Jordan Sly is back today with another handy post on fly tying!
Trimming Spun Deer Hair
Spun deer hair is great for many things – adding buoyancy, creating bodies and heads – but it can be hard to get the right shape when trimming it. A flexible razor blade can not only help create a more uniform, rounded head/body, but it can also speed up your tying production. Flexible razor blades can be found at almost any pharmacy – the old timers will know exactly what I am talking about.
These razor blades are great to use when trimming deer hair into a rounded shape. They can be curved into tight and broad half circles to create heads and bodies of all different sizes, just pinch the sides between your fingers and trim away.
Here’s a comment that came in by email from Mike in Alaska–
Just thought I’d share this tip for trimming spun deer hair. I use a beard trimmer. Make sure the teeth are wide enough to accommodate deer hair width. And if you are using a rotary vise (Nor-Vise) you can trim perfectly round heads. And most of all, since I am getting older and a bit more shaky, it’s SAFER.
I learned something new. When fastening the clumps of deer hair, let the bobbin spin and twist the thread counter clockwise. The twist always puts the thread close to you fingers.