stingy

[captaincondor 0]

Hey I amnew to tying. I am enjoying it becuase i sit in front of the TV and do my thing. I am just curous though...are tyers stingy in their material or do they produce as much waste as me. i am cutting stuff off and throwing so much out I am worried that i will be burning my cash with this hobby. Any input

 

ALso how long does it take ppl to tie? I tie maybe 3 an hour which i know is painfully slow is that normal?

[oatka 0]

"burning my cash with this hobby"....uh, yeah.....most people here would tell you that you wont have much cash left if you keep tying. of course, anything can be used for tying, so you don't have to always buy stuff, just go through your neighbors trash can once a week!

 

you could always recycle. Just a minute ago I read a post about a muddler minnow using "scrap" material that wasn't any good for it's original intended purpose. But, on the muddler it looked great.

 

A buddy of mine years ago tied 1 "little-o-this, little-o-that" fly and hooked a salmon on it. Basically he took scraps that didn't end up in the garbage (yet) and tied it to the hook, he freaking caught a salmon on it. I'm sure I was upset because i was probably skunked that day.

 

As far as speed....that depends on the fly. Ask the classic guys, they take 15 hours or more on 1 fly some times. If you want to feel good about your speed, try a egg or a thread midge. those go quick!

 

Enjoy!

[flyfishingwright 0]

3 an hour is not that bad for a start. You will get faster the more you tie. Here are a couple tips for going faster. First, lay out materials for what you want to tie. Second, tie a few of the same pattern (when I am tying patterns that I use a lot I rarely tie fewer than a dozen). Third, slow down. Thats right, slow down, make every thread wrap count. Think about where you are placing the materials. Do it right everytime and when you start to get faster, you will get a lot faster.

 

As to waste, yep there can be a lot. I try to use materials right down to the end. However, most materials are not the most expensive part of tying.

[Redwings1 0]

First off, welcome to the forum. Each pattern you tie will take a different amount of time so it is hard to say what an average is, but unless you are in a hurry there is certainly nothing wrong with tying up a couple an hour. When you tie you will always have waste. Some have more than others based on how closely they measure out materials in advanced and how clean they are with their cuts. Some people save many scraps to be used for other patterns as it is possible that a scrap from one pattern may be enough to complete a different pattern.

[Chase Creek 0]

Flyfishingwright hit it on the head as far as speed. Unless you do production tying, I wouldn't be too concerned about speed. It's supposed to be relaxing, don't make a race out of it. As you get more experience, The speed will just naturally come. Think quality first, then speed.

 

And yes, you will always have waste, but there are ways to minimize it. If you use small chennile, try putting it on an empty thread spool and using a bobbin. You can do the same with tinsel and the like. Save your feather tips for use as wings and tailing on drys.

I use a waste catcher under my vice, and before I empty it each time I rummage thru it for stuff I might be able to use.

 

As for tying becoming a money hole, it's too late. Accept it.

[Joe Hard 0]

I try not to throw much away, its amazing what scrap from one fly will be the ticket for another. A lot of waste can also be chopped up into dubbing. If you are going to tie up a bunch of flies that are all the same, it helps to have everything prepared ahead of time. If you keep your area clean and only have the materials that you need on your desk or tying area. It makes tying up a few of the same fly quicker. Fly tying can be tedious and frustrating, but if you look in the tips (http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showforum=11) section, there is all kinds of info that tyers here have shared