Materials
Introduction
The materials used in my flies are of the highest quality
and authenticity I can find. I carefully
consider every detail of every fly to ensure that each nuance pays tribute to
the rich legacy of the art and sport.
Each fly is constructed not only to withstand scrutiny but to invite
it.
With that in mind, I select materials based principally on
whether they suit my vision for a particular pattern. Sometimes, that means a pattern will consist
of only very common materials; other times it will demand exotics. My selection of materials is also made, however, with a careful eye
toward the conservation of the beautiful animals with which our planet is so graciously and tenuously endowed.
Where I feel that using a particular exotic would be irresponsible, I attempt
to find a more common material that exudes as powerful a visual impact as the exotic. In my opinion, many common birds have
feathers rivaling or even exceeding in beauty those of their exotic
counterparts; hence, the perceived need for exotics is often an illusion bred
of greed and arrogance. When I use
common species in lieu of exotics, I eschew the term substitute and simply call the material what it is. For example, I would never refer to Madagascar
kingfisher as chatterer substitute – why
bring undue insult upon such a beautiful bird by calling it a substitute? Instead, I call it Madagascar kingfisher, without
apology, and let it speak in its own defense.
When selecting my materials, my goal is to make my flies as beautiful as possible
while remaining true to a traditional aesthetic. I make no attempt, however, to limit myself
to materials, tools, or techniques used during a certain restricted window
of flytying history. A flyfishing
historian, for example, might point out that horsehair leaders were
largely obsolete by the time married wings were first in use, and that my use of
both in the same fly is therefore a historical contradiction. I am far from a flyfishing historian myself,
so all points along those lines are well taken.
Such points, however, miss my intent: I think that woven horsehair
leaders are more beautiful than any leader of more modern usage and that
married wings are more beautiful than the stacked wings from earlier usage, so
I choose to use horsehair leaders and married wings together and let the
viewer’s eye decide whether it was right or wrong for me to have done so. My tying is neither a study in stilted
tradition nor a brash reconstruction of the art. Instead, I use the best of the past to help
me realize my own artistic vision in the present.
Materials
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 Tinsels: I shape and polish all my tinsels from solid 18-karat gold. I use no plated, coated, or synthetic tinsels. Flosses: I use only the highest quality silk floss. I never use any synthetic flosses, even for underbodies. |
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| Threads: I use only the highest quality silk thread. It is waxed during tying and finished at the
head. Though much stronger synthetic
threads exist (and would make tying with thick, solid metal tinsels much easier), I
have decided not to compromise the quality of my flies by using them. Waxes: I wax my own
tying thread using a variety of waxes and wax/rosin mixtures, each of which
consists of only natural substances. All
are consistent with the waxes and rosins commonly used prior to the advent of synthetics.
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Finishes: I finish the head of each fly with the highest quality luthier's finish which I have had custom-formulated for me. Historically, flytiers have used the same finishes used by woodworkers, luthiers, and rod builders. The finish I use today, however, outperforms the finishes of old in two important ways: First, it is a safe, waterbased finish; second, it possesses the clarity required to beautifully display the tying silk and gold inlay beneath. In contrast, even the best traditional finishes suffer from serious deficiencies in those regards: They either use toxic solvents or discolor badly over time, usually both. I have spent a tremendous amount of time researching and testing finishes for this project, and I'm confident that this is the best available finish for my application. |
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Hooks: I make each
hook from scratch using a single piece of solid 18-karat gold, the
highest-karat gold commonly used in jewelry applications (higher-karat
gold being too soft). I use no molds to mass-produce hooks – each
is shaped from raw gold by hand. This
technique ensures that each hook in an Edition, while made according to
a
general pattern, possesses unique subtleties.
Once I shape each hook, I polish it in six arduous steps to a
mirror-like
sheen. Because hook sizes are far from standardized and vary so much
from manufacturer to manufacturer, I do not wish to confuse my customers
by
listing hook sizes in conventional terms; instead, for simplicity, hook
lengths and gapes are listed in both centimeters and inches.
Feathers: I use only
the highest quality feathers I can find.
All feathers are accurately represented in the Details section for
each fly. All of my feathers are not only legally obtained but are also obtained with a high regard for the
species from which they come. Whenever
possible, rare feathers are obtained from molts rather than from skins.
Leaders: In its final
presentation, I attach each fly to a hardwood base by a steel-reinforced, hand-woven
horsehair leader, which, in the style of a few hundred years ago, is tied
directly into the fly. The steel,
virtually invisible beneath the horsehair, not only supports the fly but also
brings out the horsehair’s natural translucence and makes the leader glisten as if
wet. The
leader is more than an aesthetic detail, it is absolutely essential for the effective
display of the fly, because it presents the fly to the viewer free and
unencumbered, much as it would be viewed by a fish. Unlike any other medium I've ever seen for fly presentation, mine accentuates
the three-dimensionality of the fly by allowing lighting and viewing from all
angles. The fly, thus displayed, commands the appropriate
attention.
Signature Inlays: I hand-fashion
the signature inlay on the head of each fly from solid 18-karat gold,
one of my initials on each
side of the head. The heads on many salmon flies are, in my opinion,
stubby and awkward, as though the tier is trying unsuccessfully to disguise an
error. I prefer the heads on my flies instead to be bold and sleek,
each an essential part of the fly and unashamed of its prominence.
Dyes: The selection
of dyed materials available commercially is quite limited. Hence, I dye many of my materials myself and
can therefore achieve some truly unique colors in my materials. I prefer natural dyes, but natural dyes are
simply too limited in scope to achieve every visual effect I require, so I also
use synthetic dyes. Synthetic dyes have
been in active use by flytiers since the height of the Victorian Era, so I
don’t feel that using them is a departure from a classic aesthetic. Since today’s best dyes generally have much
better color-fastness than those used a hundred or more years ago, it is
essential for preserving the brilliance of my flies that I use modern dyes in
many cases. My dyeing decisions are also
always made with environmental responsibility in mind.
Domes: The dome in
which each fly is presented is handblown from a single piece of glass. Handblown glass has no seams and therefore boasts
optical qualities unparalleled by machine-made glass. Handblown glass often contains slight
imperfections imparted during the glassblowing process; these imperfections are
a mark of quality and contribute to the rich character of the glass.