Spinning deer hair

[Fredrick]

I just started to spin deer hair and was wondering some of the things you guys do to get your fly nice and tight. Any little extra tip that you don't see in a book would be nice...

THXS FRED

 

[flyfishermanj]

Fredrick,

I found it easier to spin deer hair on a bare hook. What I mean is that I don't put any thread on the area of the shank that I'm spinning the hair. Also there is a tool that helps you pack the hair on the hook, the name of the tool excapes me. Hope this helps.
JH

 

[mediclimber]

Bare hook, the tool is a hair packer, you can use an empty pen to do the same thing. I actually like the empty pen better than a packer, feels like there's more control to me.

 

[Fredrick]

Thanks Flyfishermanj for the info the tool is called a brassie I own one and have all the other tools needed to make bass bugs .But I'm just looking for that little extra technique that one would do to get the fly so that the hair is nice and tightly pack till were when you push on it it barely moves after you cut it to shape of course :-D

 

[mediclimber]

Try the empty pen trick. It seems to push the hair tighter than a packer/brassie and you can throw a couple of half hitches over the pen to keep things tight.

 

[Padraic]

Since you are looking for tips "not in any book"....

When you pack the deer hair, twist the packer. I think that helps.

 

[Fredrick]

Your right Pad i'm being to picky so any tip would do nicely
Thanks in advance Fred the poacher hunter

 

[tomgamber]

Not sure what your work flow currently is so its hard tell you where you might improve. I do remember that packing them with either the empty pen or your thumb and forefinger nails and using a razor rather than scissors to finish shaping where the two things that really helped me. I don't do much of that any more though. I've gone to simpler things like foam since my wife is more sensitive about massive amounts of deer hair clippings on the floor than I was when I was single and used to tie them.

 

[plumbob]

The trick is to be able to push the hair as close to the hook shank as possible. Ball point pens work but if the hole is to big will tend not push the center core. Thats why the brassie works well because it closes down right onto the hook shank and pushes the core back, it was developed by Chris Helm so that should say something right there. Twisting while pushing helps some. One other thing is to take a few extra wraps of thread and use the brassie to push the thread wraps against the center core and then back the wraps off after compacting. One of the biggest things that will get the hair tighter is to steam it after you have as much as you can put on. You need a forcefull steam. A tea kettle with a whistle spout will work. The steam make the hair expand and will really tighten it up, you can try it with one you already have tyed up, just hold the hair in the stream of steam and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Padraic]

There is a method for spinning deer hair in the Fly Tyer's Benchside Reference that is supposed to get bugs that are as hard as Rapalas. I don't have a copy of it handy, but you could take a look.

 

[afishinado]

I seldom pack hair, except for tying a few muddlers once in a while, but here are two links with info about packing hair. The 1st is an article by Chris Helm, the guy who invented the brassie tool, I believe. The 2nd link is from a Fly tying forum about the subject. HTH – good luck.

http://flyfisherman.com/ftb/chdeerhair/index.html

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=400

 

[skiltonian]

use can also create dubbing loops with the deer hair. create the loop, align all the ends, wrap, compact, and repeat. with practice you can get it nice and tight.
on a side note, if tying scuplins - use rams wool instead of deer hair in the same process above. or if you like the aesthetics of the deer hair, use cone heads.

 

[Merle]

Here is how I trim the deer hair body. Rough trim with scissors, then trim the hair a little closer using a Exto knife blade holder with a double edged razor blade broke in half inserted in the handle then use half of a double edged razor blade bowed to finish the body. I also us a Brassi to pack each clump of hair after spinning. For Bass bugs I use 280 UTC or Kevlar thread.

Best Fishes