"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
. 1.4...
AK Best was big on this in AK's Fly Box. It was a lovely book, but I gave
it away at a Clave Raffle, as the tying style didn't really appeal to me
at
the time (also, there's only so many ways to write "use a quill body" to
fill up a book, so I found it a tad tedious). Perhaps I should revisit
it.
I still tie a quill body midge with a Z-wing wing tied flat back on a size
24 hook that works quite well.

One problem is that the quills tend to break, with bits splintering off as
you wind them, if they're dry. Soaking them for a while in water with a
few drops of hair conditioner takes care of this.

good advice at the end, Scott! As for Best, why he insists on using the
biots so that a fuzzy rib shows eludes me. When tied on, concave side down,
the biots come out smooth, with a subtle segmentation that can be made a bit
more prominent with a coat of cement. So tied, you have the sturdiest quill
I know of.
Tom

--
"The last one, I wont reply to you again, because there is simply no point
in doing so, nor will I post to either of the groups again.

Mike Connor"

8/3/08 7:30 pm EDT