Runarsson

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I use the rope dub a lot. Don is a friend of mine and from pictures and explanations in emails I had learned the technique long before I bought the DVD. However, from the DVD I saw how much more moving pictures can give. I thought I "had it" quite good, but already in front of the TV I was sitting "Ahaaa"... "Aaaahhh"... "Oooookey"... and just KNEW that I would do it better the next time I got back into the tying room. This method shouldn't be confused with spinning dubbing in a thread or wire loop. Like 'phg' says, it's all about "wrapping" dubbing around the thread/wire. (The best thing is to not even twisting the thread at all while preparing the rope, which is why Don promotes a slippery core, such as wire or monofilament). It's practically the same thing as you do when you make a 'peacock rope'... tying the tips in, twisting the herls around the thread and then dressing the hook shank. Only difference is that you're wrapping dubbing around the thread instead. The technique is cool and offers some neat advantages. Not only does it become easy to achieve nicely tapered segmented bodies... (a couple of my own) ... but it also makes it easy to dub really hard dubbed materials, like 'Glass Web' ... and 'H2O Flash' Those two were "extreme" experiments I did right after buying the DVD, when I discovered that I with this technique suddenly could make a rock hard (and segmented) body from my sticky squirrel dubbing (that until then only had given me headache). You can also mix materials in many ways. In the following one (also a "just to try"-one, right after buying the DVD), the noodle is made in three parts with different colors of dubbing, with a saddle hackle wrapped around it. Then, the whole "package" has been wrapped together. The result is a segmented (not so obvious on the picture though) fly in three colors with a body hackle that is close to bullet proof. (Not the cutest I've done, but durable with a capital 'D'.) I highly recommend the DVD. It "has" a lot inside it that will still leave lots of doors open for own creative ideas to take it further. He is also a very good instructor. Here are some pictures from the VFB Rope Dub Swap that Don hosted not too long ago: http://www.swedneckflyfishing.com/ropedub2010.htm /Nick PS. PHD: The site you mention was the Virtual FlyBox, or the "VFB". It wasn't a free site. Byard was paying for it. I think it had something to do with the web host that made it shut down suddenly (early 2008). The VFB mailing list quickly returned to life again though and has since then been a Googlegroup.

About to buy a McKenzie light from overseas, but will have to get my own power supply since our walls are loaded with 230V. I saw a similar question somewhere else, where a guy needed the specs, but it turned out to be for the 'Bright Light' model. This is for the smaller halogen bulb model, so I can't know if the answers he got apply to me. Output: * How many volts? (Bright Light model: 12VDC) * How many amps? (Bright Light model: 1,5A) * Regulated? (Bright Light model: Yes) * Switched? (Bright Light model: Yes) * Plug dimensions? (Bright Light model: 2.1 x 5.5 mm) Thanks in advance! /Nick

I listen to a lot. But when fly-tying I often go traditional style. Two who really puts me "in the mood" are Loreena McKennitt and Alela Diane. They quickly close all doors to the surrounding world. Examples: Loreena McKennitt - Mummer's Dance: Alela Diane - Pirate's Gospel: /Nick

I adjust the angle on mine a lot, to suit what I'm doing. But I haven't touched the locking bolt since sometime the first week I had it. The "middle point" I found works perfectly for me. Holds for all my tying, but still adjustable without tools.

The only difference between them is the adjustment of the head angle. The Professional has four pre-set angles in which you LOCK the head. The Supreme has no pre-sets and instead you TIGHTEN the head in the angle you want it. Positive for the Professional: When locked, the head will stay in the same angle, even if you place a car on the jaws. Positive for the Supreme: You can make much finer adjustments to the head angle... but when tightened, it will probably not hold a car without moving. Professional: Less angles to chose from - but the ones you have can take REALLY tight wraps. Supreme: More angles to chose from - but it haven't got the same biceps as the Professional. I have a Supreme myself and personally I feel that I don't need the pre-set positive locks of the Professional. I've found a setting where I quite easily can adjust the head angle (without losening the screw first), but still pull really hard in the thread without it moving... and there's still room for tightening it much harder if needed. /Nick

I finished an Overhand Weave step-by-step the other day, that shows the weave made with and without tool. http://www.swedneckflyfishing.com/overhandweave_steps.htm

I got this from a friend in swap a few years ago. It looked pretty cool.

Something I would count as a minus on the Renzettis is that you seem(!) to need a separate tool to adjust the height of the jaws... screw driver or allen wrench. I would have prefered to see a thumb screw there. (Might be wrong on this. Have only seen pictures, not close-up.) I don't think the material of a few parts would disturb me much. The plastic parts on the Mongoose didn't disturb me either. Even though the tip of its plastic cam arm took some beating from slamming into the bobbin cradle when it was tightened backwards, the irritation was still based on the fact that it was long enough to actually do it. The dents in it didn't make a difference to how it did its primary job. To continue the Mongoose plastic path, I think replacing the old aluminum block with a delrin block and adding a delrin friction screw were bigtime functionality improvements... and so was adding the rubber ring at the back. The delrin block made the rotation smoother, the new separate delrin screw made the rotation drag adjustment better and the rubber ring stopped the wobbling handle part from unscrewing the knob at the back. I bought those parts for my own one and by adding plastic and rubber I cut a good portion from its annoyances. If the name of the material doesn't make a negative difference in functionality, it doesn't matter much to me. I own a Danvise too and even though it's almost full-blown delrin, only a minor part of the disturbances I've found on it is actually material related. I bet the big delrin block on the LAW wouldn't bother me either... as long as it does its job the way I would want it to.

