"DonO" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Hi, John, Joyce, and all other 'ropers', �giddeyap lil' doegee! �Welcome!
>
>Thanks for joining my first swap. �Splitting the group in 2 seemed to please
>everyone. �Less tying for each.
>
>On the topic of dubbing and yarns:
>Ropes and noodles and spins and twists have been going on for a very long
>time. � Twenty years ago I was roping poly-u yarn for hopper bodies. � This
>is not what rope-dubbing is about. �Also, almost all linear-fiber dubbings
>(and thus yarns) can be tied down and spun-roped and wrapped forward,
>creating segments. �Lots of people do this- many patterns in the books. �I
>would not even approach this as a 'new' technique. �But this is not the
>rope-dub method, either. �When Polly roped his big stone bodies, and many
>like him- Dave Whitlock included, he allowed the thread to twist with the
>material. �Whether a loop, split strand, or single strand of thread, if the
>thread twists with the dubbing, it's not my technique. �In those methods,
>the thread is the limitation of the roping, breaking before the dubbing ever
>gets tight enough to create segments.
>
>The important thing to remember in the 'rope-dub' method is that the thread,
>or wire, is a 'platform' on which to rope. �Since the thread or wire core
>does not twist with the rope, some variables now come into play. � This is
>where the rope-dub shines. �Versus yarns, taper and color variations come
>into play, plus the ability to easily vary segment width and body size in
>one step. �The ability to change the dub if it doesn't suit you is another.
>Just unwrap, vary the rope, which is not fixed, and re-wrap.
>
>So far as I've seen, ANYTHING can be rope-dubbed. � Bob Haerings 'Dubbing
>from hell' was the toughest, but once I figured it out, the results were
>well worth the effort. �I'll be sending photos of various roped bodies using
>everything in my possession that can be called a dubbing. �Having one
>technique that can apply all dubbings to any size fly, bushy or clean, is a
>real find. �My record so far is 21 segments on a size 28 Mustad shank. �The
>exact same method and dubbing will produce a #2 6X stonefly tail. �People
>were cussing ice-dubbing until I publicised the rope-dub for it, as all of
>the previous noodling techniques fell short of shaping any kind of body with
>it. �A clean-segmented ice-dub caddis body can be done in 30 seconds flat.
>And you don't have to vary the technique to do it. �And wax, which is never
>used, �would just kill the luster of ice dubbing and many others.
>
>Learners should start with a long-fibered dubbing, like SLF or llama. �It
>ropes easily and shows the segmentation results quickly. �Then move on to
>different dubbings, starting with clipped furs and longer synthetics. �Then
>finally try short synthetics, which are the toughest to master. �The nice
>thing is that once you 'get it', it all becomes so fast and easy.
>
>Once you can rope your personal arsenal of dubbings, then experiment. �Comb
>the cat or dog and rope the fuzz from the brush. �Rope dryer lint? �Rope a
>lock of hair from your head, if you can spare it. �Mix dubbings, adding
>flash materials like awesome hair scraps. �As your 'final' step, try roping
>on the new tying wires, either as a tag or as your tying thread.
>
>This should be a lot of fun. � �Any questions? �16 flies each.
>
>Again, Welcome ALL!!!
>
>DonO
>
>PS �When you get this message, please reply 'received #RD-01'
>
>
>
