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Sandan

Snowies #2 for the Brora

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Another attempt at the #2. A real salmon hook this time, TMC7999 1/0. Real blue/yellow macaw horns thanks to the Giant of the Cape. Needs work still, but it's a marathon not a sprint. I think I'll spend some time working on getting the body smother. Keep those cards and letters coming. 

PHOTO_20201128_140744.jpg

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Okay Sandan...I will add a few more thoughts focusing on small details, plus a material and tool tip or 2.

Tool tip #1 - On that well known auction site type burnishing agate knife into the  search box. They are all I use to burnish my flies. The flat gray ones are my choice.

Material tip #1 - On that same site type wooly nylon thread into the search box. Buy a spool (cone) of white. You will have to transfer this stuff onto tying sized spools to use it with a bobbin, but when you pay less than $10 for several thousand meters...need I say more?

When wrapping the underbody, be sure to keep the material flat for smoothness. When you have what you're looking for...burnish it. Then do the same with the finished body. Be patient and you will be happy with the results.

The tip/tag/tail/butt area are much closer to the correct traditional length. Try to make the floss smaller in diameter. The body must be a little larger than that for proper appearances.

Finally for now - the traditional length of the tail is 1 1/2 times the gape (gap) of the hook. Everything will follow and begin to fall in place after that.

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@Moshup , @chugbug27 Thank you gents.

@flytire  I'm working on the proportions, thanks.  Obviously there's still work to be done. 

@cphubert I tried burnishing the underbody and the floss. 

@SalarMan I ordered the thread and burnisher. I used the shaft of a bodkin in my attempt to burnish the underbody and the floss, keeping the thread as flat as I could. BTW I used  Gordon Griffiths14/0 Sheer to keep the thread bulk down. I think it worked.  I tried matching my proportions to the picture, SBS, I'm working with. Your final tip just might be the critical piece of the puzzle to get everything else to fall into place.  Marathon not a sprint and drawing out the fly really helped.

Question: After mounting the wings, when I tie in the shoulders, cheek, topping and horns sometimes the wings will split apart, I remarry them as best I can. Is that common, might I be handling them too much to cause that?

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3 hours ago, SalarMan said:

Material tip #1 - On that same site type wooly nylon thread into the search box. Buy a spool (cone) of white

If I've already got a spool of white uni stretch, that's good for now, yes? Thanks salarman

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39 minutes ago, chugbug27 said:

If I've already got a spool of white uni stretch, that's good for now, yes? Thanks salarman

@chugbug27 If I may, "Use fine diameter Uni-Stretch for the underbody and be sure to burnish both the under and finished bodies. Any flaws on the underbody show through on the finished body" that was @SalarMan's comment. It's on page 1 along with a picture.  I've been practicing with the Uni Stretch today a bit. I works pretty well. Well till I burnish, seems like my bodkin needle, or whatever else I use is too rough and the thread gets a bit shredded. What I noticed though, just like any thread, make sure you keep flattening it out as you wrap.  I ordered some of that agate for burnishing this morning. 5 pieces in the package. I'll send you one when I get them Dec 8 is the date. PM me your address.

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Thanks @Sandan I'll go with the uni stretch for now ..

Re the agate burnisher, I bought this one a month ago on ebay ($4 free shipping), and it's immigrating from China as we speak...

image.png.e23f689851bc1f279c43c8441dc773ae.png

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Natural-Agate-Burnisher-Polishing-Knife-Edge-Craft-Hand-Jewelry-Making-ToolYJUS/303565756261?pageci=7b4b9f7e-d9d8-45b4-a702-6c6c632a6e85

Not sure mine will meet the @SalarManseal of approval, but if it does then no need to replace. Much thanks regardless.

 

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1 hour ago, chugbug27 said:

Thanks @Sandan I'll go with the uni stretch for now ..

Re the agate burnisher, I bought this one a month ago on ebay ($4 free shipping), and it's immigrating from China as we speak...

image.png.e23f689851bc1f279c43c8441dc773ae.png

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Natural-Agate-Burnisher-Polishing-Knife-Edge-Craft-Hand-Jewelry-Making-ToolYJUS/303565756261?pageci=7b4b9f7e-d9d8-45b4-a702-6c6c632a6e85

Not sure mine will meet the @SalarManseal of approval, but if it does then no need to replace. Much thanks regardless.

 

Np @chugbug27. Offer is always open

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Sorry for the delay in responding, but sometimes life gets in the way.

I've attached a couple of photos showing the current state of affairs on my tying desk. The agate burnishers I use are shown to illustrate the various sizes available.

Now...They will not compensate for poor tying, only smooth and polish what you've done to a certain degree. It is important to make the underbody as flat and flawless as possible and the burnisher will fine tune your work, which means the finished body can also be completed smooth and shiny as well.

Hope this helps.

DSC_0002_(2).thumb.JPG.52a53cf9d69c4608d025182e3c429e1a.JPG7502747_DSC_0003(2).thumb.JPG.6b49724eaf38ee382f79c5bcd0abb12c.JPG

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