Can't say which one you will feel most comfortable with... but I can point out something you might want to look closer at when you're trying it. I bought my Mongoose without trying it. I wouldn't have bought it if I had tried it first: A long cam arm (that also could have been closer to the jaws) steals a lot of free space under the hook, reaching out almost to the thread. (Little picture: These long jaws in that steep angle, together with the cam arm reaching out like that, makes it very hard to tie with the hook rotated to an up-side-down position.) I have never tried the Renzetti Traveller, but based on my own experiences with the Mongoose, the Traveller's short jaws with no additional obstacles makes it look like Renzetti was the only one of them having ergonomy in mind by the drawing table. /Nick

The Ultimate Indexer from D-K, with its tiltable shaft, doesn't have to be a bad travel vise when it comes to size, just because it might look large on the bench. It has a larger and heavier pedestal base than the Supreme, but using a smaller size base (Trekker/Supreme size) as travel base, or a C-clamp... Here in/with D-K's medium sized travel pouch, that I normally use for the Supreme: /Nick

I've gone from conventional vise to 'never a conventional vise again' and partly back to 'the most convenient one'... and the vises sharing my bench are a Barracuda Ultimate Indexer and a Supreme. In my opinion, both vises (vise types) have their pros and cons: S+: Only the size of the Supreme is a heavy pro to me. It doesn't take up as much space on the small tying surface of my fly-tying bench as the Barracuda. It's also a more convenient traveller (and is always the one taken to tying nights with my friends). S+: Placed on top of the shaft, with nothing behind it, the Supreme's head is a more comfortable hand rest than the Barracuda's (on its horizontal extension). B+: It offers the inline rotary. However I don't think it makes it a disastrous con for the Supreme, since the jaws can be rotated on that one too. When having the jaws set in a not too steep angle to start with you can still tie with the hook rotated to an up-side-down position, even though the shank won't be perfectly horizontal. If you ask me, the level of the inline rotary vise pro relies on how often you practice actual rotary tying, not on how often you turn the fly to tie on the other side. B+: More space below the hook. So, once I said "I'll never tie on a conventional vise again.". Today I tie just as much on the Supreme as I do on the Barracuda... and just like there are situations where I prefer the Barracuda, there are situations where I prefer the Supreme. /Nick

Fish for redfish... or bluegill... or brown trout. Fish in Yellowstone... in White River... on Greenland. But do it with a chartreuse fly. LOL Thanks for warm words about my website!

That's what I've been trying to tell them, but all I seem to get is "Chartreuse is just another color."... Chernobyl Sculpin

'Tackle box' - Every time I hear the word I get nostalgic. Those were the days... the days before my fly-tying room. LOL

Day before yesterday I cracked the weave I've been wondering about for a couple of years... ... by accident(!), when I was trying out what I thought might work as a "substitute weave". That was a stimulating surprise, to say the least!! Woven Cased Caddis:

I use two different tying bags. The William & Joseph and the Scierra. The W&J a nice bag and can take what I need for a tying night. But I quickly learned that for me, a tying night bag is just what it is. It's pretty thin and really don't take MUCH of stuff. But I found another one which plays in a different league when it comes to space. It takes what I need for both a 3-day tying show and a week long fishing trip... with space to spare. The Scierra fly-tying bag: Both have something the other hasn't. The W&J is neat, light and modest while the Scierra is a real beast, thick and heavy. On the other hand, the W&J is the typical "few pattern bag" (perfect for a tying night), while the Scierra is a true "swallower" and will take a looot of stuff. It's perfect for someone like myself... ... Better in the bag and not needed than needed and still at home. LOL /Nick

The Ekich automatic bobbin lets you use the original thread spools. A little pricy... but will allow you to walk around in your tying room. Look: http://www.automaticbobbin.com/ /Nick

Any vise that you feel comfortable with is better than any vise you DON'T feel comfortable with... "One man's dream is another man's nightmare." (~ Hans Weilenmann)

That's a cool looking one. Never seen that one before. (Waiting with excitement for someone to name it.)

To avoid having the hook shank splitting the "chin" when tied down, it goes through the face and comes out just about where the finishing wrap is located. From there and backwards it's just tied down over the hook. But I must say, when tying it down the hook shank sinks deep into it... so it's not entirely to lie when I say that the shank still goes 'through' it. The plug simply "swallows" the hook shank when the thread is tightened and the glue also under the hook shank will help to secure it.

Haven't tried varnish, but super glue (Zap-A-Gap) didn't do more to it than secured it.

A lady came up to me at a show, looked at the yellow earplug fly in my display and told me that they had earplugs in all colors at her job. She promised to send me a few to look at. I thought she had meant 'only' in other colors than yellow, but when I opened the envelope that arrived a few days later... "WOW!!!!" Not a popper tier myself, but I can imagine that you could use them for that purpose. I'm just a member of the 'just for fun'-club... and these have 'for fun' written all over them, so they sure won't be forgotten in my foam box. Check out http://www.earplugs.de/Cont/Plugs/SparkPlugs.asp. /Nick

I have 5-6 'straight from the vise'-flies as a routine and I also like to vary the types. "A streamer, a foam fly, a ......" Not much in my own eyes, but a small bite from each participant can build up to a more than decent pie from the crowd.

For "buggier" hackle... hackle rope. Barbs 360 degrees around the core already before wrapped. It's a WILD hackle on the hook. Not for a beauty like Royal Wulff... but durable (to say the least). Bulletproof.