? lately when i put my hackle on the hook and start to put it on it breaks does hackle get old and break do you need to keep it in a bag ?
hackle
? lately when i put my hackle on the hook and start to put it on it breaks does hackle get old and break do you need to keep it in a bag ?
hackle, like everything else does get old. it probably gets more brittle/dried out if you keep it out of the original baggie it came in.
i have hackle thats 20+ years old and still in great condition, but it has always been stored in the original packaging.
If the problem persists, Mudflapper, with a particular neck/saddle..... the next time you use it, try steaming it a little to soften the quills.
Has this just started, with a certain saddle/neck, and it's been okay up until now? If it's a new neck/saddle and started right off the bat, it COULD be merely poor quality especially if it's dyed hackle.
And yes, as Normand said.. "Keep your necks and saddles in their plastic bags".
Last edited by flybinder; 01-24-2008 at 02:27 PM.
Saint Paul-"The Highly Confused"
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Probably a bad bird!
Hi Mudflaper,
My best guess would be that you have some hackle from a bird with genetically weak hackle stems. Age may contribute to the problem but I bet these feathers were always fragile and had a tendency to break easily. My second guess would be that the hackle, if dyed, was in a dye bath that was too hot for a long period of time. Unless this skin has some unique significance to you, I would forget about it and try another cape or saddle. Just my 2% of a dollar, I'm sure others will disagree---they always do. 8T
quoted from my previous post, above) "If it's a new neck/saddle and started right off the bat, it COULD be merely poor quality especially if it's dyed hackle".(end quote)
See? I agree with you, 8T!!?!
Saint Paul-"The Highly Confused"
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
mudflaper, How long have you been tying....I found that I broke a lot more hackles when I first started than I do now.
Do you have the same problem with all neck/saddles?
Thank you, flybinder. It's good to have a friend! 8T
thanks
thankyou to the guys who responded to the hackle problem
Hackle
Mudflaper, there's a good possibility that the hackle stems are dried out from exposure to sunlight or age. Try pulling a few feathers of the size you want to use and fold them in a damp paper towel for a 1/2 hour before tying. Let me know how this turns out.
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