steaming chenille?

[quivira kid]

Kevin, that made me laugh!

I don't steam chenille... the fish don't care. I do give it a twist as was already mentioned. That does make a body look better and more uniform.

Zac

[ducksterman]

Yes, it makes the threads.... or whatever they are called. Barbs.... stand out better....e.i. at right angles to the core. Stems

[hap]

Steaming most materials, especially hackles just before tying will almost always speed things up in the final tally, especially for beginners. Anything wrapped over the chenille as Bugman says will wrap more smoothly after steaming.

Fiddling with crimped chennile on a fly that just will not look good ends up eating a lot of time... Laying out hackle on a damp paper towel before starting a run has always made a real difference by the end of a batch of flies. Steaming just does it faster.

Golden pheasant crest plucked straight from the skin is always crooked, but a little steam and wrapping it around a pill bottle while warm produces a great topping in no time...

Everything is better with a little steam.
art

[lastchance]

How do you keep the chenille steaming after you throw it in the water?
Just wondering.
Never hear dof anyone steaming chenille.

[ScottP]

How do you keep the chenille steaming after you throw it in the water?
Just wondering.

You have to be fishing the Firehole below Midway Geyser Basin (jk).

Regards,
Scott

[tlerm]

I don't always steam my chenille, but sometimes it was wound so tight around the card that it is not so easy to work with. When I do steam the chenille I will do all of the chenille on several cards at once. And then loosely wrap the chenille back on. I do not have to re-steam it later.

I tie several flies that use chenille only as the body with no hackle or other material on top. In this case I think that it does affect the profile of the fly a little bit, but only when the chenille is severely smashed.

[fivedials]

Nope never tried steaming my chenille. Usually boil for a couple of minutes and then quickly into an ice bath to maintain its color. Then dress with a vinagrette dressing before serving, with a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked pepper.

Sorry I just couldn't pass up a staight line like that.

I usually pull taunt and then breath on it like I'm trying to fog up a mirror.

[kglissmeyer]

I'm with lastchance, aren't we just going to get it wet anyway? just how I see it...

Kelly.

[maodiver]

Sometimes I get steamed, but not the chenille.

[Eight Thumbs]

Hi Normand,

Fifty-four years of fly tying and absolutely no chenille steaming. I'm ashamed! 8T