As a new fly tier I was advised to purchase a Martarelli (sp?) whip finisher. I did and liked it except I could never place the threads where I got a whip finish that looked good on small trout flies. I learned how to whip finish by hand and still did not like the results. A friend gave me a “piece of junk” that he just hated and said I should just toss it. It was a Thompson stlye whip finish tool. After reading Al Campbell’s instructions, I tried it. WOW!! If you tie small flies and like a neat whip finish, by all means try that tool. The learning curve is shallow and the results are GREAT! I am still a novice, but now my whip finish lays where it should and looks neat. I think those of you who tie small flies owe it to yourself to try this. I know it is often berated as not a very useful tool, but I disagree most strongly. Now if I can just get the rest of my flies to look that good I will promote myself to “beginner.”
Jim