Hi dsaavedra,

Spinning deer hair works, in part, because of how deer hair will "flair" when you put tension on it with the tying thread. Squirrel hair just doesn't have the same response. I think you will find that when you tie on your bunch of deer hair, it's rather easy to get it to flare simply by pulling down on the tying thread. In fact, it's more difficult to get deer hair to lay flat for a tail, like with a Royal Wulfe, than it is to get it to explode into a shaving brush. I've not tied many spun hair patterns, but I've tied a couple. The trick is to make sure the hair flares around the whole hook, and not just the side you are looking at when tying! Check the "far side" too! Spin the hair, pack it back, tie on and spin more in front, etc. When you trim the hair back with your scissors is when you make the final head shape, so don't worry what it looks like in that way, just make sure the hair is all the way around, and packed nice and tight.

- Jeff