Hello ScottP,
For months you have been posting photos and sbs for a myriad of flies, all of which are beautifully tied and quite creative. And I am very grateful that you are doing that. Please continue! What is intriguing me is the ease with which you form/build the extended bodies. I am an experienced , veteran tier and have never been successful trying to make extended bodies. My problem rests with trying to remove the bodies from the needle without causing the body to become mangled. I am wondering if you coat the needle with a wax or soap or some kind of lubricant to get the body to slide off without being crushed. Do you maybe apply a wax to your thread? I have found a fly shop that is offering a set of needles specifically for tying extended bodies in four different sizes and am thinking that perhaps part of the problem may be the type of needle (regular sewing needles) that I have been using. Would appreciate any suggestions or advice you care to impart. Thanks in advance.
Gerri