Joined
·
143 Posts
Any advice on mounting a married wing? I knew this would test my patience, but, this is driving me to drink. I've been putting 2 soft loops over and trying to pull straight down, but one side or the other just buckles over. 
Mounting Married Wings
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
Joined
·
2,710 Posts
Joined
·
143 Posts
Thanks Norm, that is a pretty good article. Part of my problem with this is I was also using a Rite bobbin which is fairly heavy, so before I could move a hand, the weight of the bobbin was already crushing the fibers. Thanks again.
Joined
·
490 Posts
Tim,
You need to read the article again. The part about using the left hand to hold the soft loop open while you drop the bobbin and adjust the butts with your right hand (steps 5 & 6). Then you want a heavy bobbin so that when you release the soft loop there is enough weight to crush the wing fibers straight down onto the top of the hook shank. You may also find that with large married wings that after step 8 in the article you place a drop of water on the tie in/crush point and let the bobbin hang to further compact the wing at the tie in point to allow for the smallest tie in size before finally securing the wing and cutting off the butts.
You need to read the article again. The part about using the left hand to hold the soft loop open while you drop the bobbin and adjust the butts with your right hand (steps 5 & 6). Then you want a heavy bobbin so that when you release the soft loop there is enough weight to crush the wing fibers straight down onto the top of the hook shank. You may also find that with large married wings that after step 8 in the article you place a drop of water on the tie in/crush point and let the bobbin hang to further compact the wing at the tie in point to allow for the smallest tie in size before finally securing the wing and cutting off the butts.
Tim,
Another way to mount them is by taking a single soft loop between your thumb and forefinger and pull it tight by pulling upward on the bobbin after you go around the hook shank.
In other words:
1) you don't pull the soft loop tight in the normal manner;
2) instead you pull it tight after the bobbin is taken around the bottom of the hook;
3) which means you pull it tight by pointing the bobbin at the floor and pull up when the bobbin is on your body side of the fly.
4) Make 3 wraps this way (one after the other) with a very small space between each wrap (like a width of a thread wrap or so) remembering to keep holding the wing tight and pulling each thread wrap tight by pulling up on the bobbin as described.
5) Then check your wing's set and if it has moved to one side or the other, gentely move (persuade) it into the verticle proper position by using the thumbnail and forefingernail of your right hand while holding onto the wing firmly with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Remember, a little goes a long way when doing this, so check your wing's position after each very (and I mean very) little tweak of its position.
I learned this method from Judy Lempko (she lived in Texas and was a superb tyer of classic married wings) many years ago (must have aroung 1981) when she was doing a tying demo at a FFF Conclave in West Yellowstone, MT. It will feel odd and awkward at first and will seem completely counterintuitive, but stick with it and after 10 or so flies it will start feeling OK to tie them this way.
Another way to mount them is by taking a single soft loop between your thumb and forefinger and pull it tight by pulling upward on the bobbin after you go around the hook shank.
In other words:
1) you don't pull the soft loop tight in the normal manner;
2) instead you pull it tight after the bobbin is taken around the bottom of the hook;
3) which means you pull it tight by pointing the bobbin at the floor and pull up when the bobbin is on your body side of the fly.
4) Make 3 wraps this way (one after the other) with a very small space between each wrap (like a width of a thread wrap or so) remembering to keep holding the wing tight and pulling each thread wrap tight by pulling up on the bobbin as described.
5) Then check your wing's set and if it has moved to one side or the other, gentely move (persuade) it into the verticle proper position by using the thumbnail and forefingernail of your right hand while holding onto the wing firmly with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Remember, a little goes a long way when doing this, so check your wing's position after each very (and I mean very) little tweak of its position.
I learned this method from Judy Lempko (she lived in Texas and was a superb tyer of classic married wings) many years ago (must have aroung 1981) when she was doing a tying demo at a FFF Conclave in West Yellowstone, MT. It will feel odd and awkward at first and will seem completely counterintuitive, but stick with it and after 10 or so flies it will start feeling OK to tie them this way.
Joined
·
20,410 Posts
Three hours in front of the vise last night trying a variety of married wings. I'm gonna blame the 100% unacceptable results on the beer and try again. Thanks for the question and tutorials all, I'm going to keep at this one. It just might come a bit slower than I'd like.
Just keep in mind that (back when they tied their own flies) at Hardy's, the Atlantic salmon fly dressers (men only, women were employed tying trout flies but not salmon flies), served a one-year apprenticeship. During this period, every fly tied was, upon completion, cut apart and thrown away.
Joined
·
490 Posts
The Autumn 2007 Hatches magazine has an excellent tutorial on making and mounting married wings called "How Do You Do That? Techniques for Creating Married Wings for Classic Salmon and Wet Flies"
by G.S. "Stack" Scoville, Jr., M.D. Stack ties some of the most fantastic Atlantic Salmon flies and is an excellent and most able instructor. The magazine is still available for sale for $6.95. You can find it by a Google or Bing search or by the link on the Fly Tying Forums website.
by G.S. "Stack" Scoville, Jr., M.D. Stack ties some of the most fantastic Atlantic Salmon flies and is an excellent and most able instructor. The magazine is still available for sale for $6.95. You can find it by a Google or Bing search or by the link on the Fly Tying Forums website.
Joined
·
143 Posts
Thanks all for the help, I did finally get one done the other night. The only problem was on the left side, it didn't collapse all the way, it lack of a better word, folded. I'll just keep trying.
Joined
·
22 Posts
You might want to contact me regarding a club I belong to - Northwest Atlantic Salmon Fly Tying Guild. We meet once a month and tie a specific full dressed pattern each month or have a national level tier come and demonstration tie for the club. We also have sessions to dye materials. This club is great, anyone is willing to assist members in solving tying problems. PM me if you want additional info.
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
