine through.

It’s definitely a job to separate the hardcover written from the rest of the feather, But it’s well worth it. Someone on eBay is selling pre-stripped quills from Ted Niemeyer’s estate - I bought some, and they are beautiful.

Please be more specific, Dana ... I really want to know how to do this. The rachis from what feather? Do you cut the barbs from the stem or use some other method?

Bill-I’ll put some in to soak tonight when I get home, and take some pictures to post.
Dana

[Theroe]

John
Yes, I’ve tried them, and they make nice bodies, but I would rather strip and dye my own. One thing about Peacock is that it is not very translucent or durable-ditto for goose and condor.
IMHO, the very best “Quill for body” material is the stripped mallard quill, ala Ted Niemeyer. Duck quills are translucent with two dark edges, and slightly elastic.....very similar to grouse quill. LiBelieve me, once you try it, you will use nothing else.
Here’s a few pictures of some I made over the weekend, what do you think?

Dana

Does the soft hackle actually wrap around the body of the fly when it is in the water? I am referring to the first photo.

Yes - The hackle undulates back-and-forth.......That’s the main reason that Scotch tied hackle is soooo deadly!