Here’s a quick and simple way to strip peacock herl for clean quill bodies. This is the way I’ve been doing it for years, no need for erasers or alike, as long as you apply the right amount of tension, the herls will come from the stalk fairly easily. To get the best results, you could also soak the feathers in water, this will soften the stalk and make it easier to peel the herls away.

Stripped quill bodies make a very good looking body on buzzers and nymphs and are also ideal for ribbing bodies. Stripped peacock quill is perfect for matching the segmented bodies on adult olives and other such dry flies.