tying a post for parachutes

[dustponds10]

Just a quick question about how to get the feather for the parachute to be strong and not come off the post.
From what I have tried I find it best to really build a post and totie the feather down to the hook then tie it to the post as well. Is this the way to do it or is there a better way. Dustin
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[flygoddess]

That's it for me.
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[Scruffy_Fly]

Yup. that is one of the best ways to do it.

lay the stripped stem of the hackle next to the post. Wrap the thread up the post and hackle in touching wraps.
Then run the thread back down the post to the shank. Let the thread bobbin dangle on the far side of the shank next to the post. Wind the hackle down the post to the shank.
Using the thread Make a few tie off wraps around the end of the hackle and the post. Whip finish around the post.

There are a couple of tricks that make the whip finish around the post a lot easier.

Hans Van Klinken discribes this technique used on his famous Klinkhamer Special at the rackelhanen website.
[url "http://www.rackelhanen.se/eng/10018c.htm"]http://www.rackelhanen.se/eng/10018c.htm[/url] -
click on the Klinkhamer Special link.

Note - Hans says to use spiderweb thread for this but I used Griffith's 14/0 to tie down to size 22 flies. Take note of how Hans VK rotates his fly 90 degrees. This makes doing the whip finish very easy. You can whip finish with the post in the vertical position but it is more ackward to perform.

One way I do this is to wrap the hackle with the post in a vertical position as one might expect. Then with the thread and the hackle pliers laying on the far side of the shank slowly rotate the fly and perform the whip finish with the weight of the hackle pliers still holding the hackle tightly against the post.

You gotta see Klinks description and pictures to grasp what I am saying.

The other trick is to oscillate your hand (and thus the whip finisher) side to side while rotating the whip finish. The slight oscillation towards either side of the hook shank will help keep the thread underneath the bottom hackle fibers when doing the whip finish.

Note- there might be a forum on this website. I can't find it now but there used to be one. But it was in the Swedish language so maybe a hundred people in the US might be able to read the forum.
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[Lobina_Mosca]

Here's a quick video on the way I like to do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knLQgVXVnis
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[flygoddess]

Awesome!!
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Comic Sans MS"][#008000]Thanks, that is a great video.[/#008000][/font]
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