Clark's dubbing block

[wayneb]

Hi All;

I recently constructed a dubbing block nearly identical to the illustrations in Allen McGee's book, tried it out last night and was amazed with the results! I plan on using it for my submission to the hot spot swap.

Question: I'm considering creating my hot spot with dubbing, anyone ever tried this with a dubbing block?

Any. Other dubbing block hints?

Thanks in advance;

Wayneb

[Ruard]

The most difficult thing when using a dubbingblock is in my opinion: spread the dubbing as evenly as you can. When using silk as a thread make some of the boards with slides in it.

Greeting

[gingerdun]

The most difficult thing when using a dubbingblock is in my opinion: spread the dubbing as evenly as you can. When using silk as a thread make some of the boards with slides in it.

Greeting

Rurad, Could you explain more? What are "slides"? Do you mean a shallow, rounded groove in the wood block for the silk and dubbing to settle into? Pete had some blocks like that, and that was what Dick Clark recommended. But Pete abandoned the groove eventually, using a flat pine block, laying very small amounts of dubbing in small increments across the waxed silk.

I'm attaching examples of how Big Jim spun them on his pant leg—which Dick Clark and Pete replicated on the block. Some people think that the pant leg method is superior, but Pete did not think there was a significant difference.

These photographs were made by Gunnar Johnson, and appeared in his 1989 book FLYMFER.

[gingerdun]

While I'm at it, here is a close-up example of one of Pete's blends, noted in his handwriting on the card—Hare's Face, Muskrat, and Mole Mohair. He was blending textures rather than colors. Done on the Clark Spinning Block.

The silk is his favorite Pearsall's Gossamer Ash, now discontinued.

[Kelly L.]

Wow, those pics are fantastic. I asked a carpenter friend of mine if he has a left over piece of wood so I can make a spinning block from it. These are so wonderful. Thanks for sharing them!!

[Ruard]

The most difficult thing when using a dubbingblock is in my opinion: spread the dubbing as evenly as you can. When using silk as a thread make some of the boards with slides in it.

Greeting

Ruard, Could you explain more? What are "slides"?

I mean slits or grooves in the board. I you use copper as thread you dont need a board but with silk the brush will unwind so use a piece of board with grooves in it.

Greeting

[hankaye]

Ruard, Howdy;

And how would Ruard do the slides?
Show us a photo maybe?

hank

[CreationBear]

Wow, those photos of Mr. Johnson's are fantastic. A question: any thoughts on what "mole mohair" is? Angora colored gray, like mole's fur?

[Mike Connor]

Wow, those photos of Mr. Johnson's are fantastic. A question: any thoughts on what "mole mohair" is? Angora colored gray, like mole's fur?

Looking at it, it is almost certainly grey mohair. "Angora" is hair from an Angora rabbit, "Mohair" is hair from an Angora goat. Both materials may be obtained in many wool shops etc. Mohair or Angora take dye very well, and are excellent dubbing materials, especially for blending with other natural furs.

Mole fur is a dark blue dun colour:



TL
MC

[Mike Connor]

Just for good measure here are the other materials in that mix, although both "hare's face" and "Muskrat are much too general descriptions, there are many and various colours and types of hair on a Hare's face and on a Muskrat;

Bisam or Bisam Rat also known as Muskrat( (Ondatra zibethicus)originally only native to North America, is a very underrated fur. It can be used for a lot of things, especially mixing natural dubbing mixtures, and has a large range of colours and shades. The guard hair may also be used for dry flies etc. Not specified as Bisam in any patterns I know of, but may be used as a substiute for quite a few other animal furs. Untanned, the guard hair floats like a cork.There are a number of well known American patterns which use Muskrat fur.This animal is often confused with the Nutria (Myocastor coypus), which was originally native to South America, and is smaller, Also useful fur if you can get it. Both of these animals were introduced to Europe and are now widespread.

The first picture is of a Bisam skin from an animal I found dead on the road. Sometimes one can buy skins, and they are usually well worth obtaining. In North America they are often hunted, once because they were used extensively in the fur trade, but now, and in Europe, mainly because of their destructive tunnelling habits, which can cause havoc with ditch systems and similar.

Muskrat is very useful indeed for various dubbings. Often as a substitute for other furs. Once again, if you obtain pieces of fur, it can be very difficult indeed to identify it. The fur pieces shown below are all natural ( undyed) pieces from muskrat. You are often obliged to rely on the dealer sending you the right thing! This is easier to control if you get full skins, or recognisable parts of them. One may identify some fur by looking at the colouration and structure, but with many furs this is difficult, requires experience, and is still chancy! The last picture is a muskrat skin from a dealer.






Hare's mask;



Your mask should look something like this;

As you can see there is a large range of colours here. The textures of these hairs also vary depending on where you take them from.

OK. The mask has a number of more or less defined areas with specific types and colours of hair.

On either side of the nose, there are areas of reddish brown hair with very little underfur. Moving up the side of the mask, this changes to a light buff colour. As one moves further up, the hair tips become darker with a well defined dark brown to black band, and blue grey underfur.

Between the eyes and on the forehead is hair with light yellowish tips and a dark base.

At the base and between the ears is the "poll" this is a light reddish brown with pale tips, with underfur of the same colour. This is the same colour and texture as buff opossum fur.

At the base of the ears you have soft fur with light, often almost white fur with a varying length of dark base. Moving up the ear itself you have short dark hair with light tips. This is the hare recommended for the hare´s ear nymph. You can remove this by pinching it off with your thumb and finger nail. The whole side of the ear is covered with this hair.

So, that very roughly covers it. You can blend any of these furs together in pinches, or you can use each type of hair alone, or you can separate the guard hair and the underfur and use it separately. There are many possible blend combinations. I have covered about twenty of these "standard" blends so far, but of course they are practically infinite.

Many people simply shave the mask and chuck the result in a blender, But this is a terrible waste of possibilities and the resulting blend, though quite excellent for some nymphs and wet flies, contains a very large percentage of underfur, and is thus less suitable for quite a few things, including dry flies. You can dress dozens of completely different flies using a mask and ears. And you can also control the properties of those flies.

For guard hair wings and the like, body fur is better simply because it is a lot longer and easier to handle. even short body guard hair is at least an inch long, which is quite ample for even the largest flies.

The guard hair from various locations also differs in colour according to location, and much of it also differs in colour along its own length. There may be three or more clearly defined colours or shades of colour on a single guard hair, If you want a specific colour, then just cut the colours off that you require, and put the others aside for something else.

TL
MC