Steaming flies over tea kettle? Good idea?

[PaScoGi]

Just got a tip to take a hackle feather & hold it over steam from tea kettle to "bring it back to life" if it is flattened. Anyone ever do/try this?

 

[tomgamber]

I've heard of that. Never done it but it's a thing.

 

[goose54cdd]

It will work.

 

[Old Town]

Yes I have done it for many years. Make sure you hold the fly with pliers and not your fingers, steam will burn you if you do not use something to hold them. Second is let them dry out prior to putting them away or your hook may rust.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Use a little sieve to hold them in the steam. Then drop the lot on a paper towel to dry. If they get saturated and you don't dry them, the hook will rust under the wing post.

 

[redietz]

Just got a tip to take a hackle feather & hold it over steam from tea kettle to "bring it back to life" if it is flattened. Anyone ever do/try this?

Regularly. It works great. Just be sure to hold the fly in a forceps or something to avoid being scalded.

 

[Bamboozle]

Just got a tip to take a hackle feather & hold it over steam from tea kettle to "bring it back to life" if it is flattened. Anyone ever do/try this?

I used to do it (by putting a bunch of flies in a sieve or strainer) and like the others have already said it DOES work...

However because I typically rinse off any fish gunk immediately after releasing a fish and in the case of a dry fly; dry my fly with Amadou followed by silica gel crystals (not Frog Fanny), I hardly find it necessary.

 

[PaScoGi]

Thanks all much appreciated! Love this website!

 

[fcarp]

If trying to ‘train’ streamers, particularly hackle or marabou, I’ve just held the flies in hot water then tried to straighten them out and that’s worked well too.

 

[nfrechet]

steaming is a very old trick to rejuvenate hackles. works great

steaming tying materials also works

 

[Kevin82]

Yep it works, I got the tip for flies awhile back,also used the tip for my job. Im a taxidermist have used the trick to straighten up ruffled feathers on birds to bring them back to the proper shape.