Everything I do 2 handed I do left handed; everything I do 1 handed I do right handed. When I am tying it really doesn’t make me much difference if I go clockwise or counter. When I am tying a fly with a palmered hackle or a rib, I have a tendency to want to wrap one in one direction and the other in the opposite. In the void between my ears, that seems like the rib or hackle would protect the chennile or dubbing.
So how about explaining why I’m right or wrong and when you should go one way and another time the other.
If I understand your question, the easiest way I’ve found to get students in the habit of counterwinding consistently to get the reinforcement effect is to always wind “over the top/away from you” BUT to wind the body (chenille) from the hook bend to the eye after tying in at the bend and to wind the Palmer rib from the eye to the bend after tying in at the bend. If I do this after tying in a wire at the bend to terminate the Palmer rib feather and wind the wire forward to the eye to be ultimately tied off with the thread you will have a nearly bulletproof fly.
i dont think its a matter of right vs wrong but simply a matter of personal preference
if you want to counter wrap everything then counter wrap
theres no fly tying commandment written in stone that says otherwise
the idea of counter wrapping more delicate materials might be a good idea to help protect them but counter wrapping dubbing or chennile isnt required in my opinion unless your doing it for some kind of effect
Using a rib wrapped in the opposite direction from what is under it to reinforce/secure it is a popular technique that’s been mentioned in books and articles for over a hundred years.
All the fly tying books tell me that I tie flies ‘backwards’ because I wrap in the ‘wrong direction’. None of them can tell me ‘why’ it’s wrong, though, and the flies come out just fine.
I learned a good bit of my fly tying watching someone else tye … from across a table. Consequentially I tye front to back. It wasn’t until I watched Bluegill222 tye (he’s a lefty), that I saw it done any other way! Same way that I wrap a fly rod, and learned sign language! If you’re right handed, and want to learn the “right” way … learn from a lefty!
Just between you and me? I don’t think the fish mind!
I am not ambidexterous, without my right hand involved my left hand is not capable of doing a lot of things. My Bible study teach is ambidextrous, writes on the white board with both hands without really thinking about what he is doing.
Just a note for whatever its worth, making yourself use your non-dominant hand to do things, like write, it doesn’t naturally do is reportedly good for the brain, especially us “old guys” you are losing our abilities.
The fact that leftys and rightys tie stuff differently, has probably led to some unintentional innovative techniques that are now shared by both. I’m a righty, but find myself saying hmmm, (meaning, that was neat/interesting) many times after watching a lefty tie. I have no problem learning new tricks from anyone, even if I’ve been doing it ‘my way’ for a long. long time. It’s those AHA! moments that makes it, and keeps it all fascinating! To be honest, I really don’t like being so one-side dominate. I really does hinder your creativity, some times.
If I understand correctly you are asking about a counter wrap?
Let’s say there is no such thing as left handed; the world all sat on the same side of the vise. Right in this case (so to picture it in everyone’s mind).
You pick up the bobbin and you wrap the thread on the hook with the motion of away from you under the hook back towards you up then away again; circling the hook shank.
With the motion above you tie down a hackle and wire on the hook, then wind your thread forward to the eye of the hook and stop. Take the hackle and wrap it with the same as the thread. Away, down, towards, up and repeat, circling. Then taking the wire and start with a counter wrap, the opposite way the wire will make an X across the hackle thus over lapping and locking the hackle down.
I am left handed and prefer tying right sided. Tried left sided and didnt feel comfortable at all. Find out which way you prefer to do the tasks the comfortable and effecient is the the key.