Am I the only one having trouble putting the black ostrich ruff on the head of a fly? I will wager not. A solution came to mind when I recalled that until very recently flies were tied with waxed silk. Waxed--not with the pitiful portion of wimpy wax that comes on modern "prewaxed" threads, but with real WAX. If you will lay a foundation of thread waxed with a quality, adhesive wax, you will discover that your herl no longer cascades down the head as you wrap it. Works well on butts also. One word of caution--wrap the herl carefully. You cannot back up and start again with this system, for the barbules will be horribly matted. Cannot find a quality, adhesive wax? The formula I prefer is seven parts rosin, two parts beeswax, and one part castor oil.