Whip finishing tool, or not (Knot)?

[Kirk V 0]

Thanks for the comments. I think for now I am going to stick with the half hitches and head cement cause I can produce those regularly instead of messing with the whip tool for now.

[Chris Patterson 0]

Probably best to stick with half-hitches on your flies if thats what's working for you. You can always practice the whip finish on a bare hook till you're comfortable tying it then decide which you prefer.

[sukhoidave 0]

I can do a hand whip finish just as quickly and accurately as with the tool - but I usually use the tool - the rough fingers thing comes into play here. I used to be a rock and ice climber and a whitewater rafter/kayaker - we used to have a saying - "If ya can't tie a knot - tie a lot!" For me 1 whip finish is a good knot - 2 half hitches or more... learn the whip finish.

 

(Of course, as in almost all fly tying, there is a time and place for everything.)

 

BTW I make nice whip finish tools.

[Kirk V 0]

So in the past couple of days I have tried to master the whip finish tool, to no success. I have though decided to try whip finishes by hand and have great luck with that. Now I am doing both knots to my flies depending on how crowded the head is.

 

Thanks for all the great advice.

[Stippled Popper 0]

I had a whip finishing tool for about three years before I got around to learning how to use the thing. After referring

to the descriptions in four books and looking at one YouTube video, it took me about 15 minutes to get the idea. But

the free play in the tool drives me nuts so I painted the handle and applied several coats of Loon Hard Head to it.

Now the darn thing can't spin and I am much happier with it. I believe learning how to tie a whip finish knot is easier

on an otherwise bare hook and just working on the knot until you get the idea rather than tying a fly and then applying

the whip finish.

 

On those occasions when I tie a half-hitch I tie four or more. I've had two come undone on me before. It might not

take that many if I applied a bit of glue to the thread before tying the half-hitch. But I can't seem to get myself to remember

to do that part.

[FrequentTyer 0]

I learned to whip finish out of pure peer pressure. i was told that it was the only way to properly finish the fly. So since I see no reason anyone else should have it easier, I would have to say that you will never catch fish with a half hitched fly

But seriously, the half hitch is not as secure as has been pointed out. Adding head cement helps, but why not start with a solid mechanical base. and of course you can skip the head cement on a good whip finish. I heard AK Best say that anyone that claims the half hitch won't come undone isn't fishing enough. Spend an hour with a bare hook and a tool and learn to do it. Even if you decide to stick with half hitches, at least you have another weapon in your arsenal.

[FishDragon 0]

I had my cousin show me how to whip finish. I quickly forgot the next day so I watched a few you tube videos and now I find it so easy and fast but I still use a half hitch when it is required.

[Wavey1988 0]

I recently bought a half hitch tool (only been tying for a month, or thereabouts) and I can't use it very well whatsoever, but after a few minutes of instruction, I find it much easier to whip finish by hand xD

[Kirk V 0]

After all is said and done, I am now using both half hitch and ship finish but I am still doing them by hand. Still not understanding the tool, but that is ok.

[GreenTier 0]

I've never used the WF tool. I learned to do it by hand from a tying DVD.

 

Now, I think of using a WF tool like using a wrench on a wing nut (Granted, I don't tie very many flies smaller than size 16)

[tidewaterfly 0]

I have a cheap whip finish tool I bought many years ago, but never got the hang of using it. More trouble than it was worth IMO. Like some of the others I learned to do a whip finish by hand, and now see no need to use a tool.

[JaxFlyTyer 0]

Sometimes whip finishing by hand works for me but like others I can have some rough fingers and the thread just snags. I recently listened to an interview with Charlie Craven where he said he finds he gets a much better, tighter finish with the tool rather than his fingers. If the tool is good enough for Charlie it's good enough for me.

[Gene L 0]

A whip finish makes a nicer looking head than a double half hitch. With head cement, it's unlikely that the half hitch will come loose, but I almost never half-hitch for a finished head.

 

A Materetti tool is a valuable aid for a beginner, and I think easier to use it to place the knot, but on larger flies I use the two finger finish much of the time.

 

If the OP is referring to that English guy who does a double half hitch, he's slower than even picking up a tool and finishing the head. Plus, three of these doubles means a big knot of thread, and that won't do with small flies.

[SilverCreek 0]

Sometimes whip finishing by hand works for me but like others I can have some rough fingers and the thread just snags. I recently listened to an interview with Charlie Craven where he said he finds he gets a much better, tighter finish with the tool rather than his fingers. If the tool is good enough for Charlie it's good enough for me.

 

 

I also use a whip finisher (Matarelli). Try doing a whip finish of parachute hackle on the post by hand, or whip finishing a bunch of size 22 flies by hand. the toll is faster adn more exact in thread placement.

 

A whip finisher is a tool. Tools allow us to perform tasks more efficiently and effectively. That is why I use a tying vise rather than holding the hook in my hands as Lee Wulff did. So for me, I'll use tools like a thread bobbin although one of my friends breaks off tying thread and ties by using a half hitch after each step. That is the way he learned.

 

I leaned to hand whip finish when I learned to tie flies and then I tried the Matarelli whip finisher and found I could do whip finishes much faster and better with the tool so I stopped doing it by hand. I say try both ways and see what is best for yourself.

 

I do have an opinion on whip finish knots vs half hitches and I think a 5 turn whip finish is more secure and faster than a series of 2 half hitches,

[Gene L 0]

I can whip finish a parachute better by hand than with a tool. This is a testiment of my nerdiness and inability to work the Matarelli in the horizontal mode. I probably could learn if I wanted to.