whip finisher discovery

As a new fly tier I was advised to purchase a Martarelli (sp?) whip finisher. I did and liked it except I could never place the threads where I got a whip finish that looked good on small trout flies. I learned how to whip finish by hand and still did not like the results. A friend gave me a "piece of junk" that he just hated and said I should just toss it. It was a Thompson stlye whip finish tool. After reading Al Campbell's instructions, I tried it. WOW!! If you tie small flies and like a neat whip finish, by all means try that tool. The learning curve is shallow and the results are GREAT! I am still a novice, but now my whip finish lays where it should and looks neat. I think those of you who tie small flies owe it to yourself to try this. I know it is often berated as not a very useful tool, but I disagree most strongly. Now if I can just get the rest of my flies to look that good I will promote myself to "beginner."

Jim

I use a matarelli and I have no trouble getting the wraps to lay exactly the way I want them to.

Jeremy

If it didn't look neat you may have been winding the wrong way with the thread being pulled back over the top before going underneath. They all work on the same principal. If done right there shouldn't be any difference.