applying dubbing

Mine keeps coming off can someone point towards a good video to show me how it's done

put baby bell wax on thread first

not a cheese we buy .... no kids sorry daughter 41 son 40

I use bees wax that i got from the local hardware shop. Just rub it on the thread befor applying your dubbing.

Darren

hi

i dont use any just leave spare thread and overlap then bit duff up never found a trout say your dosnt have wax on or wax off

dAVE

use a dubbing spinner make loop with thread at bend with spinner at bottom put dubbing in and spin simples

What dubbing are you using? and what Thread Noel?

UTC thread and Veniards seals sub.

Theres your problem mate the seals substitute is Shite. I use proper seals fur or hares ear. It dubs on a dream.

Noel like andy says the subs not as good as the real stuff but even normal seals fur isn't the easiest dubbing to use for the beginner, hares ear dubs really easily and you won't need wax for it, its like anything else with tying the more you practise something the better you will get so just keep at it mate and you will get there.

Also another way of doing it is by splitting the tread with your nails and putting the dubbing into that before spinning, but that way will take some practise.

Cheers michael

Hi Noel

If its just basic colours your using or trying for thorax or full body take a pinch of zonker or marabou thats what out team does and its not rocket science instead of fancy stuff no need hope this helps

jim

hi noel

try some egg yarwn brilliant dbbing few strands dont rn it p the thread turn it side ways quick twist of the finger and thumb and it duffs up well

dAVE

Noel,

Dubbing in principle is simple, in practice can be a pain in the butt.

Wax is there as a tool only as it's only use is to help hold the dubbing material in place until you wind it onto the hook as some materials need some sort of adhesive material to keep it in place, usually shorter or stiffer fibres as they are difficult to form a spiral or twist around the thead which in itself hold the material onto the thread. The easiest to use and most widely available adhesive for dubbing is spit, simply lick your fingers and wet your thread.
The dubbing is held in place by the thread under tension as you wind it on, once wound your adhesive serves no other purpose as the dubbing is trapped in place securely by the turns of thread it is wrapped around. ( There are a few examples where this isn't true, the Waterhen Bloa is one, where the wax has a dual purpose, firstly to change the colour of the thread and to hold in place the mole hair fibres, an example of very short fires that cannot form a spiral to support itself)

In this much Andy is right in blaming the material, however if you think about the priciples i have written here you will be able to work out how you apply the dubbing to the thread to create enoungh trapped fibres to create the effect you want.

to me i'd blame the thread you are using, UTC is a very shiny thread that has no wax in it at all so the difficulty is in adhering the dubbing to the thread at all. If you spin the thread and apply some adherence, i used to just wet it with spit, you'll find it easier to dub.

Another thing that will help is if you roll the dubbing into a ball in the palm of your hand then strtch it out again you will find that it dubs better, the reason for this is that you will break or deform the fibers so the wrap around the hook rather than stay straight. Seals fur sub is fine however won't give you the rough finish you get with real seals fur.

The best tip I can give you is to dump the UTC as a tying thread it is more of a floss, it is great for tying buzzers and other flies that the thread forms proportions of the fly itself but nowt else. It should definitely not be the thread for beginners, I have gone back to using more traditional threads.

UTC became really popular as it lies flat, this property is no good want to tie anything that requires thread position and tension control, for this you can get away with spinning it but it's not ideal. UTC's only strength is that it makes touching turns to make a flat finish easy as it spreads out flat when under tension as does floss. Therefore in buzzer production where the main object is a flat body it makes tying easier.

so my theory around your quandary is throw away the UTC and buy real tying thread, uni is fine, but you will have to practice to get a flat body on a buzzer

I have heard some folk reccomend pritstick ...not something I have used though

i will be honest i dont seem to need to use wax to dub my flies. i tend to use wax for creating my heads on flies as it stops the thread from slipping.

andypandy wrote:i will be honest i dont seem to need to use wax to dub my flies. i tend to use wax for creating my heads on flies as it stops the thread from slipping.

I'll pinch that tip of you Andy

good little tip mate. Works a treat also.