How Leisenring tied the Tups

[Soft-hackle]

Hi Bob,
The thing is, Leisenring's wax was very stiff and yet tacky to a point where one could tie using it without any weight on the thread to hold it in place. A well waxed tying thread of this nature would, most likely, not be as translucent as bare thread.

Mark

[redietz]

Hi Bob,
The thing is, Leisenring's wax was very stiff and yet tacky to a point where one could tie using it without any weight on the thread to hold it in place. A well waxed tying thread of this nature would, most likely, not be as translucent as bare thread.

Understood. I'm a firm believer in well waxed thread myself, but if I'm looking to tie an unwaxed body, I just wax the first few inches, enough to start the thread and tie in the feather. Or did Leisenring wax the whole spool ahead of time, ala Bergman?

[Soft-hackle]

Not that I'm aware of. He gives very little detail about this, and from what I've read, it appears he'd take a piece off the spool and wax it completely. I do not see any sort of weight listed in his tools to hold the thread taut. Hidy, however, used a clip clothespin for this purpose. The clothespin was clearly listed and illustrated in his book The Sports Illustrated Book Of Wet-fly Fishing, which illustrates his tying technique ala Leisenring.

Jim Slattery had made of some of Leisenring's wax formula, and it was very stiff and had to be worked before usage in your fingers to warm and soften it enough to run the thread through it. If you didn't work it enough, you could easily break the thread.

Mark

[Jim Slattery]

Love this disscussion!
A few observations.
The Tups does have a tail, 2 feather tips(honey dun).
Liesenring used a stick pin secured on the tying bench to wrap the tying thread when not being used (for tension) I like to use 2 , one infront of the hook and one behind the hook.
Skues did not tie his hackle on first, this is a Leisenring preference, though you can not attribute it to him per sey.
Silk bodies, obviouisly the wax will hamper translucence, that is why both Skues and Leisenring both suggested not using waxed thread on silk bodies. Buttonhole twist is "D" size thread about 4 to 5 times thicker than Pearsall's Gossamer. It would appear that it would be broke down the same as Hidy suggests in the reprint, although it is not mentioned in the first edition. I think a wide range of silk thread sizes would be of benefit to the tier , 6/0,3/0 A,B,C,D,E and F all have thier uses. The gnashing of fish teeth on the thread would seem to enhance the fishability by making it fuzz out but yet be more durable than standard stranded floss.
Jim

[Soft-hackle]

Okay,
Some odds here. On Page 112 of my copy, the Tups Nymph recipe list NO tail, yet, in the chapter on tying nymphs, the dressing DOES list the tail as Jim has given. I've never tied it with a tail, and never had any problem catching fish.

Mark

[redietz]

Liesenring used a stick pin secured on the tying bench to wrap the tying thread when not being used (for tension) I like to use 2 , one infront of the hook and one behind the hook.

Helen Shaw used a thumbtack for the same purpose (as did I when I was learning in the 60's). A bobbin holder is an improvement, in most cases.

[Jim Slattery]

Hi Bob,
Great meeting you and your son over the summer.
I use the push pins with the plastic handles.
Jim

[mvendon]

Deleted

[Soft-hackle]

Hi Mark,
I'm sure Mr. Hidy added this to the original manuscript. I find the Marabou floss ok, but it frays easily in rough hands. I think I mentioned this in the thread on silk threads. To use it properly, without fraying, Silk gloves are in order, very much like one would tie a salmon fly. If someone else has a better method, I'd like to hear about it. I have used a materials clip with some success if done very carefully, but by far, the gloves work best.

Mark

[Jim Slattery]

A little more rereading of Skues he did infact tie the hackle on first latter in life. Sorry for the earlier misinformation.
Jim