logan:

A mild solution of bleach & water (bleach bath) will strip the flue (fuzz) off a complete Peacock Eye, (the upper part of a peacock tail feather) in a flash but MAY cause brittleness.

Pre-stripped quills MAY have been stripped in this manner. I prefer to rub the flue off of my quills one at a time with a plain old rubber pencil eraser. It takes a lot longer but the quill isn't as brittle. I pre-strip all of the quills I'll be using ahead of time and let them soak in a solution of warm water or warm water with a little glycerin mixed in.

After finishing the fly body I rib it with tightly twisted white thread and coat with head cement. It yields a pretty tough body with not as much additional weight as ribbing with wire.