How do you tie off your parachutes?

[Crackaig 0]

Has anyone tried the horizontal finger whip finish yet?:devil2:

Cheers,

C.

[dontheo 0]

I learned to tie of by hand on the post. Is that what you mean? I saw it on you tube. Iam not sure it is a whip finish or a half hith but it is clean.

[Crackaig 0]

Its a whip finish but with your wrist cocked so you are wrapping horizontal. I do it rather than re position the hook. One or two other people have tried it and usually end up with their fingers tied to the post.

 

Cheers

C.

[border collies 0]

I have cut the little plastic dispenser tube that comes with zap a gap so that the narrow end just barely fits over the end of my bobbin and always tie with that on the bobbin. When I get to the end of the fly, I simply slide the plastic up the bobbin and tread and onto the fly and it neatly pushes all the hackle and whatnot back away from they eye so that i don't trap anything when I whip finish. Works great for me.

[ShortyB 0]

I whip finish on the post. Just make sure that your thread is wrapped on the lowest point of the post before wrapping the hackle. It is then pretty easy to use your whip finish tool to wrap under the entire operation. I also apply a bit of head cement to the last 8th inch of thread closest to the hook for a little extra strength. If you are careful, it does not get on the hackle and provides a bit of extra strength.

[Crackaig 0]

Getting head cement onto the whip finish if formed around the post couldn't be easier, but there is a trick to it. Form your whip finish, put your dubbing needle (bodkin) into the loop. Put a tiny drop of head cement onto the tip of the needle. Pull the whip finish tight and withdraw the needle. The thread will take the head cement off the needle and it always ends up in just the right place. With this method you will not get any gumming up the hackle.

 

Cheers,

C.

[Wavey1988 0]

With a lot of swearing

[Odaon 0]

Normally I whip on the post like most people here have said. I saw this video the other day. It's one of Davie McPhail's videos and he uses a small piece of silicone to push everything back. I might start doing this way now.

 

[MayflyMeyhem 0]

I just started finishing on the post. WAY better method for me, will never go back to trying to hold back the hackle to finish behind hook eye and ruining the hackle.....

[Obi 0]

Hi everybody!

 

What I do to finish my parachute-flies without spoiling the paracute-hackle:

 

1.) Wax the thread with bee's wax

2.) Wrap a few turns of thread behind the hook eye to form a nice head

3.) Finish with a few half-hitches, using a half-hitch tool. I typically apply 5 half-hitches, but this will depend on the size of the fly

4.) Apply a little head-cement ....... done!

 

-> Never had a problem with that. The finish is pretty durable, and the use of the half-hitch-tool helps to keep the hackle-barbs in place.

 

 

Cheers, Obi

[tctrout 0]

I have rarely used any glue when tying a parachute off; I'm more in the "hold back the hackle" camp of tying. Here's a video that shows the main way I finish a parachute. The differing parts that I mention in the video is that @ times, I will first tie the hackle directly onto the post and then go to the tail/body of the fly.

 

I will also finish the hackle by wrapping thread over it, thereby locking the hackle into the post. Even with that to lock the hackle in, I still "hold back the hackle" and whip finish on the hook.

 

 

Tim

[strmanglr 0]

Used to dread tying parachutes.

 

I use a little piece of foam about .5cm x .5cm with a slit cut in the middle to hold back the hackle. I still use that but my paradigm shift came when I started dubbing just a touch after securing the end of the parachute hackle. Now I just dub a little on the head, helps keep the hackle off the head. Then tilt the vise a little and whip finish on the head.

[Matt B 0]

I used to tie off behind the eye, but could never do it without catching some hackle fibers. My tying Jedi Master kinda barked at me and asked why I didn't tie off on the post, told him "Because you never showed me". I was amazed when I saw him do it.

1. Tie on the tail

2. Tie on the parachute, make a nice post with thread, take thread back to tail

3. Dub up to the post

4. Tie on your hackle, with enough stem stripped to run up the post

5. Finish the dub in front of the post working back towards the post

6. Tie the hackle up the post, then bring the thread back down to the base of the post crowding the body

7. (this is were he shocked me) take the fly out of the vise with bobbin still attached, Turn the fly so the eye faces down and tail is straight up, re clamp in vise

( I normally hang the thread and bobbin toward the back of the vise in the spring or over the lock for the rotation)

8. Now your set up to wrap the hackle on the post like a normal dressed dry when it's in the vise in this position. Wrap the hackle down the post crowding the body.Pick your thread up and bring it around to catch the hackle, secure it, clip the excess hackle, and throw a whip finish on it, and your done. Very clean and easy. Don't know if I explained it correctly, but the key is repositioning the half finished fly in the vise before you wrap the hackle.

[Crackaig 0]

That's exactly how I do it except I move my hand rather than re position the hook. If you draw the whip finish tight around your bodkin, then put a tiny drop of head cement on the bodkin. Tension the thread and pull out the bodkin you will hit the whip finish every time without gumming up the hackle.

Cheers,

C.

[tctrout 0]

FYI: Here's a brief tutorial I put together for some beginning fly tyers.