Dubbing help

[Keith M 0]

Hi guys and gals.

 

I am new to fly fishing and as of Christmas am now into fly tying. I am loving all aspects of this sport and especially tying my own flies. I am having trouble with my dubbing techniques. I have two different books that talk about spinning the dubbing onto the lthread by hand, but it just will not stay on for me. Therefore, I cannot get the correct look / symetrical body that I would prefer.

 

If you can help, I sure would appreciate it. This is my first time to this website and if there is a section that explains the correct process, I would love to know about it.

 

Thanks,

Keith M.

:wallbash:

[letumgo 0]

Keith - Tyers commonly have dubbing problems when starting out. Most of the time it is caused by trying to use too much dubbing. Try applying the dubbing sparcely to the tying thread. Remember "less is more". You can always add more dubbing later.

 

Make sure that when your twisting it onto the thread, that you pinch the dubbing firmly between your thumb and fore finger move your fingers in opposite directions (twists the dubbing around the thread). Release the dubbing and then repeat the process a few times. Always twist the dubbing in the same direction. If you rub your fingers in both directions you will first twist then untwist the dubbing from the tying thread.

 

There was an outstanding article in the first issue of Hatches Magazine about the Art of Dubbing. Sounds like it may be exactly what you are looking for.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Good luck and remember to have fun.

[TerryLee 0]

Yep, what Ray said .

 

Welcome to the site, too. You'll learn a lot around here if you stick around long enough .

 

Terry

 

 

[Hairstacker 0]

The two keys are to use very sparse amounts of dubbing and spin it on the thread in one direction only. Probably all of us started out struggling because we used way too much dubbing at first. You just want to apply wisps of it.

 

With that said, some dubbing is easier to apply than others. What type are you struggling with?

 

-- Mike

[Hairstacker 0]

Oops, didn't realize Ray was posting while I was composing. Do what he said.

 

-- Mike

[Keith M 0]

Thanks for the help guys.

I started using A LOT less dubbing and it seems to working well.

 

Thanks again for the advice.

Keith

[fishaholic69 0]

try using some dubbing wax too but unscented candle wax works in a pinch.. helps it stick better. do you have waxed or unwaxed thread? I use my dubbing wax even tho I got prewaxed thread. twist on like these guys say. and use half as much as u want to. trust me just stick around! you will get the hang of it and alot of other things too! practice!!!! you can always cut the crappy flys you made at 1st down to reuse the hook. thats what I am doing now that I see a improvement. like hair stacker says. some dubbings are different also. I always used the dubbing dispensers and just used regular hairs ear a few days ago and it sticks way better. just keep at it! glad ya found the sport of fly fishing and the art of tying!

[Hot Tuna 0]

Welcome to the site Keith...great tips so far. Here's a few more things to consider. If you're looking for a nicely tapered body consider the preparation of the underbody; this can include cutting the wing material sloping towards the tail as well as having the butts of the tailing material used in a manner which allows you to apply dubbing over an evenly tapered underbody. Also, the use of the spinning loop technique of dubbing will open up the use of many other materials as dubbing for you. I'm sure there's posts in here already about that. Finally, your selection of dubbing will impact the final result; I like using Andra spectrum for smaller flies and also for flies that have a built up under body(Spectrum is no longer distributed but the super fine poly dubbings are close). For larger flies I use beaver dubbings and other natural furs; the original Adams dressing calls for muskrat. Thread selection can also help in achieving a nice tapered body; I use Unithread 8/0 on most of my flies even ones as large as size 12 or so. This allows you to take more wraps in preparing the underbody without building up bulk.

Hope that helps.

John

[Soft-hackle 0]

Keith,

Ray has given you great tips on dubbing to the tying thread. Myself, I use a number of different methods of dubbing. I use the tying thread method plus a dubbing brush method I refer to as the Leisenring method which traps the dubbing between two pieces of tying thread. This is done off the fly, then the brush is tied on. There is another method using a dubbing loop formed while tying. This method also traps the dubbing between the thread. I've seen others split the thread and dub, too. Plenty of ways to skin the cat. I've not seen the Hatches article Ray speaks of, but I'd try to investigate all methods. Then decide which of those works best for you.

 

The Leisenring method allows the tier to form the bodies ahead of time and they can be stored on a card for use later.

 

Mark

[oldfart 0]

One thing that really helped me was, apply a little dubbing wax to your thumb and forfinger instead of the thread. It really helps get a good grip on the dubbing as I spin it on the thread.

[timcr810 0]

Kieth first off let me say welcome to the site. I also just started tying flies and had trouble with dubbing and it is true Less Is More. If you think you have the amount of fur to dub the thread cut it in half. Trust me you will get the hang of it.

[flytire 0]

try this

 

http://www.fantasyflies.com/rope_dub.shtml

[bowfin47 0]

I hate dubbing wax. You don't need dubbing wax to dub flies.

 

Why would ya' add a sticky material to your superfine fur and hair? Do ya' really want to add a material that's sole purpose is to "gum up" and stick things together?

 

If you'd like a primer on "pinch dubbing", that is to say dubbing without wax, go to Ed Story's video:

 

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/fly-tyin...hing/2060742419

 

Ed gives a really nice tutorial. He is the owner of Feather Craft, one of the largest material supply houses in the country. If Ed Story doesn't use dubbing wax...

 

Hope this is of use.

[Just Tie 0]

There are a few diffrent ways to dub flys like the dubbing noodle. This is when you use long, medium textured dubbings and form a rope in your hand by rolling the fluffy dubbing in your hand then tie it in and wrap it like a yarn. You can also form a thing called a dubbing loop but you would have to see this in pictures.

Best of luck,

Jason