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diy synthetic dubbing

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For those of you without a coffee grinder, an alternative method of making dubbing is with compressed air either in large or small batches. Go to a gas station with a free air hose. There are several in my area. Use a tire stem valve to activate the air hose - get an old used one for free at a tire store.

 

 

 

Or the manual method is with carding brushes. You can get two dog hair brushes as an alternative.

 

Carding-Wool-1.jpg

 

Dog_brush.JPG

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I've made some dubbing equivalent to Senyo Laser Dub, and it worked out very nice. It was hard to tell the difference. I just cut the yarn to the length I wanted, then used the wire dog brushes to pull all the the fibers apart. Added some ice dub and done.

 

However, I drove myself insane trying to find the right colors. After white, olive and some other mottled brown my brain started to melt. I'd have to look at home at the exact yarn I used, but to get a decent color selection different brands of yarn have to be used. Different brands mean slight differences in how the feel, flow in the water, look with another brand, etc. I'm not really OCD, but the whole endeavor drove me nuts.

 

I realized I would end up with so many different rolls of yarn that it financially wasn't worth it. Maybe for a production tyer, but for the small-ish quantity I tie each year I'm happy with the white and olive. That'll make a ton of blue gill Low Fat Minnows and Bunny Bluegills.

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I use dog brushes to make mine. I have found that taking yarn apart to single strands make it easier to use the brushes.

I then hand mix the smaller amounts into larger bags.

 

Rick

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Often at thrift stores I see partial balls of yarn that were apparently the left overs from someones knitting project-might see 4-10 colors for a buck or two. My wife crochets so there are lots of remnants in her favorite colors. A suggestion, look around in your local for a knitting club or crochet club and stop in to ask about remnants, they all have some and might give them to you. Another is take that 100 miles of white (cut off 25-50 feet, lifetime supply) and cut into pieces 25' long and toss those in the Rit Dye with what ever else you are dying. make as many colors as you want of yarn, then do the cut and card.

I find myself just using the yarn rather than go through all the steps, but that limits me to the color it comes in.

Dubbing to me means fur cut from a hide, the books I learned from never mentioned synthetics at all.

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This is one of those items that I have to wonder, "Is it really worth my time to card yarn into dubbing?"

 

My answer is, no. I use my fair share of the stuff, but not enough to deconstruct yards and yards of yarn.

I definitely won't be able to buy, store and use all the different yarns that would be required to make the variety of dubbing I can buy in a few seconds online or at the fly shop.

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I'm with Mike. Dubbing is cheap, goes a long way and comes in many many different colors. I feel no need to come up with "custom" colors. If I were so inclined, the compressed air is pretty slick.

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This is one of those items that I have to wonder, "Is it really worth my time to card yarn into dubbing?"

 

My answer is, no. I use my fair share of the stuff, but not enough to deconstruct yards and yards of yarn.

I definitely won't be able to buy, store and use all the different yarns that would be required to make the variety of dubbing I can buy in a few seconds online or at the fly shop.

I agree..it is very time consuming especially if you have to do it to tie lots of flies.....

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Tried it one time. All I did was make a mess. But I will try again.

 

To answer Mike's question about it being worth the time.

 

Probably not. But then again why do I tie flies when I can purchase them? Why do I build furniture and other projects when I can purchase it? Why do I change the oil in my car instead of taking it to a shop?

 

It's the satisfaction of knowing I can do it.

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Probably not. But then again why do I tie flies when I can purchase them? Why do I build furniture and other projects when I can purchase it? Why do I change the oil in my car instead of taking it to a shop?

 

It's the satisfaction of knowing I can do it.

I get the satisfaction thing.

I build furniture, make knives and sheaths, tie flies and go fishing ... these are hobbies I do for the satisfaction and relaxation.

But there's some things that don't fit that description.

Making my own dubbing ... I pretty sure I could do that ... but I'd get no satisfaction from it, and I am also pretty sure it wouldn't be relaxing.

Doing my own oil change ... done it, thrown away the t-shirt ... now I take it to a quick lube place and get it done in a third the time with no fuss or mess and only a few bucks more for them convenience.

 

I'm not arguing with you, rstaight ... I do understand your motives. I just don't think I'd "gain" anything, in this case.

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The only dubbing I have used that I mixed was some underfunded from my pets and hare's ear. For trout. Otherwise it is off the shelf. Interesting approach, though.

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I think if a new fly tyer does not live near a well stocked fly shop, making your own dubbing is a viable option vs buying mail order.

 

It costs quite a bit to buy both coarse nymph dubbing, fine dry fly dubbing, synthetic sparkle dubbing, etc, etc in the various colors. Secondly, the colors may not match the color of the local natural hatch the tyer is trying to match.

 

We tell new tyers NOT to buy a fly tying kit with materials that they will never use. Should not the same rule apply to dubbing?

 

So a new tyer has the option of ordering dubbing from a catalog or on the internet, hoping that the color he buys and the consistency of the dubbing will be what he needs. Or he can look at the dubbing other local fly tyers have and buy the same dubbing, or he can try making dubbing.

 

I've made my own dubbing because of the problems above. If you want to make you own dubbing from yarn, it is easier to find coarse materials that are used for nymphs. I would look NOT for yarn with a single color but a yarn with variegated colors ie, different colors in different sections of the yarn. Earth tones are great for nymphs.

 

Secondly, go to a local taxidermist and see if they have scraps of fur that they will give you. Similarly, detachable fur collars of mink and muskrat used to be quite common in ladies coats. Go to a Salvation Army, or other used clothing store find these. Rabbit, muskrat, mink, fox, can be used for dubbing. Natural animal fur has underfur and guard hairs. The fine underfur which is used for dry flies. Combine the underfur with the guard hairs for the coarse dubbing for nymphs or buy a hare's mask and mix that in for nymph dubbing.

 

Muskrat underfur was the original adams dubbing.

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I have salvaged mole, mink and muskrat from thrift stores, was tempted last week by a beautiful mink collar,was pristine condition and probably had 10 pelts in it-$8 coat included- dubbing for a hundred years, But it was plucked of guard hairs.

I love mole for very small flies.

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I had a tri color collie that passed about 7 years ago. His under coat was perfect dubbing for an Adams dry.

 

Did I try it? You betcha, wish I still had some. Felt like he was with me every time I used an Adams.

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