size 20 and smaller

[Daryle Holmstrom]

I signed up for Rons latest swap, how do I clip the head thread without leaving a big clump for the cement to adhere to?

Daryle

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Daryle, Fine pointed, thin bladed scissors. REE

[Nick Riggs]

Razor blades work well too.

[Daryle Holmstrom]

Thanks, Ron and Nick, the old fingers are a little shaky. But I'll give it a try.

Daryle

[Charlie S]

I tie a lot of flies down to #32's. I've never had a problem with the knot coming loose but if I think I might I just put a VERY small drop of cement on the thread as I'm closing the knot. No further cement needed, thus no lumps where a thread might stick out.

[yuhina]

Good tip, Charlie!

[Daryle Holmstrom]

I tie a lot of flies down to #32's. I've never had a problem with the knot coming loose but if I think I might I just put a VERY small drop of cement on the thread as I'm closing the knot. No further cement needed, thus no lumps where a thread might stick out.

Trying to figure that out since I use the tool and hand whip if I have to.
Where do I add the drop of cement?

[Daryle Holmstrom]

I tie a lot of flies down to #32's. I've never had a problem with the knot coming loose but if I think I might I just put a VERY small drop of cement on the thread as I'm closing the knot. No further cement needed, thus no lumps where a thread might stick out.

Trying to figure that out since I use the tool and hand whip if I have to.
Where do I add the drop of cement?

[Charlie S]

On the thread just before the loop tightens up. It will draw the cement into the knot and hold it fast. I tie a lot of my smaller flies with the Gudebrod 10/0 thread and seldom does one ever come loose. I use a hand finish...never learned, in over 55 years of tying, to use one of them infernal machines...LOL

[Nova]

Ive never use cement on any flies I have tied i dont like using it if i dont have to. I cant remember having any of my flies knots fail on me for that matter. I hate it when I buy "cheap store boughts" and have to mess with poking a hole thru the eye so i can line a fly. The less I have to do on the river the better, specially when its colder than a well diggers a$$ out last thing i want to do is excess fumbling with something really small. There are benefits using cement with parachutes though i do agree in that instance.
Heres what I do to tie off. Make 3 whips w/ a finisher then cinch down pull the thread up then down to get a nice tight knot....easy right? Make another pass, 4 turns this time around, BUT start your whips right behind the eye and stack the thread turns tightly next to each other working back against the first whip finish then cinch down as before and walaa. What this does is cover and protect the first whip so even if the last one fails you still have the first one to hold. It also places the final knot away from the eye. I do use reading specs to give me a little vision boost too, my eyes are not what they used to be. Im sure everyone double finishes, the covering helps quite a bit though. I know im freakin obsessed ill admit it but it does work 99.9% of the time for me anyway. When using beadheads this doesnt apply i will use three sometimes four whip finishes. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

[Be Jofus G]

Good set of scissors like REE said and if you decide to add head cement, I found that with hook eyes, Wet head cement is simple to remove. A blast of canned compressed air blows it right out. Saves having to fool with a whip finisher and tying multiple knots on tiny flies.

[mike doughty]

i've never had a problem with it. it doesn't matter if i use my good scissors or my worst, i usually use 10/0 thread, tie one 1/2 hitch but make sure i tighten the knot up before i cut the thread then head cement it.

[Daryle Holmstrom]

Hey Mike you going to have an e-mail address over there? Our West point grad nephew is shipping out on the 29th.

I was an In country Viet Nam vet in 69-70, fourteen and a half months.
Be Safe,

Daryle

[flytyerboy95]

id probaly cry if i tried to do a size 32. thats just INSANE. p.s. what is the all time smallest hook that a fly can be tied on

[Charlie S]

The smallest currently commercially available is a #32 Tiemco. I tie a split tail parachute midge on that particular hook. PS: There are smaller hooks available from Japan but almost all are very poor quality and the vast majority are blind eye hooks.