Tinsel Belt by Tero Lannes

I would like to introduce a new tying technique, which I developed in December 2003. I was planning a new creation fly for 2004 FQSA Salmon Fly Tying World Championship and got a crazy idea to make a butt from curled oval silver tinsel. Like always the idea came by accident, but the implementation took me several hours. It was not so easy to figure out, how to curl the tinsel evenly and how to tie such a small and fragile part round the body. When I found the answers to my questions, I noticed something very interesting. The construction would even last fishing! It was not so fragile like I had thought. Here are the instructions and steps, what you need to go through to tie a Tinsel Belt. Just improve your skills and have some new experiences!

The equipments you need for making a tinsel belt are: long and thin needle, masking tape, oval tinsel and hackle pliers. The needle should be as thin as possible to make fine curled tinsel. It is not necessary to use tape, but it makes the work easier when you are yet learning the process.

Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger image:



Step1.
Cut approx. 15-20 cm (4-6 inch) piece of fine oval tinsel and another piece of x-fine oval tinsel approx. 10 cm (4 inch). The x-fine tinsel is used for reinforcing the belt and the thicker one is for the belt.

Step2.
Thread the x-fine tinsel through the eye of the needle (only approx. 1 cm). Straighten the tinsel along the needle and fasten it on the needle with small piece of tape.

Step3.
Thread the thicker tinsel through the eye and lock both on the needle with tape.



Step4.
Take the needle between your thumb and index finger. Start to wind the tinsel with hackle pliers (I wind with my right hand counter clockwise and hold the needle with my left hand). Make sure that all threads are tight and against each other and the x-fine tinsel goes straight on the needle. Wind until approx. 2 cm of the tinsel is left. Clench the ribs on the hook with your fingers.


Step5.
Free the pliers and let the tinsel loosen. Take off the tapes and slide the tinsel carefully off the needle. Be careful and don?t let the wound tinsel slip off on the x-fine tinsel. It is recommended to assure the x-fine tinsel by adding small peaces of tape on both ends. I have noticed that there are differences between the materials. All tinsel threads won?t curl perfectly or the curls won?t last, when you loosen the tension! (I have used mostly the French tinsel).


Step6.
Tie both tinsels on the hook just where you want. Tie the curled tinsel from the side of the first tinsel circle.



Step7.
Wind the x-fine tinsel round the hook and thread it through the first tinsel loop. Now there is a tinsel loop, which is possible to tighten.


Step8.
Tighten the loop carefully and press the curled tinsel circles next to another. Make sure that the curled tinsel circles place nice and symmetrical around the hook making up a perfect belt. If the belt is too long, just clip or straighten some circles from the end and try again. Be patient, tying the belt around the hook is the most difficult part!

Step9.
Lock both tinsels on the hook by using the tying thread. The right tie in point is just front of the belt near the place, where you started to tie the belt. This is also a step, where you have to be very careful to avoid bulk. And if you are making a fishing fly, add some drop varnish on the tie in point. If you want, you can wind couple turns tinsel in front of the belt (done in the picture). You will see that it makes is easier to tie the body floss, if you use floss.


Well tied tinsel belt looks like a crown or like one of my friend said: ?It crowns the hook?. And if you use your imagination, I am sure you will find many other interesting ways to use the curled tinsel. The best thing of all is that the material is classic. It means that even a purist salmon fly tyer can use it!