LC,
All depends how the hackle is tied in (tip or butt) and in which direction (towards eye, or towards bend) it is wrapped. The heads on my flies, also the ones tied in with barbs stripped from one side, look exactly the same as those where I did not strip the barbs = in both cases the head consists of a three turn whip finish
Hey Alan B - you know what comes next, right - turn and a half of hackle and an even distribution of barbs is a bit at odds with one another, no?
Cheers,
Hans W