Making Dubbing

[Flytyer14 0]

I'm gonna start making my own dubbing blends. My question is you put it all in a coffee grinder and run it through right? If so. anyone want to trade some dubbing for a coffee grinder?

[Mickalo 0]

I picked up a grinder at our local walmart for about $9 a year ago and it still works great. You could probably find a decent one on Ebay cheap.

 

Mike

[flytire 0]

good reading material

 

http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sbs&action=display&thread=4046

[Flytyer14 0]

Thank you VERY much for that link!

[roll cast 0]

Mark, If I can find it I'll photo graph the small dubbing blender I made, salvaged parts from some things and then put it together. It doesn't work anymore after I tried connecting it to a car battery to get a bit more power, it out in the shed somewhere

[utyer 0]

That is a very good link,

 

Couple of other things you can use for blending dubbing. A quart jar (water tight lid,) will work on most furs. Curry combs or brushes to comb out furs. Kitchen blenders will also work add dubbing mixtures, and a cup of water. When using a blender, keep your chopped dubbing under an inch, and shred yarns using the combing technique.

 

A coffee grinder will work for most yarns, and furs, but they have been known to turn ice dubbing and some other synthetics into dust. I usually use a blender, or a jar to add flash (ice dubbing or chopped ice wing,) to already blended mixes. I saw a suggestion somewhere (here) that said to dull the blades of a coffee grinder, since they are made for chopping beans.

 

The only dubbing that I don't currently make myself, is superfine dry fly dubbing, and Arizona synthetics.

[NJ All Day 0]

Flytire thanks very much for the link. I though I bookmarked it in my browser but I guess not.

[Flytyer14 0]

EVAN? check your PM's.

[mybadhabit 0]

That is one great link, is there much more to learn about dubbing?

[bowfin47 0]

More almost thirty years, I've blended my own dubbings in the blender... Just an ordinary blender, like ya' find an most any kitchen.

 

Just fill the blender about 1/3 - 1/2 full with water, add one or two drops of liquid dish washing liquid, i.e. Dawn, Joy or etc., and put in your furs, hairs, carpet fibers*, and then blend for about 30 seconds. Dump the contents of the blender into a strainer and rinse with tap water. Blot semi-dry with paper towels and leave to air dry.

 

* You can take Antron carpet sample books (these are neat as you can end up with a bunch of different colored Antron dubbing from each little carpet sample book) or you can take larger sample sections of Antron carpet. Most carpet showrooms with give you the little sample books or even the large samples - in many neat colors! Using shears (not your GOOD tying scissors!), trim the carpet fibers/yarn into a bowl and then blend as described above. However, I usually blend these Antron yarns for about a minute rather than just 30 seconds. The yarns will make better dubbings, if you spend a few minutes unwrapping these "yarns" before blending them. I usually blend each color separately separately, and then I have them to mix into my fur blends. In a few minutes of time, you'll have all the Antron dubbing, in a host of colors, that you can ever use and for virtually no cost!

 

Speaking of dubbings... there is no need to skin or even to keep wild collected squirrel or rabbit skins. When you have the animal in hand, just take trim the fur off the skin into a bowl... Then make your dubbings from those cutting! You then don't have to fool around with the drying or storing the "skins". By the way, I always do this before skinning my squirrels for the pot!

 

Bowfin47

[wes917 0]

Everytime this topic comes up I want to give it a try. I've read that link probably a 100 times. This time I went to wally world for the sole purpose of getting a grinder. They are 13.88 so I snagged one along with some wool yarn to start experimenting with from the dollar bin.

[John F 0]

I went to a junk store and picked up a working coffee grinder for 3 bucks. Works great. I've never used a new one but heard that the new blades will actually chop the material instead of just blending it.

[Robert M 0]

You can also mix dubbing with air

 

http://dailyflytyer.com/2010/11/1857/

 

Works very well without chopping the material finer or waiting for it to dry.

 

You can do this with a gallon jar and compressor also.

[Steve P 0]

That is one great link, is there much more to learn about dubbing?

 

 

Tons more to learn.... like longer fibered dubbing if you prefer to us dubbing in a loop to build bulkier heads for sculpins and such as I do I would suggest the air blending method as most of the grinding methods can and will even in a small way cut the dubbing. The water methods will turn most longer fibered dubbing (1"+ in length) to felt or what resembles a technicolor cat puke ball. I used to have a link for the sir method if someone has that I would love to see that one again. Not to mention the ins and outs of dying dubbing and using all the different mediums on the market available for that as well as the natural things that are available if you just take the time to go get them.

 

Steve

[crappie 0]

I make some small amounts using two pet brushes. Most of my own dubbings are not a smooth color. I like the varigations that I get by doing it this way.

Get some neat colors oout of yanr ends that are aplaca, wool and other furs like that.

Crappie