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Dubbing Brush

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Dubbing brushes are very effective ways of creating dynamic bodies on large streamers. Up until OPST made the "composite dubbing loop" popular, there was really no way of making a multi layered hackle from many types of materials other than with a dubbing brush. At least thats where I think the Composit Loop came from. Tell me if im wrong! So back to the dubbing brush. You can put just about any material in the brush to make different effects. Use a more stiff fiber like EP fiber, or something that flows more like the craft fur I am using in this brush. You can even make dubbing brushes with only dubbing. Use Ice Dub for a flashy hackle, or laser dub for a more dull hackle. Anything you use basically creates a hackle, that you can then wrap onto your hook and create some almost impossible to create otherwise bodies. I even know of some people that use a very fine wire and use short fiber to create dry fly hackle this way. Or very buggy looks with hackle on nymphs. Thats the beauty of making your own dubbing brush, you can make it exactly how you want, and therefor have unique flies that no one else has made before.

With that being said here is a list of the materials I used to make this brush.
Gold UTC Ultra Wire "Brassie" size
White Craft Fur
Holographic Silver Starburst Dubbing
Kingfisher Blue Ice Dubbing

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I have a Nor Vise with the all the attachments including a dubbing table. Norm (who is gone now) expected users to make wire brushes much the same as the one at the top of this thread. With the Nor vise it's a snap. Almost the same as above. But it's also worth pointing out you can use flat nylon instead of wire.

 

Wet the thread with a thick bead of Aleene's Flexible Stretchable fabric cement so it is stretched tightly just above the dubbing platform. Lay down the fibers. Soak the other end of the thread with fabric cement now too. Lay it over top, hook it up at the vise (use a home made wire loop in the Nor jaws) and twist away. Use a wire brush to fuzz it all up, also as above.

 

If you want to wind it around a shank you can use it right away. RFN. But you can also leave it as it is--not yet wound--long enough for the fabric cement to gel a bit. 10 minutes or so. Then you can make the loosest, most flexible most snaky-undulating articulated streamer body of all, where the dubbing brush IS the streamer body.

 

Similar to this one, which has a brush like body tied onto a snelled hook. The photo below was actually made with a slightly different technique. But the dubbing brush streamers look almost the same. And boy do they move in the water.

 

up-2016-11-26_Pea-eater.jpg

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Yah the Nor vice is a great one, and I did not know he passed! When? I saw him just 3 years ago at a show... never tried with thread, how do you get it to keep from unwravling? The cement keeps it wound? Id like to see that in action sounds great!

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Yes the fabric cement is key. There are a zillion brands at sewing stores. Aleene's Flexible Stretchable is the best for fly tying. It is the most flexible. But it grips well. In the sewing context you can glue two pieces of fabric together and then put it in the washing machine. And it stays together. That works well for fly tying too.

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Wouldn't the dubbing material get all sticky and gooey from the glue when it's wrapping around the wire prior to being picked out?

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It works for me. Also....if you pull the dubbing platform away a second or two prior to winding the brush winds more better, not needing so much wire brushing after. I've been making streamers like the one I posted above for 6 or 7 years now, using a different technique. I made a few dubbing brush streamers last week, that look much the same. I've only fished them one day so far so the jury is still out on durability. We'll see. The dubbing brush method is fast.

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Perhaps I should take a powder from this thread. I didn't meant to highjack it. I'll start a new one as soon as I have some photos.

 

But I did just discover something. You can use flat nylon thread and fabric cement to make small dubbing brushes with short, relatively stiff fibers. And make dry fly hackles that way. Guard hairs and/or fine point artists paint brushes.

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Perhaps I should take a powder from this thread. I didn't meant to highjack it. I'll start a new one as soon as I have some photos.

 

But I did just discover something. You can use flat nylon thread and fabric cement to make small dubbing brushes with short, relatively stiff fibers. And make dry fly hackles that way. Guard hairs and/or fine point artists paint brushes.

No this is great! I like when new info is given. Please show pics! :).

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Ok then. I'm rebuilding a new computer, around two giant hard drives. Haven't finished. It's booting but no image making yet. I made this one yesterday, before I started hard drive hacking.

This is a wet fly. Next step dry flies but that will have to be later.

This was made with badger guard hairs twisted up as a thread (and fabric cement) based dubbing brush.

 

up-2018-09-10-06.52.54ZSDMap_PittPott.jp

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