Materelli Whip Finish vs Hand Whip Finish

[Husker234 0]

Ok, so I went to a fly tying clinic at a local fly shop. The guest fly tier was Charlie Craven of Charlie's Flybox fly shop in Denver. He made a very good case for using a Materelli whip finish tool vs. hand finishing. He basically said that using a tool didn't rough up the thread as do fingers and that hand finishing twists the thread on the fly causing it to not lay as flat and makes it easier to slide off or come undone.

 

I use a Materelli style tool because that's the way I learned.

 

What do you use and why? Notice any difference in the two methods?

[Guest]

Husker,

 

Personally I think it's a tyers preference over which way to whip finish. I have both the Materelli and Thompson whip finishing tools and also know how to do it by hand.

 

I use the materelli most of the time but also still do the hand whip, it's about a 70-30 split between the tool and the hand whip.

 

THose are my personal preferences, try both ways and see what works best for you. I would still make it a point to learn the hand whip finish though.

 

Fatman

[dsaavedra 0]

for dries i prefer a thompson style finish, and for everything else ill do a materelli. i just dont trust a hand whipfinish...mostly cuz i dont know how to do one.

[Fry Flier 0]

Personally I think it's a tyers preference over which way to whip finish. I have both the Materelli and Thompson whip finishing tools and also know how to do it by hand.

 

Same here, if it is a fly that I want to look nice other then to fish I will use the Materelli before the Thompson. If it is going straight to the river and trees I will quite often finish by hand.

[Chase Creek 0]

I also use a tool. Have had lots of guys say they use fingers cuz it's faster, they don't have to pick up and set down another tool everytime.

I don't do production tying, so that's not an issue. I guess you do what you feel comfortable with.

[Inconnu 0]

I did learn to use my hands, but my old job had me in the oilpatch working outdoors etc. and my fingers were rough and not thread friendly, so I went to the Thompson, then found the Materelli which I prefer and so now even though I have office hands I have kept using the tools, though I can still use my digits if I have to.

[flyfishingtaz 0]

I just use my hands. I mean it's one less tool in the cradle, and I dont have to think about what I'm doin. It seems like when I did have one, and tried to finish the fly with it, I had to think how to operate it. Its just easier to use the fingers.

[vtflyhack 0]

I use my hands. When ever I try to use a whip tool it doesn't seem to work.

vtflyhack

[chrisfish 0]

I started with a thomson tool, still don't know what a Materelli is (have to look it up) . I like to teach my fingers to do things and also like simplicity, so i learned the hand finish. but after a while i found that the thread does get caught alot and freyed on my finger tips. I find it quick and easy to just use the tool. I will have to try the other type of tool though.

[flykid 0]

I use the matarelli because its all I ever tried and when I use it it is like second nature. And of course it works great. But i'd also say use whatever you like most.

[gadabout 0]

I use a Materelli virtually 100% of the time. Early on in my fly tying I used a Thompson style finisher, but as soon as I found the Materelli, I ditched the Thompson. I can do the whip finish by hand but I'm not particularly efficient at it. I find tying the whip finish with the Materelli to be effortless.

[sirrom 0]

I whip finish by hand. for me, it's quick, efficient, and the way I learned to finish a fly over 40 years ago. I have a Materelli and every time I go to use it I have to sit for 5 minutes to remember how or look up the instructions. Besides I'm too old to change my ways.

[wiggleminnow 0]

I prefer a Materelli, You get a much tighter knot than using your fingers, either or always add some type of head cement or zap a gap to really secure the knot.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Hand finish, I have not owned a whip finish tool for well over 20 years. I don't normally tie anything smaller than about a 14. Maybe if I tied real small stuff it would matter, I don't know. I guarantee it's possible to tie a whip finish every bit as tight with fingers as with a tool, right up to the breaking point of the thread. As for roughing or fraying the thread, the head gets 2 or more coats of head cement or glue anyhow, so it doesn't matter. If tying presentation grade salmon flies or something, perhaps it would make a difference. Those usually get about a hundred coats of finish anyhow, so I don't think it would matter.

 

It's all down to personal preference in the end. I do not think one method could be BETTER than another.

[flytyingscotsman 0]

 

I use a Materelli 100% of the time, because the thread always gets

caught on my fingers when attempting the hand finish.