How I Remove the Fine Herl from the Peacock Eye Feather..

[@davidfraser4083]

Every day is a school day with your videos. To think is spent hours with a rubber and wore my thumb nails until they ached. Great technique, thanks Davie. Stay safe, Big Davie.

[@davidchamberland3689]

Davie, Hello from St. Louis,Missouri. Actually from Illinois, a small town called O’fallon. You’re videos are very pleasant and informative. Took me awhile to get accustomed to your accent. Keep up the good work.

[@freddysflyz]

The conditioner is a wonderful tip - thank you for sharing that Davie!

[@christopherkarpacz2119]

Thanks for taking the time to show this Davie, all of mine brittle and unusable, the conditioner tip is genius 👏👏

[@chrispound9458]

Great little technique- I shall use this from now on. Thanks Davie

[@rareaussie6960]

You never stop learning something new 👍thank you David you never stop amazing me with new things 👍🇦🇺👍

[@marks.5288]

Davie, Thanks again for the great instructions. Will give it a try. Was afraid to ruin peacock eyes before watching you. Glad to see your daughter made another contribution to the process .

[@jdigioia1130]

Thanks for sharing this video. I’ve been wanting to make my own quills so I’m going to give this method a try. 🙏🏻🎣

[@jdigioia1130]

So, I gave this a try last night and a couple of observations: I don’t think I had the best eyes - got to work on that. I could have left them in the chlorine solution a tad bit longer but I took your advise not to over do it. In the end, I think it went well for the first try!?! 🎣

[@thefella131]

Great tip Davy. Only issue I'm bald and used the Mrs conditioner on the peacock eye. Now I'm divorced 😊

[@Tjk186]

Very helpful Davie! ...thanks a lot for sharing your years of experience...all the best

[@dicksonsmith2702]

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful knowledge. I love using your videos to learn and get different ideas for how to create new materials and tying new flies!

[@mikeney5113]

Thanks for the great lesson Davie.you the greatest!!

[@noelange1]

I just got some eyes and gonna give this a try, hopefully they're good ones and I'll get some good quills for use.

[@brianwilson2494]

I've just got a pile of eyes and wasn't looking forward to stripping them as I'm relatively new to tying I'm looking forward to stripping those eyes now superb tips again davie thanks so much I've learnt so much from your tutorials

[@dongil123]

Excellent tutorial Davie!!👍👌

[@dominiqueleblanc2193]

Very informative, like always. I remember you made a few like this back then. Like the one dying feathers.

[@curtisjonesjr1]

Davie, thanks for the tips. I’ll keep trying ! Curtis

[@crs1321]

Ha ha ha straight from the "spicket," haven't heard that word for years Davie. That brings back memories of when I stayed in Ayrshire. Great video, I'll be using that method from now on. Would love you to show us all how to dye natural roe deer hair WOIGO. Its the latest craze just now and impossible to find. Thanks for the tips. 👍👏🎣

[@krallmi48]

It does help, Davie... thank you. Mike

[@jeffnotti9932]

Davie man this is a gem! i was wondering how to do this properly. using an erase was not cutting it.. Wish i saw thes a few years ago.. but i got it NOW! Thank you for all you do.. thanks for all your videos .. i learned a lot about tying thank you again < j

[@toddslichter7831]

Great tutorial. Thanks, Mr McPhail.

[@derekcunningham9993]

Great vid. Thanks for the expert advice. Ive been using a lot of quills lately, bought stripped. I'll give this a go in future. Cheers

[@puccini4530]

I've used this method very successfully, for many years. I use a nail brush on the soaked herl, down onto a hard surface, and that gently removes stubborn adhering bits without having to over-soak in bleach. Perfect quills are the result.

[@duderoony]

Tips are always good for us fly makers so thank you for this Davie. 😊😊😊

[@kenelliott6458]

Great video mate. Thanks for sharing lots of helpful videos done by the Master. Would like to see some more videos on dyeing feathers and some dubbing. When you have time my friend. Best Regards from West Virginia, Ken

[@ralph1142]

Thank you Davie. Good video. If you use laundry bleach would you add water to it. Think it would slow the stripping process to much. Baking soda in water kill the stripping also. Great tip on using hair conditioner. Thank you.

