Stripped Quills

Recently I have been using stripped quills for bodies on dry flies. I was told that a head cement or epoxy could be applied to the quill after it has been stripped, but the head cement left the quill rough and it didnt turn out too well. Is there a better coating to use or am i probably doing it wrong? Any tips would be great:)

Did you place the quills on a damp cloth for a few minutes before tying them on? If you wrap them dry, they tend to split. Also, were the quills the pre-stripped kind you can purchase or did you remove the barbs yourself? I've used some by just pulling the barbs off instead of burning them off in a bleach bath and they can be a little rough.

Regards,
Scott

I think you want to wait to apply your head cement until after the quill is wrapped on the hook. An alternative method is to put a bead of cement on the thread covered hook shank and wrap the quill body onto it befor it dries.

i used the quills that were pre-stripped. do you find these or the quills you strip yourself better?(also, what is a bleach bath?)

logan:

A mild solution of bleach & water (bleach bath) will strip the flue (fuzz) off a complete Peacock Eye, (the upper part of a peacock tail feather) in a flash but MAY cause brittleness.

Pre-stripped quills MAY have been stripped in this manner. I prefer to rub the flue off of my quills one at a time with a plain old rubber pencil eraser. It takes a lot longer but the quill isn't as brittle. I pre-strip all of the quills I'll be using ahead of time and let them soak in a solution of warm water or warm water with a little glycerin mixed in.

After finishing the fly body I rib it with tightly twisted white thread and coat with head cement. It yields a pretty tough body with not as much additional weight as ribbing with wire.

If you are stripping Peacock quills, one method I like is to dip the whole peacock eye in hot paraffin. After it dries, you can pull out a single quill and strip the wax (and the green fuzz) off with your thumbnail. Effective and doesn't make the quills brittle.

Saddle hackle quills are a different story...:sad:

Pencil eraser on peacock quills. Best method I've found.

Thanks.The pencil eraser seems to be working pretty well and i'll try the bleach bath soon. What are the best ways that i could strip saddles (now that i got peacock quills out of the way:)