dubbing with marabou

[phil137]

I really like using marabou fibers cut from feathers with thick stems for use in dubbing loops. I am looking for good ideas for doing more with marabou and other materials that produce great action in the water. Anyone have experience with adding additional materials like peacock herl into the loop along with the marabou or other long fibers ? I use the dubbit tool a lot. Anyone have experience with the various dubbing loop spinners with ball-bearing heads ?

Phil

[ceviche]

Ball bearing heads? Do you mean regular bead heads (copper, gold, tungstun, etc), like in the kind butted up against the hook eye?

[Brian Thomas]

Ball bearing heads? Do you mean regular bead heads (copper, gold, tungstun, etc), like in the kind butted up against the hook eye?

I think Phil is referring to one of these .http://globalflyfisher.com/reviews/tyingtools/dubbingblock/
I had one but sold it , as I also have a Roots Dubbing Machine , and a homemade table .

FWIW ... The summer`07 issue of Fly Tyer magazine has instructions on how to build your own table similar to the one in the link .

[phil137]

Yes, I am asking about dubbing blocks as well as the "turbo dubbing spinners" that several manufacturers sell. They have a head that holds a variety of attachments for hooking the loop of thread. Then you place material in the loop, hold the handle of the tool and spin the tool's head to twist the loop.

I'd also like to hear about interesting materials tiers use in the dubbing loops. For a while, it seemed like marabou would wind itself around the loop, so I'd get short twisted fibers instead of nice long ones in the loop. The trouble may have been the speed I was spinning the loop at. Things seem to be turning out better now. I'd like to learn more.