I’ve read about it on this forum but can’t locate the article. Is there an easier way to strip the herl other than using an eraser? Seems I read something about bleach and hydrogen peroxide. Anyone have a quick way to strip the herl from the stem? Thanks in advance.
I take a whole eye and dip it a few times in melted paraffin wax. I pluck off a herl and then scrape the wax off with my fingernail. All the fuzz comes off in one smooth swipe. The bonus is the wax seems to keep the herls supple and there is no need for soaking them before wrapping.
g:
A 50% or less solution of bleach & water will strip the flue off of an entire quill but it can make them more brittle than wax or an eraser. I USED to do it that way but now I just strip my quills in advance with an eraser.
If I need to tie a dozen Quill Gordons I just open a beer or two and strip 16 quills just in case I break one or two. It’s one of those advance preparatory steps I grown accustomed to in fly tying.
Wax works, as mentioned…but takes a bit of cleanup.
Bleach/water works, as mentioned…but watch them closely and remove promptly when ready.
You can also give your quills a soak in water and then, once thoroughly wetted, easily remove the fibers with your thumbnail. No hard rubbing required, and your quill is soaked and ready for tying.
I have heard that rubbing them with a penscil eraser works quite well.
Give it a try you might be suprised.
take care,
chris
i just stripped one herl simply by stroking all of the fibers from the tip end to the butt end between my thumbnail and fore finger. simple!
Greg,
If you will go to the main page and in the menu click on “Fly Tying” and then look for and click on “Tying Tips” and then in the “Search” window type in “stripping herl”, you should have several methods. You may have to look at several pages, but, the different methods are there. I found this on page 2:
"Before we can tie with a quill, we must first remove the barbules from it and lay bare the quill itself.
There are a number of ways of accomplishing this task.
Some tiers simply use the nail on their thumb and forefinger to stroke the barbules free. A technique which some have mastered after much practice. This technique can lead to some real curly looking quills, and very frustrating times at the vise.
This week we are going to try a method that has been around for quite awhile.
Many years ago, when people were still using common writing implements, like pens, and typewriters, there were a group of erasers designed specifically to remove ink from errant or abhorrent character arrangements.
With the advent of the computer, many of these implements have fallen into disuse, including our once readily available ink eraser. Who knows in the future as more and more paperwork is filled out and letters written by simply talking to our computer, we may have no further use for fingers to type with either. Fortunately there will still be flies to tie so we need not concern ourselves with this obsolescent very critical anatomical feature.
With the use of any gum eraser we have available to us today, and a foam sheet as a backer, we can still do a credible job of removing the flue from a peacock herl.
The best quills come from the area of the eye of the peacock. Pull off a single herl and lay it flat on your foam sheet. (The foam sheet by the way is the same type of non-furry sheet we use for foam flies).
Now gently but firmly stroke the herl from tip to butt and you will see many of the flues come off of the quill. Stroke one side several times and then turn the quill over and stroke again from tip to butt.
With just a little practice and patience you will be amazed at how easily you can strip a quill and have it ready to tie. Well, almost ready, we still have to get them pliable, but that is another tip for another week."
Thanks everyone. I have a tendency to bite my nails so that method is not one that would work for me. Thanks Warren for the info. on how to find more info – I’ll read the entire section. I did strip a few with a pencil eraser and tied up 13 small midges that I think will work well. I need to strip some more in the event the little midges work better than I hope. Thanks again to all who have replied.
I just buy them already chemical stripped.
here’s how to do it yourself
http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?p=4907698
Thanks Ray. I think this is just what I was looking for.