No I don't have natural wax on my fingers. ;o) When I said any dubbing can be rope-dubbed, I didn't mean that all dubbings roped identically to other types, or with exactly the same technique. (Bob Haering's 'Dubbing from Hell' (Rainbow Bright)took some work to figure out a roping technique, and so did the picric acid dyed mole hair.) Long strands and short hairs will both rope easily if the technique is changed just a bit.
Start with longer synthetics for practice. And forget about getting the dubbing to stick to the thread- that's the old way. You're trying to get the dubbing to spin around the thread without spinning the thread itself. This requires the dubbing be anchored- that's all. With long fibers, spin away from the hook and let it tighten towards the hook. With short hairs and furs, start roping closer to the hook, or even at the hook, and let the material stretch out along the thread away from the hook as you rope. Keep the thread tight- important- do not let it spin with the dubbing. That's why mono thread works so well- dubbing WON'T stick to it. And rolling up a noodle will work with anything that will roll, but not all dubbings will roll that way. Plus it's another unnecessary step. With all bagged dubbings, I just pinch from the bag, anchor the tip fibers, rope, and I am done. With hair/fur on the hide, I can cut a hank, anchor, rope, and I am done. The amount of dubbing I pinch out is dictated by the size and density of fly I am tying. Whether I tie the fur or hair tips or butts down, or hand-blend the guard and underhair before anchoring, depends on the look I want for the fly. The hardest thing about rope-dubbing is letting go of the old methods. It is not a blend of techniques, and doing so makes roping much more difficult. And don't forget roping in a hackle, roping peacock, and using wire to tie on. If you want me to cover the steps again, just let me know. Regards, DonO ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael B. Bliss To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 2:39 AM Subject: Re: [VFB] rope dub question Having watched and tried - I am now convinced DonO has wax naturally on his fingers. He makes it look so easy and it was not for me. ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 3:53 PM Subject: [VFB] rope dub question Well, I finally decided to try DonO's famous rope dub method. Thanks to the vfb and Hans' websites with plenty of instructions. The method seems quite simple but DonO claims any dubbing will work. I'm trying to use the rope dub routine with shaved beaver (get your minds on tying flys boys!) which has very short strands. This material does not lend itself to roping very well but the claim is any dubbing will work. Can anyone explain to me the best method to extend the teardrop long enough to rope a #16 mayfly? I'm also having a time trying to get poly dubbing to "stick to the thread". My adventures are ending up with me pulling out the rope and dubbing the usual way. Is there a secret to wrapping the rope other than the counterclockwise twist? Are you sure I shouldn't add a bit of wax to the thread? I know there was quite a thread on this a long while back but I was too busy at my job to read all the posts. Now, I am desperately trying to learn this confounded method for DonO's swap and my fingers just don't get it. Thanks! Murf