[@MyPancho1]

🎣 Very informative, Thanks, Davie

[@francisbrossard4846]

Super,merci,David sans vous le monde de la mouche ne serai rien.

[@davidwillacy4796]

Amazing amazing amazing! Thank you so much for the clarity of your video. Cheers. English Dave?

[@spiderman3044]

Great video. Exactly what I needed. Thank you. 👍

[@Ger886]

Thanks Davie

[@michaelshaw8370]

Getting that balance just right without over processing the herl then using the conditioner to soften and revitalise the herl. Is by far less hassle than the old pencil rubber techniques.

[@krallmi48]

Meant to ask, Davie... where have you found to get the big peacock eyes you have? Mike

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Mike, The feathers in the video came from Veniards, I bought 100 feathers in a bulk pack from them and around 40% are really good light quills and are ideal for dyeing if you want to though I do mostly use the natural.. All the very best Davie..

[@krallmi48]

@@DavieMcPhail Thank you, Davie... 100 would be too many for me. I'm thinking I should ask Steve Cooper. Mike

[@Ger886]

Great video Davie. Is it better to wind peacock quill on to glue on the thread or uv after winding it on? Thanks

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Get M, Either way would work though I mostly wind the quill onto a layer of super glue and at times finish off with a coat of varnish over the top. I will use UV resin on buzzers but I finish them off with a coat of varnish to seal them..I'm glad you enjoyed the video.. All the very best Davie..

[@jackreeves3001]

Thanks for sharing! KANSAS

[@edwardchavez5627]

Thank you so much Sir Davie🙂

[@BP-1988]

Great video - Thanks Dave. I'm having a hard time finding peacock feathers with large eyes. Anyone have a good source? Thanks.

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi B P, I buy 50/ 100 large eyes at once when I need some so that I can select the best ones for dyeing, I buy mine from Veniards though you can buy them from ebay from china..I have attached a link for you to see.I'm glad you enjoyed the video.. All the very best Davie.. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114291614234?hash=item1a9c4fa21a:g:OwkAAOSwMO9b1xhN

[@harrymartyn7241]

Hi Davie! Can you dye the quills before you use the hair conditioner or should you dye them before you use the bleach solution?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Harry, I done it both ways but I prefer to dye them first and then dye them as doing it the other way can make them really brittle even after using the conditioner on them....Great question.. All the very best Davie

[@harrymartyn7241]

@@DavieMcPhail thank you Davie. It is going to be 25 to 30 deg. F below zero next couple days here in eastern me. Brrrrrr! Helps kill the ticks which have been a real problem as climate has warmed up. Tight threads!!

[@rhyspercey3880]

Thank you, very helpful. Where do you get your peacock eyes from?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Rhys Percey, I buy a bulk batch of extra large peacock eyes from Veniards which I look through picking out the best ones for quills..I'm glad you found the video helpful.. All the very best Davie..

[@davidbenjamin5356]

Hi Davie. I have always stripped quills by wetting them and gently pulling the quill between thumbnail and finger. Very slow so for the first time I tried using bleach. It went well but I thought the finished quill was lighter and lost some of the rich colour of the quill. Was 2 mins too long?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi David, I used to wet and strip the quills like this myself for many years though if you can strip the quills like in the video it definitely speeds up the tying process..I'm not sure what went wrong as I've not had this happen except when I strip the dyed eyes as it can bleach the colour back a little but I am still happy with them as they always look find on the fly..2 minutes is not long as I normally take a little longer but it depends on how much bleach you put in.. All the very best Davie..

[@davidbenjamin5356]

Hello Davie. Amazing how things work out sometimes. Just after my message to you, whilst tidying my shed, I came across a soft plastic sleeve that fits over a finger. I think they are used to count bank notes. Immediately I thought it would be good to strip herl which it does very quickly. Thought I would let you know.

