Dubbing loop question

Have a look here for better explanations;
http://www.mustad.no/flytying/fly_of...f_m_may01.html

http://www.flyfield.com/hare3.htm

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...00702fotw.html

http://www.theflyfishingreport.com/F...Fur_Collar.htm

Clips etc. are here;
http://www.flyfield.com/tools.htm

TL
MC

rb608 wrote:
"Mike Connor" Mike-Connor wrote in message

It occurred to me, after reading your post again, and noticing that you
wrote "as I move down the loop", that you will find it a lot easier if

you

keep the loop horizontal, when adding dubbing.


Although I didn't actually mean "down" in my post, you are right about that
horizontal thing. That's one tip I figured out myself the hard way. BTW,
thanks for the links, though I'd already found 4 out of the 5.

My present troubles seem to result from the dubbed fur being too long.
After I get it spun in the loop & begin wrapping, I'm getting too much of
the material wrapping itself around the hook shank when I want it sticking
out for the body. I'm cutting very soft rabbit fur directly off the skin &
it's about 1.5 cm long. Should I be using shorter material? If so,
how/when is the best way to trim it?


Just play around with it. There's not a "right" way. Doing different
things will get you different results. All of them useful for one thing
or another. A couple things to play around with:

You will get a different finished product depending on how tightly you
spin the dubbing loop. Both a loosely and tightly spun loop are useful -
just different.

Different materials end up in a different dubbing noodle. Spikey - stiff
hair results in more material sticking out. I find squirrel body hair
very good for adding a spikey look. I often use a blend of natural and
synthetic material. The synthetics add some flash.

As you spin the noodle, you can either get the material to stand out by
brushing it back and forth with your fingers, or you can make it into a
piece of "yarn" by spinning the hair with your fingers like you would
when doing a traditional dubbed thread. If you do this several times as
you spin the noodle you'll have a very tight noodle that will result in
a nicely segmented body.

Willi

Use the bull dog clip or magic tool to hold while you clip to length. After
I get it spun in the loop & begin wrapping, I'm getting too much of
the material wrapping itself around the hook shank when I want it sticking
out for the body.

To keep the fur radial, put an empty bobin over the hook eye up to the place
where you want the dubbing to be. Easy if you have a rotary. It takes a
little agility if you don't.. By initialy placing the wrap on the bobbin tube
and using the end of that tube to keep the fur already wound radial insures a
good dubbing..

Lou T

Lou wrote:snipUse the bull dog clip or magic tool to hold while you clip to
length.

There was a thread a few days ago about Kim boal and her use of the magic tool.
She taught me a truick a few years ago about the bulldog clips, which are soo
poorly made that the edges only meet properly in a few places. She simply glued
thin foam on the edges and that fixed the problem. Like most things these
dubbing loops become easier as you get used to using them. I find that adding a
little rabbin to squirrel makes it somewhat easier to dubb. I find squirrel a
real pain to dub, but damn it gives such a pruty spikey texture that once you
master it, you will use it a bunch.

Big Dale

"Big Dale" wrote in message
She simply glued
thin foam on the edges and that fixed the problem.

I was thinking that myself. Must have been one of them subliminal things.

I find squirrel a
real pain to dub, but damn it gives such a pruty spikey texture that once
you
master it, you will use it a bunch.

Okey dokey. Thanks to you, Mike, & Lou, I'm getting a good grip on this (no
pun intended).

So let me go for the length issue one more time. I'm right handed, so I
take the scissors in my right hand and grap a clump of rabbit fur on the
pelt in my left. I cut off the clump at the base. I now have a clump of
3/4" hairs pinched in my left fingers. I want these to be 3/8" hairs.
Should I place the clump in the bulldog clip & cut them to size there
(before placing in the loop)? Also, should I attempt to evenly distribute
the hair in the clip or is it just as well to do it in the loop?

Joe F.

OK. Instead of the foam glued to the bulldog clip blades. I split a piece
of rubber tubing along its length, and after applying super glue to the
blade edge, I place the tubing over it.

This grips better, and lasts longer than foam strips. Also, it is easier to
clean.

