mallard feather wings?

I was tying up some Coachmen last night, and I got completely mungled up
trying to prepare and tie on the wings. Some questions;

1) Any inside hints on how to prepare a matching pair of sections? I found
it very difficult to get them really the same, either the length was out,
the width, the color, or the curve. Which is most important?

2) How can you keep the wings from splitting as you tie them on?

and mostly

3) How do you tie them on??? I kept getting one wing bending over the other,
or splitting horrendously, or both of them ending up on one side of the eye.
Just doing a soft loop didn't seem to get them lined up exactly how I wanted
them...there's gotta be an easier way!

--riverman

"riverman" wrote in
:

3) How do you tie them on??? I kept getting one wing bending over the
other, or splitting horrendously, or both of them ending up on one
side of the eye. Just doing a soft loop didn't seem to get them lined
up exactly how I wanted them...there's gotta be an easier way!

--riverman




This is the height of the pinch technique. It's hard to describe, but I'll
give it a go. As you're tightening the loop, you use your fingers to push
down from the top, keeping the feather slips aligned, and most importantly,
on TOP of the hook.

Scott

"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
. 1.4...
"riverman" wrote in
:

3) How do you tie them on??? I kept getting one wing bending over the
other, or splitting horrendously, or both of them ending up on one
side of the eye. Just doing a soft loop didn't seem to get them lined
up exactly how I wanted them...there's gotta be an easier way!

--riverman




This is the height of the pinch technique. It's hard to describe, but
I'll
give it a go. As you're tightening the loop, you use your fingers to push
down from the top, keeping the feather slips aligned, and most
importantly,
on TOP of the hook.


How do you guide the 'crinkling' as the slips collapse? It seems that they
should accordian down neatly, but instead mine just rolled over. Is it
easier to learn on some larger slips of generic feathers?

--riverman

"riverman" wrote in
:

How do you guide the 'crinkling' as the slips collapse? It seems that
they should accordian down neatly, but instead mine just rolled over.
Is it easier to learn on some larger slips of generic feathers?

--riverman


If you keep your fingers tight around them, the only place they can go is
down. Don't get the impression that the thread does all the pulling-- the
fingers need to do the pushing too.

Scott

Scott Seidman wrote in
. 1.4:

"riverman" wrote in
:

How do you guide the 'crinkling' as the slips collapse? It seems that
they should accordian down neatly, but instead mine just rolled over.
Is it easier to learn on some larger slips of generic feathers?

--riverman


If you keep your fingers tight around them, the only place they can go
is down. Don't get the impression that the thread does all the
pulling-- the fingers need to do the pushing too.

Scott


By the way, I think this is tough, and probably why not many people I know
tie fly's with this type of wing.

Scott

"riverman" wrote

them...there's gotta be an easier way!



I may be answering the wrong question ....

I don't use any patterns with mallard quill wings except for no-hackle duns
and the way you want the wings to ride may well be different.

For the no-hackles I found the method Lawson demonstrates in a video on
springcreek patterns a great help ... if you can get the video .... it's
called something like "Tying Spring creek and Tailwater Patterns"

matching the width of the slip you cut is made easier by sticking two pins
in a stick and using the pins to separate the feathers into equal sized
slices


.....Even the tips and hold the two slips together in place over the hook.
.....Start with the thread behind the wings and slightly ABOVE the hook, on
your side of the hook
....WITHOUT applying ANY thread tension on the feathers completely circle
them and end up in exactly the same place ... behind the wings and slightly
above the hook, on your side of the hook ( you have to lower the bobbin to
get back on your side but raise it again before applying pressure )
....now apply tension directly away from the wings ...i.e. slightly up and
towards the rear of the hook
.... without any tension, repeat the above, making sure that all thread
tension is applied in the slightly up and Back direction
..... now you can add several standard wraps in FRONT of the wraps just made
to secure the wings and snip the excess ( an errant wrap behind the first
two will roo the wings out of position )


I tried for years to tie decent no-hackles and was never consistent until I
saw this method ... the trick is to apply those first two tensions in
exactly the right direction while your grip on the feathers also forces them
upright .. it's not a pinch method but accomplished the same thing, thread
tension that doesn't roll or move the wings

As I said, I "don't do" traditional quill wing ties, never have, so I'm not
sure if the same technique can work .... but it does produce wings that
stand up beautifully for no-hackles