[@chrisgull6250]

Hi Davie Does it really save enough time to justify using chemicals and loosing some quality? Great vid anyway. Love your channel, has greatly improved my tying abilities. Ta greetings

[@curtisjonesjr1]

Davie , I tried this using Clorox in the US. I thought I followed your instructions carefully but must be doing something wrong because the quills don’t come clean. I would like to be able to make this approach work if possible. Any suggestions?? Thank you. Curtis Jones

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Curtis, I had a look at Clorox and it's much the same as the bleach I used so it should have worked so I am not sure what went wrong, I do know when I first tried this I didn't put enough in and then I put too much in so it's something you may have to have a couple of goes at to get right...Please get back to me and let me know how you get on... All the very best Davie..

[@marcoluengomaluenda4054]

Muy claro, muy bien explicado! Saludos y gracias!!

[@thenine3171]

Being I'm new to tying an maybe I missed it but can you tell me is this done to give the fly crisper cleaner look or another reason

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi thenine, The peacock gives the body of the fly a very real like body just as you would see on the real flies like adult midge and pupa as well as small upwinged mayflies and nymphs..A great question... All the very best Davie

[@thenine3171]

@@DavieMcPhail thank you enjoy your videos very much be well an fish on🎣

[@craigdebeer1444]

Thanks for the great video, it helped a lot, now I know how to do it.

[@steves7271]

Thanks Davie. Ive destroyed a few in my time but thankfully I started with the loose herls rather than the eyes, so I didn't waste too much. I used to put them in a glass jar and shake but I found working it in your fingers makes it easier to keep an eye on it. Dont know if your daughter will be happy with you using all her fancy conditioner though! 🤣

[@АлександрПлахотный-е4у]

Да , уж! Век живи -- век учись!👍

[@Scott_Jackson]

Hi Davie, I hope you don’t mine I’ve shared this wee video as a friend was asking how to carry out this process a few weeks back. Kind Regards, Scott

[@robertalexander7286]

Discovered this method by accident. Decided to bleach some Herl to see if I could then dye them. Put them in the bleach, went off and did something else, came back and herls stripped so a failure in one respect.

[@Мухи-т2ш]

DAVIE методы работы с материалом всегда классно многому научился у тебя 👍👍👍👍👍 Спасибо.

[@davidedis9817]

I have often heard it said that the best herls are up neat the eye by I have found that these are brittle & break easily. Poor quality herl ? How can I remedy this ?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi David, When they are natural I find them to be ok to use but they can go brittle after being dyed so I soak mine in hair conditioner which helps to soften them..Let me know how you get on if you give the conditioner a try... All the very best Davie

[@davidedis9817]

Thank you Davie -- I will try that but I really meant undyed natural herls - and I have tried several herls

[@MyFly.]

I so wanted to do this to make up some quill flies...given up now. Cant get the peacock feathers at all....and the ones I ordered are rubbish..especially the Veniard ones and so expensive... money down the drain and more Veniards feathers in the rubbish bin. Really cutting back on trying new patterns now...materials so often poor quality or not available.

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Mark, The best way to get feathers that are worth doing is to buy them in bulk as this is what I do..I buy the 100 large eyes and I will get around 40% that are good enough to strip for quills..I am sorry to hear that you didn't get good eyes.. All the very best Davie

[@MyFly.]

@@DavieMcPhail Thanks for your advice Davie...tell you what I could really use is a list or chart of some kind that lists flies that can be tied based on material..eg most common flies that use golden badger or natural dun...etc...want to see the range of flies my limited number of saddles will tie. Does such a list..app...or chart even exist ?...Would luv to know. Cheers Davie. Tightlines Mark.

[@abbeappe1306]

why do u need to remove it?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Abbe App, The stripped peacock quill will give you an amazing body on many nymphs or dry fly so it is really worth doing but I do understand what you mean as the peacock herl makes a wonderful fly too.. All the very best Davie

[@octavianstan2009]

I did it in a similar way until I discovered depilatory cream.

[@aurelienlinnenkamp9885]

I have find by hazard, eyes paon feathers not so much expensive, YES ....🪶 ✊