Do you all use several half hitches or a whip finish to finish off your flies??? i used to use a whipfinisher that i made out of a paperclip, but now that i learned the half hitch, i do 3 half hitches to finish my fly.
Finishing Flies
Do you all use several half hitches or a whip finish to finish off your flies??? i used to use a whipfinisher that i made out of a paperclip, but now that i learned the half hitch, i do 3 half hitches to finish my fly.
Hi,
I could never get the hang of the whip finisher tool and so learned to whip finish by hand. Although I now can use the tool, I find it's faster and I have more control to continue doing it by hand. I never use half hitches. In the end, however, if you add glue, it doesn't matter. Just what works for you.
- Jeff
Am fear a chailleas a chanain caillidh e a shaoghal. -
He who loses his language loses his world.
I tie off with a technique that Oliver Edwards calls the "Two fingered Whip finish" (I think) in his DVDs.
Sorta similar to a half hitch but the thread is wrapped a couple of times over the head of the fly before pulling the loop tight. I'm not sure how else to explain it.
If you are tying for yourself then it really dosen't matter that much unless you are picky. But I have always told the classes I have taught to use a 6 wrap whip finish. The fly's head will never come undone. Half Hitch's will work but I have seen them come undone to many times to to like doing it that way. Even if you only have one of them come undone you have thread hanging of the eye of the hook and it looks bad. I can do a 6 wrap whip finish as fast as most can do two half hitch's Just takes a little pratice. I do it by hand when tying with most threads but use a whip tool when tying with the 10/0 thread as it fray's to bad doing it by hand. Just my opinion. Ron
I whip finish, usually 5 or 6 wraps, and so far, knock on wood, have never had a fly come apart on me.
my thread kept on comming off the "R bend" in the matarellie style finisher tool. this is prolly cuz i made it myself and it sucked. but im just fine w/ the 3half hitches i do. thats what the video that came in da kit i got sed to do.
Actually, a small mini-droplet of well placed super glue does nicely instead of a whip or hitch. Reduces bulk, saves thread and is fast!
Rich
flymaker2- I tried it the way you explain but I still do not trust it. IF you miss a spot it can still come undone. Dave showed me how he does it. While the thread is hanging he hits it with the super glue for about an half inch below the hook while the bobbin is just hanging. Then wraps the thread on the head and wait's a few seconds and then trim's it off.
There are lot's of things a guy can do but I do not want my fly heads comming apart on flies that a person paid good money for. So I just do the old tried and true whip-finish. Can't go wrong with it. ; ) Ron
Ron-Agreed. better be safe on commercial ties. I have also used the drops on a string method; especially when it would be impossible to get a clean application of a drop on the fly head due to fluff. heck I now use CA as a head cement all throughout the tying process.Originally Posted by RonMT
If done thoroughly-the glue works. It is easy to mess-up using it. I have developed some special tools and accessories and techniques that allow me to use CA adhesives with dependable results. Therefore, I can use that glue routinely with confidence.
I don't tye commercially, nor in volume, so that is one big difference. Lastly-I love using string and glue any chance I get
Thanks for the comments to my comments..
Rich
i use crazy-glue for my head cement. mainly because it holds like a mf'er...lolbut also because it dries like immediatley. i tied a pretty nice fly and used head cement, and let it dry overnite, but when i took it fishin the next day, i must not have waited long enuff, and the head cement dissolved in da water!!! but then i lost the fly on a false cast cuz my line cracked, causing the kno to come undone.
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