Exactly that. I made a triangular block from a garden kneeler cushion I had around (I make poppers from it as well). I then took an x-acto knife and cut slots across the triangle, which allows for several different length slots. I cut about 1/2 inch deep.
Take a feather and stroke the barbs so they are at about 90 degrees from the shaft. You can layer several feathers if you want, making for a denser chenille or use different colors - few things in nature are solid red, for example. Hold the feathers by the shaft at each end, and press them into the appropriate slot. Press as far down as you like. You can add a piece of wire to the top of the pile to provide more force to push it in. Trim the ends that are hanging out of the block. Pinch the barbs that are sticking up with a bulldog clamp. This is the hard part. I haven't found a good clamp for this yet - the ones I have don't hold real tight. Pull the feathers out of the block. (flexing the block to open up the cut a bit helps here) Trim off the stems of the feathers. Set clamp with fiber aside for a minute. Wind flat waxed thread onto hook to the point you want to begin dubbing. Take a needle or a bodkin and seperate the strands of the thread. Hold open with your finger. insert the fibers into the open thread. release the thread, which clamps down on the fibers. release the fibers from the clamp. spin the bobbin until the chenille is as tight as you want it. tighter is better, but don't break the thread. Then just wind it on the hook. You can put several different colors into one chenille in the order you want it to appear, for example, wind thread to the bend; insert black marabou into thread; then below that, insert pink or yellow marabou. Wind on dubbing, and you get a black tail and body with a yellow or pink "egg" at the head of an egg sucking leach. You can trim or pluck the egg to shape. You can trim up the fibers anyway you want. On the Fly Fishmerman web site, there is avideo showing how to make a really cool parachute fly using all CDC, except for a cog de leon tail. Really buggy looking. You can add flash to the chenille by pushing it into the block with a wire. Marc Pettijean includes some little blocks to wind the flash onto and then cut it to press into his tool. Marc's tool is only 29.95 from Lines' End, and it comes with complete directions. I'm a cheapskate, so I rigged my own. I'll probably break down if I enjoy doing this just for the sake of the clamps if nothing else. Insert --- Steve, In Maryland ____________________________________________________________ Find what you are looking for with the Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10
