Tapering synthetic tails on saltwater patterns?

Can any of you saltwater tiers share some tips on the best way to taper the tails of a pattern when using synthetic materials? For example, let’s say you were using slinky fiber or similar to tie a sea habit or even clouser and you wanted to get a nice tapered tail. What’s the best way of achieving the right effect? Are tapering scissors the answer or is there a simple method?

This is for a donation fly box, so it really is a cosmetic question, more than a practical one, but this is an annoying problem I’ve had since I started tying larger striper patters. It is easy enough to get the right look with bucktail, but I find the synthetics quite puzzling.

Thanks in advance.

No experience but I’ve read and seen on YouTube to pull/break the fibers by hand.

I use thinning shears.

I don’t do much with synthetics, but the fellows I see at fly tying demos usually trim / taper the tails not by clipping the material with the scissors, but by holding the material out behind the fly and using open scissors to cut the materials as they work it from the front of the taper out to the end of the finished tail.

John

As duckster mentioned, you can just stagger it by hand and kind of pick it out before you tie it in to avoid a paintbrush look. I usually do this with each layer of thin flexible material, but have the layers longer than the one beneath it if you’re tying in separate bunches (or outer layers a bit longer than the inside layers if you’re tying a round (from side to side) pattern like a mullet. Doing it this way the fly compresses into a nice oval fish shaped profile, and I try and keep them on the sparse side for easier casting and better action in the water.

Mark

On some fibers like Puglisi, you can pull the fibers tight and with no cutting motion or very light cutting move the scissors toward the back of the fly cutting just a few fibers along the way (this is really hard to describe properly). You’re really just using the V of the scissors to trim the hairs and need some moderately sharp scissors to do this. If I haven’t explained it well enough, let me know. This can also be used on flash to give it a taper after you tie it in.

TxEngr

You know I’m getting a picture of a barber “blending” with a straight edge…maybe something to consider.

Try using a single edge razor. Pull the material tight and slide the razor down toward the back. Some practice and it should only take a few swipes to taper a fly. As with most finishing work, Less is more.

Just hold the synthetic material bundle for your tail in one hand and then with the fingers of your other hand grasp some fibers from the center of the bundle and pull to get those fibers longer than the others of the bundle. You may have to do this operation more than once to get the taper you desire. Basically you are trying to create a tailing bundle similar to what you get when you cut of a bundle of bucktail from the tail. Trimming with scissors may be required to clean up some uncooperative fibers.

Just hold the synthetic material bundle for your tail in one hand and then with the fingers of your other hand grasp some fibers from the center of the bundle and pull to get those fibers longer than the others of the bundle. You may have to do this operation more than once to get the taper you desire. Basically you are trying to create a tailing bundle similar to what you get when you cut of a bundle of bucktail from the tail. Trimming with scissors may be required to clean up some uncooperative fibers.

One thing you can do to help with the taper is blend some flash material into the artificial hair before tying. Look up Steve Farrar’s Flash Blending technique on the Web.

High tying will also help create taper.

If it’s a pattern where I use between 3 and 5 bunches of hair for the pattern.

I’ll tie in the middle bunch first, then the top and bottom bunch will be a bit longer, if I tie in a bunch on each side they’ll be a bit shorter than the middle bunch.

It comes out pretty good. I very seldom have to do any trimming other than an odd strand or two sticking out.

A couple of examples

Good afternoon.
The only way is,

to use serrated edged siscissors
Because
this stops the material from sliding when you are cutting it.

Kind regards
UB

I use Anvil ‘Taperizer’ scissors, which are thinning shears, in combination with the method described by RACfromALA. Usually, only a few quick cuts from the shears are needed, it at all.

whatfly,

All usefull answers so far. With synthetics I’m wondering/betting you have a problem I had some years back…you’re tying in too much at a time??? the TOTAL amt. to the finished wing should be s-p-a-r-s-e!

Tie in a small …SMALL…bundle. Use open wraps but tight, working forward. Tie another sparse little bundle but offset towards the back this time and use open wraps working backwards…tight wraps.

NOw use Sally Hansens (for ex.) and cement. The last little sparse bunch offset a bit forwards and this time your wraps should be tight and close! Cement again.

If need be you can comb it out w/a stiff comb/brush.

When finished the total wing should be SPARSE…translucent!

Work on SPARSE! It was a major problem for me.

Hope this helps.

Jeremy.

Jeremy,

As you and a few before you have pointed out, tying small bunches in sequence is a better way of accomplishing a proper taper. In this case, however, the flies are already done so I’m really looking for a way of “fixing” these mistakes.

Thank you all for the tips. I’ve already tried a couple of the techniques mentioned with a nice pair of serrated scissors and I think with a bit more practice I’ll be ready to tackle the original flies.

Along the same lines.

Who makes a decent thinning shear. I’ve seen the blue handled ones that Feather-craft sells, and I’m not that impressed with them. Any thoughts?

Kevin

I got my thinning shears at Wal*Mart. I forget who makes them but the package might have been Revlon. They were in the cosmetic section along with all of the nail clippers, tweezers & stuff.

After that you can visit Sally Beauty Supply. They have a big selection but they are a bit more $$$.

Good evening.
I know who has the perfect pair and he himself uses the set he took from stock !

Kind regards,
UB
PS the freight is only $1 to anywhere in the World.