This week’s Throw Back Thursday post is Charlie’s Whipper – An Old Whip Finishing Tool.

Charlie's Whipper - New Whip Finishing Tool | www.johnkreft.com

You might recall the Herter’s Whip Finisher and Herter’s No. 4 Fly Tying Vise I highlighted a few weeks ago. I’d never heard of a Charlies Whipper. This is a tool my friend Jim Fisher showed me when he pulled out the vise and several older fly patterns. As I recall, he purchased this in the 1960’s.

He still had the detailed directions, in case you need a little refresher course.

Charlie's Whipper - New Whip Finishing Tool Directions | www.johnkreft.com

Most older fly tyers used their fingers to whip finish and still do. Walk around any fly tyer fair or expo and you’ll see them using their fingers.

I believe Charlie’s Whipper was developed before the Matarelli whip finisher.

Matarelli Whip Finisher | www.johnkreft.com

The original Frank Matarelli whip finisher had Franks initials on each side of the bottom.

Matarelli Whip Finisher Closeup | www.johnkreft.com

You can see the “M” on this side.

I learned to tie flies using a whip finish tool. I’m guessing I’ve had my Matarelli since the 1980’s and I love it. I’ve tied thousands of flies with it. You can see the difference between the Herter vs. Matarelliu versions.

Which one did you start tying flies with?

Enjoy…stay safe!

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3 Comments

  1. Hi, I am Charlie Cole’s daughter in law. It’s such a pleasure to see Charlie lives on via the internet. I first met him in 1980 and he had already built up quite a collection of flies. If you come back to this topic, please contact me for a picture of his mounted collection. It will soon be going up for auction.

  2. Hi Ray,
    I had been tying for about 20 years before I got my first whip-finish tool, a Herter’s Thompson-style. Prior to that, I executed the two-hand whip. Around 1980, I learned to use the Materelli-style tool. I’ve never used the Charlie tool. It looks interesting. Take care & …
    Tight Lines – Al Beatty

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