Efficiency is not the question...
Keeping from cutting your thumb off is the trick. I put them in a wood vise, toes-up, and split them with a very sharp butcher knife... The mass of the knife makes it very easy. I leave the two halves attached to each other.
I use a heavy knife. A knife will lessen the damage to the hair.
What is the advantage of splitting them? I've never tried that.
It exposes hair
To answer the 'how to split' question first - I use a heavy knife and cut down between the knuckles, that seems to be the toughest part - then the foot splits to the heel rather easily. And as I said originally, and others repeated - don't cut yourself.Originally Posted by lastchance
As to why - the fur on the bottom of the foot is about twice as long as you think it is when viewed from 'outside'. And when cutting the hair on a non-split foot you have to dig down with the scissors (which are on somewhat of an angle). This wastes hair and doesn't allow you to get a chunk as long or as clean as you might like. Once the foot is split you cut straight in for the hair you want. You have a better view of the quality of hair, and you get a cleaner snip.
Last edited by Greg H; 11-18-2013 at 01:09 PM.
After working with it so often that makes sense. I just never thought of splitting the foot. I will now.
Just saw this pattern by tightlinevideo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7ghhpkRCUk - and they say to use neither the coarse guard hair or the soft fuzzy underfur, but the "middle hairs". Now I'm really confused.
Joe
Don't worry this will be on topic... Eventually!
Since May I have had problems with the heating in my home. Basically I have had none. This has been causing problems with damp.
The other day I found a snowshoe hares foot that had fallen down behind the drawers I keep hair and hackle in. They are all fairly well sealed up, the foot wasn't.
In response to this thread I thought I would try splitting the foot. That's when I discovered the damp had gotten to the foot. About 70% of the hair fell off! Not wishing to waste this I collected it up, dried it, and gave it a wizz in the coffee grinder. It came out very soft, and easily worked as dubbing. Next spring one shop I tie for will be wanting dozens and dozens of White Wulffs with Wally Wings for the Mayfly Hatch. I know just what I'll be using as dubbing for them now. Hopefully this material will make them "extra floaty" to use the technical term!
When you have used up all the precious "between the toe" hair on your hare's foot the rest will make great dubbing if given a good blast in a coffee grinder. Just a way to get a little more value out of your foot. (Which seems to be the point of splitting them in the first place).
Now back to the battle with my landlord to get my heating fixed before winter. Woops! too late. The brass monkeys are already looking for welders.
Cheers,
A,
Hi Joe,
He explains it pretty well in the video. He cut the clump of hair from the heel of the foot. He didn't want a lot of the finer fuzzy underfur that's right next to the bone, and he didn't want any longer stray guard hairs sticking out either. He just wanted to use a nice compact clump that was about the same in total length. If he kept too much of the underfur, it would be a little too bulky for that sized fly. If you look close, he is useing some of the underfur and the shorter more even guard hairs in his clump.
Regards,
Mark
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote