This may be a question for the volume or production tiers out there. When you get a new cape do you pluck , size and separate the feathers into like sizes? As in pull all the 16’s and put them in one container , all 18 in another and so on. It know it would make it quicker to find materials and get to work on a pattern but is there any down side or ill effect on the feathers? Some people say the feathers will last longer and stay more flexable if they stay attached to the hide patch but I’ve had some 100 packs around for quite some time and not noticed a difference.
I stripped/sized a couple capes when I was sick once. It certainly does make it easier to just grab a bag of #16 feathers and have at it, and I can see where it would speed things up if you’re tying for money; the introduction of the 100 packs and like products have simplified the process (although I’ve found a number of those feathers to be mis-sized and still slap them up against the hackle gauge before winding on a hook). Don’t know that I’ve seen any decrease in flexibility in the hackle I’ve stripped and bagged, and that was over 15 years ago.
On the other hand, having the feathers on the cape does simplify storage and I don’t have to sort through a bunch of sandwich bags to find the hackle I need. Bottom line - it may be more efficient to strip/size, but I have a ton of capes and I’m basically lazy.
Regards,
Scott
As a production tier I don’t pluck capes. The storage of all those loose hackles would be a nightmare. I tend to tie in small batches so will pick a dozen of the right size and tie those up. A quick look in my “regularly used” drawer of capes reveals that there are about 40 capes in there. To size them would mean in excess of 300 packets or little component drawers. I just don’t have that kind of space available. I have a set of those drawers on my tying table. It has 30 drawers. If I sized hackle I’d need about 10 more of these. I’ve better things to spend 250 UK pounds on than storage I can’t accommodate.
The other thing is that hooks vary so much. Is that hackle a size 14 for a Partridge hook or a TMC hook? If I sized to one then it wouldn’t be right for the other. Though I do have my regular hooks, I will tie on whatever hook the customer wants (at a cost).
Another problem is that different flies require different sized hackles on the same size of hook. For example, the hackle on a size 8 Ally’s shrimp is much longer than that on a size 8 Stoats tail. I certainly can’t afford to size hackle by fly size and pattern.
Those who tie a fixed range of patterns may find this helpful, For me it isn’t practical. The best storage and filing system I’ve found is the skin they grow on.
Cheers,
A.
I believe that you will find that most tiers these days use saddles which allow you to tie several flies with one feather. The saddles seem to have the best tying feathers and, because you can tie more than one fly with a feather, it allows quick tying.
I agree that the long saddle feathers available today are a boon, but there are some instances, for me, where I think capes offer an advantage; and yes, my opinion is colored by the fact that I’ve got a bunch of capes and can’t reasonably justify (does this apply in fly tying???) replacing them and will never live long enough to use them all up. There are some colors, particularly barred cream and barred ginger, where I haven’t found a saddle that compares to the capes I have (on the other hand, I really, really like some of the dun dyed saddles I have; better than any of my capes). Also, and this is a real minor nit to pick, I find the extra long saddle feathers a bit of a pain to tie with; I like to grab the feather by the tip with my hackle pliers and with a 10-12" feather that just doesn’t work right so I have to do it farther up the stem and it pains me to see that beautiful feather crimped like that. Having said that, if I was just getting in to tying today, I’d certainly lean towards saddle feathers for most of my flies.
Regards,
Scott
Just curious as to why you would bother with hackle pliers on a saddle? One of the advantages, I think, is not having to use them.
I think I’m just a creature of habit. I seem to find it easier to manipulate the feather with hackle pliers as I’m winding, and I tend to let the rotary vise do most of the work while I hold the feather stationary (could be poor technique, a function of being self-taught, but it seems to work okay).
Regards,
Scott
I leave them intact. I’ve got a number of 20yr old capes in fine condition. And I have no desire to either pluck or manage loose hackle in different colors!
I much prefer capes over saddles.