TL
MC

Mike wrote:OK. Instead of the foam glued to the bulldog clip blades. I split
a piece
of rubber tubing along its length, and after applying super glue to the
blade edge, I place the tubing over it.

This grips better, and lasts longer than foam strips. Also, it is easier to
clean.

TL
MC
Thanks Mike. I will pick up some rubber tubing this morning.

Big Dale

"Big Dale" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
Mike wrote:OK. Instead of the foam glued to the bulldog clip blades. I
split
a piece
of rubber tubing along its length, and after applying super glue to the
blade edge, I place the tubing over it.

This grips better, and lasts longer than foam strips. Also, it is easier
to
clean.

TL
MC
Thanks Mike. I will pick up some rubber tubing this morning.

Big Dale


The stuff I use is available im model-shops. It is used for something or
other on model aeroplanes. It is about 3mm outside diameter, and when split
longitudinally, ( xou can do this carefully with fine scissors), fits
perfectly over the thin edge of a lot of things. I also use it on the tips
of my hackle pliers ( I just cut two pieces off, and shove them over the
plier tips) It is better to have the rubber on both hackle-plier tips. This
gives very good grip, and also does not break delicate feathers etc.

TL
MC

"Mike Connor" Mike-Connor schrieb im Newsbeitrag
s.com...

A couple of other tips which may be useful. If you only have one bulldog
clip, or even none at all!

One can use "wing burners" to hold hair etc. These are usually flat folded
brass strips. Just open them slightly, place the hair, etc, in them as
desired, and then hold them closed while offering up to the loop.

One may also make a small device consisting of two pieces of wood, metal
etc, hinged at the top. A piece of leather glued to both strips works as a
hinge. This device is opened, the hair is placed on one side, with enough
sticking out of the side to grasp it in a loop( one can also make complex
multi-dubbings etc using this), and then the device is closed again, and
held tight with a rubber band. Offer up to the loop, grip hair with the
loop, and then slip off the rubber band! The device falls away, leaving a
perfectly dubbed loop. This has the advantage of leaving both hands free to
manipulate etc. As the whole thing is much lighter than a bulldog clip.

Lastly, one may also use a piece of velcro glued to a stick. Place your
thread at the desired longitudinal position on the velcro. Add your hair,
dubbing, etc etc. Bring the thread over the top, (and over a small nail at
one end) and simply twist with a dubbing twirler. This makes a perfect
dubbing brush, and you have no loose hair flying about.

This is very good if you want to make a "bi-colour" hair hackle for
instance. Place your shorter black fur over the thread, pressing it into
the velcro, then add whatever the main colour fur is over this. Pull the
thread over, twist, and pull the dub loop off the velcro. One may achieve
very precise colouring effects, as the hair does not slip, or fly about.

For larger flies, and longer hairs etc, you can use a carding brush, instead
of velcro.

One requires a little practice with any of these techniques, but one may
also then achieve a large number of effects.

TL
MC

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:19:35 GMT, "Mike Connor" Mike-Connor wrote:


"Big Dale" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
Mike wrote:OK. Instead of the foam glued to the bulldog clip blades. I
split
a piece
of rubber tubing along its length, and after applying super glue to the
blade edge, I place the tubing over it.

This grips better, and lasts longer than foam strips. Also, it is easier
to
clean.

TL
MC
Thanks Mike. I will pick up some rubber tubing this morning.

Big Dale


The stuff I use is available im model-shops. It is used for something or
other on model aeroplanes. It is about 3mm outside diameter, and when split
longitudinally, ( xou can do this carefully with fine scissors), fits
perfectly over the thin edge of a lot of things. I also use it on the tips
of my hackle pliers ( I just cut two pieces off, and shove them over the
plier tips) It is better to have the rubber on both hackle-plier tips. This
gives very good grip, and also does not break delicate feathers etc.

3mm is too thin for fuel line, but it sounds like it may be the "inner"
control rod used between servos and control surfaces. These flexible rods are
comprised of an outer sleeve which is fixed to the fuselage, and a skinny
inner control rod, which in sliding conveys the action...

/daytripper