Peacock Feathers and How I select the Best Quills

[@holyworrier]

I'm heading to HObby Lobby. I've bought large feathers before, but I had no knowledge of this eye-thing. Thanks, Davie, for showing us where and how to recognize the good ones.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Peacock eyes are such a vital fly tying material & beautiful as well. Interesting topic.

[@vesas5214]

Good info. I bought a bunch of 50 feathers a while ago. When they arrived they were very tightly packed and the fine herl was "squashed", so I steamed them and now they look great. Much better quality than you get when buying a pack of herl from a "fly tying brand". I keep them on my desk in a flower vase where it's easy to select a right-sized herl for the fly I'm tying.

[@georgeb151]

Very helpful info Davie , some angling shops are taking 2 pounds per feather , bulk is the way to go.

[@crs1321]

Great video Davie. Thanks for that. One problem I am having is dying bleached deer hair. I have been buying patches of bleached deer hair and trying to dye them Flo-red (from veniards) and claret (using scarlet/black dye mix from veniards) with absolutely zero success. Flo red came out orange and fell apart and claret came out dark brown. Next time you're doing a dying video it would be good if you could show us all how to do deer hair with a difficult colour like WOIGO, Flo-red or claret. Thanks for the tips. 👍👏🎣

[@kerrypitt9789]

Buying in a large amount is great except most places that will sell peacock tail feathers, it is hard to find good quality. There is a tyer from Japan who uses the longer pieces from the sword, as a wrap. There are only two to four on the sword that are long enough, but they look good!! Thanks for this video Davie!

[@jorgearaujoflyfishing]

Many thanks Davie. Very good advices por select the right ones.

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Great tutorial. Thanks!

[@graemebrown1191]

Very interesting thanks Davie

[@robertadkins9169]

Many thanks Davie really helpful

[@burtonbrocious171]

Tks for the information davie

[@derekcunningham9993]

Thanks for the info. Interesting

[@davidayton8649]

Hi Davie, another great video - thank you ! Can you help me with what you would suggest is best winging material for the royal wulff? I prefer the calf body hair fibre but it is difficult to source a patch with long enough hair. Can you suggest best source please?

[@markburnett2890]

Davie there's a company in New Zealand called Feathergirl that sells all sorts of feathers. Their Peacock eye feathers (extra long) retail at $NZ100 for 100 feathers which is about 50 quid. Not sure how much they charge for postage but might be worth checking out.

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Mark, That's a good price as this is what they used to cost not that long ago..I will have a look and thank you for for sharing this.. All the very best Davie

[@markburnett2890]

I bought some of their long eye feathers (20 for $25 so about 12.50 in pounds) arrived in a box about 4 feet long so they were in great condition. Good value for money.

[@andersbenton193]

How are you attaching the hurls into bunches?

[@grahamwebb3546]

How do you prepare squirrel tail ready to go on to the thread? Because the hair on the tail is quite long.

[@richardc6932]

Can you explain the difference between quills and hurls as to when to use them in tying a fly. I was under the impression that the quill was the main stem that all the hurls were attached and the eye was just part of the hurls. There is a noticeable difference in both parts.👍👨‍🦳🇨🇦

[@neilandrew961]

Quills are from the eye which you use in quill bodies the herl is the softer part leading up to the eyes you use for bodies like black and peacock spider that was the small bundle davie had on his table

[@richardc6932]

@@neilandrew961 Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.👍👨‍🦳🇨🇦

[@bobweiram6321]

McQuail

[@ibelieve1468]

Hi Davie do you put them in the freezer when you first get them to kill any bugs?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi I Believe, It's something worth doing with feathers like these especially if they are coming from a foreign country though if you buy them from a fly tying company like Veniards then they should be fine..Thanks for mentioning it.. All the very best Davie

[@BrentJonesFlyTying]

Do you dye them before or after bleaching? Or does it matter?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Brent, Most times I bleach them after dyeing though you could do it either way but you need to watch as it's easy to make them brittle .I use a hair conditioner to help keep them soft.. All the very best Davie

[@BrentJonesFlyTying]

@@DavieMcPhail appreciate that thank you

[@billybrown2294]

Hi Davie fo you happen to sell boxes of flies?