Dubbing blend: Natural & Synthetic.....

[Obi 0]

Hi everybody!

 

What would be the best way to blend a natural and a synthetic dubbing? I want to generate a mix of 80% natural hare's ear and 20% synthetic UV Ice Dub. The fibers of both dubbings are different in length, and the "mix in waterglass"-method did not work out ........

 

Any thoughts apprteciated.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Obi

[whatfly 0]

You want to mix a lot or just a little? I tend to just combine the two in my hand by stacking the two materials and pulling the fibers together over and over until the mix is what I want. Fairly easy to do for smallish amounts and pretty easy to generate a few dozen flies worth of dubbing. If you want a larger amount, dubbing in a coffee grinder would be my next step (slow pulses with reasonable duration between pulses), but perhaps someone with more experience making large batches will chime in. I suspect a 80-20 mix would still be pretty bright (unless that's the effect you are trying for) so I'd probably start with more like a 90-10 mix or perhaps even less.

[Obi 0]

Dear whatfly,

 

thanks a bunch for your reply - my actual intent is to mix only a small amount. Sufficient for the douzen :-)

 

Also a good point about the ratio. What I am planning to do is: Tye a hybrid-nymph between Sawyer's Killer-Bug and Walt's Worm. Just to work around this Chadwick 477-kind-a'-thing........ The effect should be the same: A translucent nymph-body with a pink tinge to it. And just a little sparcle....... I should probably add some pink natural opossom dubbing as well, and reduce the UV Ice?

 

Cheers, Obi

[Crackaig 0]

Most of my dubbing mixing is done with a coffee grinder. The problem here is that Ice Dub will melt if mixed for too long. The solution is don't overload the grinder and keep it to short bursts, no more than 3 or 4 seconds at a time. The grinder will soften stiff dubbing like seal's fur. Every time I get any new seal's fur I put it through the grinder just to soften it.

 

If you don't have a coffee grinder, another way is to get a small tin with a push or screw on lid, and a nut, the kind that goes on a bolt, not a cashew, put the bolt and dubbing into the tin and shake violently. Takes a lot more effort but has a similar effect.

(Here in the UK seal's fur is still legal...just).

Cheers,

C.

[Flyunder 0]

^This^

[flytire 0]

zip lock bag and a can of compressed air

 

vimeo.com/10793808

 

or

 

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i9SSqN8e8I

[NoSlack 0]

@ Flytire

 

I use them same method. Compressed air in a botlle. Couple shots of air and boom, perfectly blended dub. Couple recent packs of MFC phoenix dubbing was a little chunky. In the bottle it went, couple blast, ready to tie.

[Rolf Jacobsen 0]

@ Flytire

 

I use them same method. Compressed air in a botlle. Couple shots of air and boom, perfectly blended dub. Couple recent packs of MFC phoenix dubbing was a little chunky. In the bottle it went, couple blast, ready to tie.

Add me to the list. Hell..... it's fun too.

[AK Skim 0]

@ Flytire

 

Compressed air in a botlle. Couple shots of air and boom, perfectly blended dub.

 

 

I prefer the use of a glass bowl covered with plastic over the coffee grinder and plastic bag methods.

 

 

Just a couple of dollars at AC Moore's.

[whatfly 0]

Dear whatfly,

 

thanks a bunch for your reply - my actual intent is to mix only a small amount. Sufficient for the douzen :-)

 

Also a good point about the ratio. What I am planning to do is: Tye a hybrid-nymph between Sawyer's Killer-Bug and Walt's Worm. Just to work around this Chadwick 477-kind-a'-thing........ The effect should be the same: A translucent nymph-body with a pink tinge to it. And just a little sparcle....... I should probably add some pink natural opossom dubbing as well, and reduce the UV Ice?

 

Cheers, Obi

 

The toughest part of getting a good result is figure out the right proportions. When adding synthetic bright dubbings to nature ones, a little goes a very long way. Of course the next problem is replicating your results once you get a blend you like, so you might want to keep notes about your proportions so you can easily reproduce a winning combination. I've not tied either of the patterns you mentioned, and I admit to having a rather haphazard way of approaching this myself (just add material until I get what I want), so I cannot really make an informed recommendation. If I have to hazard a guess, however, I would probably start with the base of natural materials and blend the colors until I get a mix I like, and then add a bit of ice dub just for a bit of flash. You may also want to also take a look at Sow Scud Dubbing, which is already a mixed dubbing and has the colors (olive, tan, pin) that if combined might get you a bit closer to your goal with little effort.

 

Good luck with your experiments!

[Obi 0]

Hi everybody!

 

Thanks a bunch for the great input I received in this thread. I got myself a can of compressed air and a plastic bottle with a wide opening. I drilled some holes into the lid - done.

 

Had my 1st test-run with that set-up and was very pleased with the result: A blend of natural hare's ear, dark-pink opossom (sic?) and a few fibes of Ice Dub in fluo-pink. I tied some Walt's Worms in #12 already, and the pattern looks very "juicy". I think that fly will catch - let's see if the fish will agree to that.......

 

 

Cheers, Obi

[deeky 0]

Perhaps a little late, but I use compressed air as well. But I used an empty cd rom container - the flat base with a post in the center that holds a stack of disks. I drilled one hole in the top for the air and I'm in business.