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Fly Tying
Gene L

Quill Wings

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They give me trouble...one side always seems to un-marry when tying them down.  As a result,  I don't tie them very well or often, so maybe it's just a form that needs practice.  On another related note, I've been trying to tie a quill wing Royal Coachman, and used up my ragged white goose quill pair.  I was astounded when re-ordering to find that almost no supplier has White goose quill feathers.  Plenty of colored ones, but white is on backorder from at least three stores.  Can anyone 'splain this shortage?  I finally found a source but they limited me to two pair, which should last me for a long time unless I continue to waste slips.

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.  Deleted...Getting goose and duck feathers from a local waterfowl outfitter suggestion if you lived by one might open a can of worms.  Couldn’t find the link in MigratoryBird Act that says they are legal for fly tying.   Sorry

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Gene I'm assuming you mean tying quill wing slips and getting them to stay married and even.  As opposed to "marrying" quill fibers from different feathers to produce a stripe in the center of the slip.

I've always struggled to tie them at the same time.  I see guys on line like Davie McPhail pinch and loop the 2 slips in at the same time and they come out perfect.  There's something in their technique that has eluded me because when I try that one side un marries or ends up uneven.   What works best for me is to tie in one slip at a time.  I pinch and loop 2 turns of thread on each using moderate tension to hold them in place then tighten down together with a pinch and loop once you have each slip positioned to match.  Slower than 2 at a time but that's ok because I'm not a production tyer.

I have seen white goose quills at Hobby Lobby and Michael's from time to time.  It might be worth a look.

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4 hours ago, DFoster said:

Gene I'm assuming you mean tying quill wing slips and getting them to stay married and even.  As opposed to "marrying" quill fibers from different feathers to produce a stripe in the center of the slip.

I've always struggled to tie them at the same time.  I see guys on line like Davie McPhail pinch and loop the 2 slips in at the same time and they come out perfect.  There's something in their technique that has eluded me because when I try that one side un marries or ends up uneven.   What works best for me is to tie in one slip at a time.  I pinch and loop 2 turns of thread on each using moderate tension to hold them in place then tighten down together with a pinch and loop once you have each slip positioned to match.  Slower than 2 at a time but that's ok because I'm not a production tyer.

I have seen white goose quills at Hobby Lobby and Michael's from time to time.  It might be worth a look.

I picked up a good tip from Ronn Lucas' site . "To set the wing in, hold it with your left thumb and index fingers at the tie in spot, take one soft turn up and around the wing, on the next turn, pull up to pull the soft loop tight, take one more tight turn next to the last. You can now let go with your left hand to see how the wing looks. If it is what you like, hold the wing again with the left hand and lay down a few more tight turns one next the other towards the eye. If you weren’t happy with the wing shape/position, simply try again. You ought to be able to reposition the wing several times if needed."  This assumes you're a right handed tier. Basically don't let go while tying the wings in. See step 12

 

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2 hours ago, flytire said:

what does that have to do with tying quill wings 

 

16 hours ago, denduke said:

Couldn’t find the link in MigratoryBird Act that says they are legal for fly tying.   Sorry

Just answering his post

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In my lame attempts, I have tried all methods.  A pinch loop is the best so far, really pinch the thread so you get it on top and pull downward, but evenly and tightly but not a death pull.  I'm also using now white turkey quills and they work, but a bit coarse and the pair I have don't seem to be matched.

Goose quills aren't from migratory birds, they're from commercial birds.  

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2 hours ago, Sandan said:

I picked up a god tip from Ronn Lucas' site . "To set the wing in, hold it with your left thumb and index fingers at the tie in spot, take one soft turn up and around the wing, on the next turn, pull up to pull the soft loop tight, take one more tight turn next to the last. You can now let go with your left hand to see how the wing looks. If it is what you like, hold the wing again with the left hand and lay down a few more tight turns one next the other towards the eye. If you weren’t happy with the wing shape/position, simply try again. You ought to be able to reposition the wing several times if needed."  This assumes you're a right handed tier. Basically don't let go while tying the wings in. See step 12

 

Thank you Sandan- I will give that a try.  My main issue has been with the wing on the side of the fly not facing me (back side).  It always seems to want to fold at the tie in point.

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2 hours ago, Sandan said:

I picked up a god tip from Ronn Lucas' site . "To set the wing in, hold it with your left thumb and index fingers at the tie in spot, take one soft turn up and around the wing, on the next turn, pull up to pull the soft loop tight, take one more tight turn next to the last. You can now let go with your left hand to see how the wing looks. If it is what you like, hold the wing again with the left hand and lay down a few more tight turns one next the other towards the eye. If you weren’t happy with the wing shape/position, simply try again. You ought to be able to reposition the wing several times if needed."  This assumes you're a right handed tier. Basically don't let go while tying the wings in. See step 12

 

I think probably the "God" tips are the best tips.😁 The tip from Ronn Lucas is good too. I have used that method and have been most successful with it.

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Have you seen this video - it is not designed as a quick demo video.  It's more like he's sitting down and talking with us while he ties.  It is VERY informative though on slip/quill wings.  Hope this helps.

Blue Quill - YouTube

Kim

 

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29 minutes ago, Mark Knapp said:

I think probably the "God" tips are the best tips.😁 The tip from Ronn Lucas is good too. I have used that method and have been most successful with it.

Thanks, I'll fix that though I have to agree.

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18 hours ago, WWKimba said:

Have you seen this video - it is not designed as a quick demo video.  It's more like he's sitting down and talking with us while he ties.  It is VERY informative though on slip/quill wings.  Hope this helps.

Blue Quill - YouTube

Kim

 

I got to admit I have not seen the technique of tying the slips together before.  Thanks for sharing!

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sorry if its italian but try turning on the translate function

i think you can also follow along visually

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