Hello all!
I just read in a fly-tying tip book that it is easier to tie a bass bug if you wash, (and condition!) the deer hair first, and then let it dry before spinning it.
Has anyone here ever done that? And how did it work out?
I have some black deer hair that stains my hands whenever I work with it, so I am going to try this technique with that hair and see if it works to make it more workable, as well as improve the whole finger-dyeing situation.
Never have washed deer hair, never had a problem spinning it and the bugs floated just fine; seems like a bit of work. A lot of materials dyed black that I’ve worked with, including deer hair, tend to bleed like that.
Regards,
Scott
I have not washed any deer hair yet, and I don’t plan to. (unless I get free bucktails that need a wash…the ones I have been buying are just fine for me)
Naw, I let the ol’ girl wash her own! :twisted:
Mikey
if i was going to wash any material ,it would be with Woolite. i know that this stuff is gentle enough and yet will get the job done , i would say without removing much if any color that has penetrated and and “locked” in the deerhair
I’ve washed some deer hair that was home dyed (not by me), but never washed any store bought stuff. I used shampoo (whatever my daughter had on hand at the time) in a bucket in the bath tub. Rinsed real good then used conditioner and rinsed. It did some out very very soft. Generally most packaged material does need really need it. However anything bought off eBay I would definitely wash thoroughly and certainly quarantine from your other supplies if you don’t know where it’s coming from. Or just buy from established online fly shops.
Anyway, as far as what to wash it with? Wash it with whatever you’d wash YOUR hair with. Wool-lite may be gentle on clothes, but it’s still a detergent and not a soap. Detergents are much harsher than soaps. Read the warning label before using. if it says anything about “avoiding contact with skin” I would steer away from washing your materials in it.
I wash almost all of the natural materials I buy. They probably don’t all need it, but I do it anyway. I put a couple of drops of liquid hand soap in some water and slosh them around and then rinse VERY well. It may not help everything but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Clean materials are so much easier to work with.
Joe
I have had friends give me deer hair that they processed. If I start to tie with it and it is dirty I just throw it away. Do you know all the nasty things a buck deer does during the rut? If you give this one some thought you will wash your deer hide too.
I wash all of my deer hair. My son hunts and supplies me with raw deer hides. Here is how I clean them for use.
Get a large plastic garbage can and fill enough to cover your deer hide. Use tow or three handfulls of powdered borax and a half cup of Dawn dishwashing detergant. Put the hide into the solution and soak for an hour or so. Remove and rinse then scrape all the fat and muscle tissue from the hide. I use a hand ax for a scraper and just push the fat and other tissye off the hide starting at the neck. When the hide is scrapped clean make up a clean wash with a single handfull of borax and a quarter cup of Dawn. Rinse well and then grab by the neck and sling out as mucn water as you can. You can hang for a little while while you put away your tools. Tack hair side up on a sheet of plywood. You do not have to pull the hide too tight, just enough to get the wrinkles out. Slide some 1" dowels under the hide so the flesh side is up off the plywood. Let dry on the cool shade with a gental breeze for a fwe hours. Remove the hide from the plywood when the hair is dry and turn over. Tack it out streathcing it enough to get the wrinkles out. Slide the dowels bacj under the hide to keep the hair off the plywood. When dry , cut up into usable pieces and store with a few moth balls made with paradichlorobenzine as the active ingrediant. You won’t have to worry about ugs because the borax in the wash is poison to the bugs. The moth balls are just a long term precaution.
Happy tying
fishbum
Just one little comment for the purpose of explaining myself better:
I was interested in the idea of washing the deer hair, which was store-bought, not so much because it seemed dirty, but rather because my hands felt dirty after working with it. It seemed dry and brittle and behaved more like little bits of straw than actual soft hair.
Bass_bug, that’s a good point you make about Woolite vs. shampoo. I don’t think I would have thought of that.
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts!
Karli-Rae
I never wash deer-hair. It’s too hard to chase them and get them to sit still…Let 'em wash their own hair…(LOL)
Gig, it’s not too to do it when it’s raining,but getting them to stand still to brush them out is tricky.
“And now back to the regularly scheduled thread”
i do not wash any tying materials at all but i do wish the distributors of bucktails would wash them. some of them just reek of a bad odor!
I’ve read that black is the most difficult dye job - hence the running.
I’m guessing you’re buying on-line. If so, maybe you should change vendors. Everybody has good things to say about Chris Helm.
If you’re actually hitting a fly shop, take the patch you’re thinking of buying out of the package and feel it up. Deer body hair (assuming that’s what you’re using), should be soft, full and springy.
Ok, I tested it out!
My recommendation:
Wash your deer hair. Just try it with one piece. You will be amazed at the difference. It does to deer hair what it does to human hair, makes it soft and smooth and light (and a bit more water-repellent!)
Get the hair wet, shampoo it and work it through well, rinse. Then take some conditioner, work it through really well, I let it sit for a 5-15 minutes until I get done doing something else, then I rinse it well and let it air dry overnight at lease. Handles like a dream. I don’t even use a hair stacker anymore.
Just try it, what do you have to lose? If you don’t like how it handles post salon-treatment, just send the hair to me. I’ll tie you a fly (or flies) in exchange.
Cheers!
Karli-Rae
nope…never washed my deer hair …BUT, I do soak my Peacok Hurl with VO5…helps keep them from breaking (this tip came from Dick Talleur)
Yep, Talleur also soaks his stripped quills in a hair conditioner mixture (with water) to keep them soft and pliable.
Ummm… how do you keep your dear from kicking when you are scrubbing her hair? :shock:
Are you kidding? Who doesn’t like being rubbed down? It’s hosing them off with cold well water they don’t like!
AlbaSurf has attested to what I’ve always said, the only thing you need to wash your natural materials in is shampoo and conditioner. It should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) if you have hair patches that are extremely dry, get the hair shampoo and conditioner for damaged dry hair. It will add the missing and needed oils and minerals to soften it up.