turkey quill prep

[jburge]

I need your guys/gals help. I'm getting ready to tie up some gold ribbed hare's ear nymphs and want to prep the turkey quill for the wing case. What do you prep your quills with? Head cement? Hair spray? Brands? Thanks!

[David Lee]

Dave's Flexament . Thin it 'till its watery , and brush it on kinda heavy .

The fake stuff (Thinskin ???? I cannot remember the name at the moment ...) looks like good Turkey wingcase , but does not split . I hate it when a Turkey wingcase splits ......

Hope this helps !

David

[Hairstacker]

Another option is Flex-Seal, which comes in the same size/shape bottle as Dave's Flexament. With Flex-Seal just brush it on out of the bottle.

Also, notice that the turkey quill actually has two sides, one with ridges and one side without. I prefer to treat the side with ridges and, after it's dry, tie it in with the ridges facing upward. That way, when you fold it over to form the wingcase, you end up with the colorful, non-ridged side of the quill facing outwards.

[Darian]

I've been preparing entire feathers (turkey) at one time by spraying the feather with a clear, Krylon fixative..... Has the same affect as the others mentioned but is quick and easy to prepare as many feathers as you want at one time.... ;) ;)

[Hairstacker]

Darian, I've heard of others doing the same thing. Any negatives associated with this approach?

Also, where do you buy the stuff and what exactly do you look for when you get to the store? Thanks!

[Darian]

Hi Mike,.... Krylon is available thru University Art or Michael's; just any art supply store. Sometimes in places like Staples.... Look for clear lacquer or a fixative for photo's or watercolors, etc.

The only problem I found was a tendency to over apply the first time you spray a feather.... Makes the feather into a piece of plastic. :rolleyes: Also, There's a tendency to spray to many at one time (due to the ease of it). I had feathers sprayed feathers around for about ten years after my original session.... ;)

One tip; prepare the individual flue before spraying. Straighten by running them between the thumb and forefinger to marry them and make them as straight as possible. Then spray. Use a bodkin to separate the amount needed and cut it off.... :cool:

[Hairstacker]

I had sprayed feathers around for about ten years after my original session....
:lol: Thanks Darian, much appreciated! Also, thanks for the tips!

[jburge]

Wow, thanks for all the tips! I'm going to put this all to use right away. It's great to have such a readily accessible and experienced knowledge base to call from.

[JD]

Typically I'll use an "artist's fixative" as Darian mentioned, such as "Blair Spray Matte Fixative" which you can find in most art supply stores. Just follow the directions on the can when applying, run the spray up and down the feather a couple of times on each side before laying on a peice of wax paper or tin foil to dry. Do this in a WELL VENTILATED area.

In a pinch Dave Flexament or Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails would work, but I typically treat entire feathers at a time and that would just take too long with either alternative.

[Fats]

I have a friend that is a guide back in Michigan. When he was tying up a bunch of flies with turkey quills (or pheasant tails...) he'd get a bottle of Dave's Flexament and pour it out onto a paper plate. It created a large flat dish that made it easy to coat entire feathers in very quickly. He'd just coat the inside of the feather run the excess off with his finger back into the plate. He'd coat up an entire seasons worth in one setting and then use them up through the course of the season. The guy ties up flies like they were going out of style... long winters!

[Jay Murakoshi]

In my earlier days, I also use to use Krylon and a adhesive they used for mounting photo's to backboards. Don't recall the name. I would apply two thin coats instead of one heavy coat.

Jay