adrian191 0 Report post Posted January 22, 2014 So i went to a farm and they had rabbits so i bought one to eat and i told them to give me the fur to. So Know i dried it and idk how to seperate it. Like how to miz t so it turn into a dubbing . Should i just shave it all and mix it should i take some back hair and some belly hair and mix it . Can someone tell me how to do this. Also i have the mask which im probably going to use for hare's ear tail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted January 22, 2014 You can shave the whole skin and keep in bags for a dubbing that will be spikey, a mix of short under fur and longer guard hairs. I would cure the skin and keep it all together so I can scrap off guard hairs alone, under fur alone. A mix etc. You'll find a whole rabbit is a good mix of hairs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnP 0 Report post Posted January 22, 2014 If you can find an old coffee grinder at a thrift store, you can use that to mix up the dubbing. I just cut the fur from the hide, guard hairs and all, and mix it up. I also use a dubbing rake to get just the underfur, when I want a smoother dubbing. I have used this method with hare's mask, European hare, muskrat, beaver, mink, bobcat and a few other furs. You can mix and match to get the colors you want, and by including the guard hairs or excluding them, can have a very spiky or smooth dubbing. Wool yarn can also be blended using a coffee grinder; just be sure to cut it into inch-long pieces before putting it into the grinder, to avoid having it form a rope around the blades. Have fun and experiment! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christopher K 0 Report post Posted January 22, 2014 if you shave the skin clean keep it for mouse tails Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flysmallie 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 if you shave the skin clean keep it for mouse tails This. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whatfly 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 And after you are done cleaning, shaving, storing, and mixing your dubbing, go online and take a look at what rabbit dubbing actually costs... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpowderleader 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 I keep the fur on the hide until I want some special mixed dubbings. If you look at the entire hide you will notice different textures of fur and different colors. A little of this part mixed with that can mean a completely different dub. Mixing the dub in a coffee blender will work but for better results water mixing will give a better blend without damaging any of the fur. Water mixing is simple. Just put small amounts of the fur into a jar, add some water and a small drop of hair conditioner. Put on the lid and shake. I use a coffee filter to separate the now mixed fur and water. The neat part of this method is that you will know what the dubbing looks like when wet. If you want to change the color some simply put it back in the jar and add fur to change to the color you want then mix and drain. Once you are satisfied with the color set the fur out to dry. If you need it immediately the put the fur into a small cloth or paper bag and dry it with a hair dryer. Only takes a minute or two. The masks can be separated the same way, talk about tying a true hairs ear. I separate my masks into 12 differet color/textures. If you want to process the entire hide into dub then do it. I reccomend keeping a small patch of your hide,preferably a square from the back, for tails on flies. I like to store my dubbing in screw capped plastic container. I get bead organizer from a local craft store. I find the boxed sets withe seperate jars very nice to store similar colors together Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpowderleader 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 This is a natural hare mask that I processed, the containers are labeled as to the part of the mask. Some paterns were originated using particular sections of mask. Such as the hares ear or the woodcock and hare's lug spider. (The lug of a haresmask is simply the dark fur on the front of the ear.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gene L 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 It should be noted that there's a difference between a rabbit and a hare. Also, most eating rabbits don't have the difference in coloring. There is likely more color in wild rabbits as opposed to farm rabbits. . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpowderleader 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Very good notes Gene. I should have mentioned those. While there may be less color change, sometimes no color variation to speak of such as a pure white. What you will get though is texture variation everything from super short spikey to soft as silk. I guess it depends on how obsessed you are with this tying addiction and what you are wanting from your dubbing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 This is a natural hare mask that I processed, the containers are labeled as to the part of the mask. Some paterns were originated using particular sections of mask. Such as the hares ear or the woodcock and hare's lug spider. (The lug of a haresmask is simply the dark fur on the front of the ear.) Right container in top row of image. . . Nose hair? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpowderleader 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 I labeled it nose for my Id purpose. Its a mix of the hair on the nose and the lower jaw. I use it as a touch dub on the thorax of tiny nymphs. Its super short and very spiky when dubbed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Don't tell fibs, you've been coasting the old folks homes with your remmington trimmer haven't you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fish shaman 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Nose hair?Wow.Im gonna have to rethink how obsessed with fly tyin I could get. I would think even the rabbit would be impressed with the number of shades and variety of textures that were carefully harvested from its face!Just to keep things simple,I was gonna snip a piece of hide from a hares ear and hook it like bait. (maybe not) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpowderleader 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Never tried the old folks home. But I did steal some fur from my mother's cat when I was first learning to tie 20 years ago. She still brings that up on occasion And as far as obsessed, that is quite probably true. Borderline on the need for medical intervention. Obsene was agreeing with my local fly shop owner to make him a set in natural, fun, and olive. As they pretty much specialize in materials for spiders he wants to see if they would sell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites