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Monk57

Stop hair from spinning

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How do I keep the hair from spinning when using it for wings on sulphurs and other flies that use deer hair for wings that you want to ride on top of the hook? Seems I frequently break my thread when tightening down sufficiently to stop the hair from spinning.

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A good thread base helps as wells as holding the hair firmly while you cinch it down. When dealing with deer hair its not unusual for people to step up thread size as well

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There are various techniques and most can be seen in video demonstrations. Two that work real well are:

 

1 Take two loose wraps around the bunch and the hook while pinching the bundle down on the hook shank then pull up from under the hook , take two more loose wraps and repeat. Done twice should cinch it down and then you should be able to continue tying/wrapping etc normally.. But with hair it's always good to support the hairs position when wrapping thread anyway.

 

2 Surround just the hair with a loop or two of thread before cinching it down on the hook. So bring your thread up off the bottom of the hook, circle with two turns of thread just the hair then the hook and cinch it down. you still need to pinch or the whole bundle of hair might slide off the top of the hook rather than being spread around the hook in a typical spin. But held in place correctly the hair will sit right on top of the hook.

 

The ultimate key is the pinch method in either situation. Both work well, I use both systems. Davie McPhail also uses these methods FWIW ( and other methods too), you might catch one of his video instructions at you tube .

 

Below fin-ite 34 mentioned waxing the tread and i agree that wax does help.

 

This video shows the two turns and up pull of thread, though an elk hair caddis the principal is the same: http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/fly-tying-videos/dry-flies/735-elk-hair-caddis

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Try using a stronger thread when making hair wings. I use Uni-Thread 6/0 for size 12-14, and Uni-Thread 8/0 for 16-18. Some people use GSP thread for deer hair, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

Another suggestion is, once you have the wing snugged down, put a drop of super glue on it. This won't make up for sloppy wraps, but it will help hold it in place if it was properly bound down.

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If you're putting a wing on top of the fly, start tying the deer hair in slightly "before" where you want it to be. Don't "fight" the spin, use it to position the hair properly.

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I got a roll of kevlar thread from my local fly shop it's tough stuff no breaking issues it is a little thick but not to bad.

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I got a roll of kevlar thread from my local fly shop it's tough stuff no breaking issues it is a little thick but not to bad.

One problem other than "bulky", is that it is so strong , it can cut into the hair .

 

That video shows a couple of very nice techniques , that he have learned and that securing of the hair very important

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I got a roll of kevlar thread from my local fly shop it's tough stuff no breaking issues it is a little thick but not to bad.

One problem other than "bulky", is that it is so strong , it can cut into the hair .

 

That video shows a couple of very nice techniques , that he have learned and that securing of the hair very important

 

Yes, that's why I use UTC 70 or Danville 6/0 ( UTC being stronger and with a bit of stretch, IMO) ,they are both more floss like in nature, the thread flattens out over the hair and doesn't cut it. Between that flattening and some wax it aids in a success story when placing hair on top of a hook vs spinning it.. It's gentler on the fibers. Off topic but If you want to spin the hair, nix the wax and don't build a thread base on the hook shank.

 

8/0 Uni will cut too FWIW, it pulls down very sharply on deer hair at the least.

 

And again, the two turns and then pull up from under the hook shank really helps as in the video I posted further back in the thread, works well in my experience anyway. Here it is again: http://howtoflyfish....elk-hair-caddis

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GSP thread is my favorite with just about any deer type hair (incl elk, caribou, antelope etc). It is extremely strong for any given size (now avail down to 50 denier) and doesn't cut the thread as easily as Kevlar. I may start a fly with regular thread, but then switch to GSP when I get to the hair part. Or use it for the entire fly (see Barry Clarke, thefeatherbender.com). For upright wings, eg Comparduns, try winding the thread thru the clump of hair as you stand it up by portion by portion (ala Chris Helm: Hair Trout Flies video). Good Luck.

 

Thanks, Bob H

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