Extreme hackle cup issue

[AKMac 0]

Hey Guys,

 

So I spent all last night tying bivisibles in size 18 with each color cape I have to see what's going on. I figured if nothing else it would be good practice. I do strip all the barbs for about 1/4 of the feather and I tie it in so that the shiny side faces me at a 45 degree angle. If you are familiar with the tightline videos on youtube, my procedure is identical to his for a bivisible.

 

What brought this about is I just recently purchased the light dunn, medium dunn, and light ginger. I can not, for the life of me, get the new capes to lay perfectly. I tried for over 30 minutes last night and the "U" shape that forms, pushes hackle barbs forward as you turn. It's hard to describe and photograph. I'm not above saying it's probably my technique, as I know that I'm not that great of tyer. I just can't get these to look good.

 

I appreciate all the advise. I will call Whiting when I'm off work to see what they say.

 

I apologize for my photographic ability.

 

 

[rockworm 0]

AK- Do you see this problem when you tye in at the bend and wind the hackle forward? (Your flies, BTW, look perfectly fishable.)

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

AK- can you take some pictures of the bad hackle laying flat on a contrasting surface alongside a good hackle of the same size?

 

If the individual hackle feathers are rolled. that would make it almost impossible to wind the hackle and have the barbules orient in the correct manner. Your only recourse may be to try and return the capes for replacement or refund from wherever your purchased them.

[mikechell 0]

I've looked, online, at other tier's bivisibles, and I don't see anything wrong with yours.

[flytire 0]

after looking at those hackled hooks what more in the way of perfection do you think you need?

 

apparently the "cupped" hackles wrapped pretty damn good

 

nothing is perfect especially a chicken. tasty but far from perfect

 

to me, hackles can be wrapped with the shiny side of the feather facing forward or facing backwards. no right or wrong. tyers preference

 

the only problematic one might be the "light dun" but i'd still fish it

 

 

Fly tyers sure have a way for making things difficult!

[hairwing 0]

Actually I thought about this "cupping" and did not see it as a problem but a solution....http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=79290&hl=%2Bbent+%2Bhackle+%2Btips

 

YMMV

[Cold 0]

I have a bunch of hackle that has that cup too and it drives me up a wall, but there's not much you can do about it, and really, on the finished fly, the effect is (mostly) cosmetic.

 

One thing that helps a little is to use more tension when hackling. This will get the fibers to "stand at attention" a bit more than they otherwise might. Another thing that may help of more heavily hackled areas (like say, a wulff) is to do a few thread wraps at the front end to push those fibers back and up, which will have a bit of a trickle down effect that will improve things if done with restraint. You aren't going to fix everything with this method, and it's easy to go overboard.

[nick2011 0]

those definetly look like feathers from a bad batch

[nick2011 0]

Hey Guys,

 

So I spent all last night tying bivisibles in size 18 with each color cape I have to see what's going on. I figured if nothing else it would be good practice. I do strip all the barbs for about 1/4 of the feather and I tie it in so that the shiny side faces me at a 45 degree angle. If you are familiar with the tightline videos on youtube, my procedure is identical to his for a bivisible.

 

What brought this about is I just recently purchased the light dunn, medium dunn, and light ginger. I can not, for the life of me, get the new capes to lay perfectly. I tried for over 30 minutes last night and the "U" shape that forms, pushes hackle barbs forward as you turn. It's hard to describe and photograph. I'm not above saying it's probably my technique, as I know that I'm not that great of tyer. I just can't get these to look good.

 

I appreciate all the advise. I will call Whiting when I'm off work to see what they say.

 

I apologize for my photographic ability.

 

 

the hackle on most of those look fine to me. but i know some things are hard to capture in a picture

[Bruce Derington 0]

Those capes are definately bad, send them to me, and I shall put them, um , dispose of them imediately.

Getting back to flytire's comment about shinny side forward versus back, I think when tying DRY's, dull side forward hackles 'cup' forward a bit which (in my mind), allows fly to "sit" higher. Well it works for me. But its tough to help you as those flies are fine, and i know how you feel about getting the materials to do or go where you would like them , can be very frustrating! I have run into some hackles that just won't sit vertical when advancing them, they become cat toys