Spinning and stacking deer hair

[Michigan fly gal 0]

I found out that I really enjoy making deer hair bugs, can anyone suggest a good source of information on spinning and stacking deer hair? Thanks

[Beadheads 0]

This guy can tie cool deer hair bass bug. check it out.!

[lykos33 0]

Chris Helms and our own Bruce Derington ( http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showuser=4571 ), two of the best in my not so humble opinion...

Murray

[Piker20 0]

I find the trimming to be the hardest part. I can stack and spin with the best of them but then ruin it by trimming it badly.

My top 3 tips are: small (thin) bunches of hair can always be added to and make the process easier to work with

Push the hair firmly back each time with the tip of a bic pen or a shop sold stacker tool. The tighter the hair is stacked gives it that solid look when trimmed.

Look at the nose hair trimmers. Can work well at trimming the hair down when you get closer to the finished shape.

 

And the ones I ruined with the shears still caught fish so don't bin any b grade attempts. They all look the same stuck in bankside brush

[utyer 0]

A lot of people use double edge razor blades to trim deer hair, and they like to hold the blade in a curved shape. Here is a little do-dad I made from two pill bottles that holds the blade for me. Cut the rims and bottems out of both, and then slit one bottle and it will then snap around the second bottle. A little masking tape will hold it all together. The tape can be removed to change the blades. Mine is tight enough that I don't need the tape. Diffenent size bottles will give you different arcs for your cuts.

[Bruce Derington 0]

Any DVD's by Chris Helm are great to veiw and get some great tips. You can go to u-tube and look for spinning/stacking videos

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

or give Bruce your addy and he can tutor you

[Dezod 0]

Utyer

 

I don't tie much for bass, but that trick might be the best I have seen for the trimming portion, which I find to be the most difficult and frustrating. When I pull out the belly hair next I will definitley be trying the double pill bottle trick.

 

C

 

 

 

A lot of people use double edge razor blades to trim deer hair, and they like to hold the blade in a curved shape. Here is a little do-dad I made from two pill bottles that holds the blade for me. Cut the rims and bottems out of both, and then slit one bottle and it will then snap around the second bottle. A little masking tape will hold it all together. The tape can be removed to change the blades. Mine is tight enough that I don't need the tape. Diffenent size bottles will give you different arcs for your cuts.

[perchjerker 0]

The individual who teaches deer hair bugs for our club's fly tying course uses a very simple and easy technique for setting the 'profile' of the bug. After having trimmed the bottom flat, using a double-edge razor blade, and using curved scissors (which, by the way, are highly recommended by all who do much deer hair work, including Chris Helm), he measures the gape of the hook with the points being used as a pair of calipers. He uses this dimension to establish the width of the bottom of the bug and the face height, based on the hook shank. The width of the bottom should be twice the hook gape and the height of the face one hook gape high. He then makes a single cut, about 1/8" deep into the hair around the face of the bug,establishing a front-view 'silhouette', or "template", around the face of the bug. He then proceeds to follow this "template", first down the sides of the bottom, following the outline of the densest part of the hair, and cutting only 1/8-1/4 inch deep (you can take more off; BUT,you can't add more hair if it is cut too short!). Once he has the sides pretty well finished, he then proceeds from front to back on top the give the taper to the back.

 

His final steps are to trim 'rough' areas with the double edge razor blade, as utyer has noted, to establish 'balance' to the outline. THIS IS THE POINT WHERE EXCESS HAIR CAN BE READILY REMOVED---so, TAKE CARE with this step.

 

Getting this down is easy; it just takes practice,practice, practice.

 

GOOD LUCK!

[bad fish rising 0]

utier i have a tool like that that i bought at cabelas

 

not rely on topic but i recently posted a pic of a muddler rabbit strip fly that i mixed the colors of hair in my stacker for a brindled effect for a more custom fly rather than the plain brown head

thought you might be intrested

[Piker20 0]

utier i have a tool like that that i bought at cabelas

 

not rely on topic but i recently posted a pic of a muddler rabbit strip fly that i mixed the colors of hair in my stacker for a brindled effect for a more custom fly rather than the plain brown head

thought you might be intrested

 

Is that pic on database here? had a quick look but nothing obvious.

[Bruce Derington 0]

The individual who teaches deer hair bugs for our club's fly tying course uses a very simple and easy technique for setting the 'profile' of the bug. After having trimmed the bottom flat, using a double-edge razor blade, and using curved scissors (which, by the way, are highly recommended by all who do much deer hair work, including Chris Helm), he measures the gape of the hook with the points being used as a pair of calipers. He uses this dimension to establish the width of the bottom of the bug and the face height, based on the hook shank. The width of the bottom should be twice the hook gape and the height of the face one hook gape high. He then makes a single cut, about 1/8" deep into the hair around the face of the bug,establishing a front-view 'silhouette', or "template", around the face of the bug. He then proceeds to follow this "template", first down the sides of the bottom, following the outline of the densest part of the hair, and cutting only 1/8-1/4 inch deep (you can take more off; BUT,you can't add more hair if it is cut too short!). Once he has the sides pretty well finished, he then proceeds from front to back on top the give the taper to the back.

 

His final steps are to trim 'rough' areas with the double edge razor blade, as utyer has noted, to establish 'balance' to the outline. THIS IS THE POINT WHERE EXCESS HAIR CAN BE READILY REMOVED---so, TAKE CARE with this step.

 

Getting this down is easy; it just takes practice,practice, practice.

 

All, these tips are quite important in that the finished product will cast and land on water right side up, very good advice

 

GOOD LUCK!

[perchjerker 0]

Excellent "footnote" Bruce. Thanks!

[bad fish rising 0]

piker 20

yes its in the coldwater under "new teck for me"

i misspelled tech.

 

i found it in an article from flytier magazine

it also discussed making bands of color

i just read an article on-line about spots

 

i think making varigated flies will represent sculpin & such better because they arent solid brown or black

also your flies will stand out from the crowd but not in a vulgar way such as hot butts because they will blend more naturally

[Piker20 0]

piker 20

yes its in the coldwater under "new teck for me"

i misspelled tech.

 

I'm being a ! Can't find it in the pattern database under your name, new teck or coldwater bit. But I agree anything that breaks up the flies into a dappled affect can only be good.