When I first got into fly tying, I went the "Full Monty" and dropped
about $250.00 on fly tying gear and materials. The gear came to a grand
total of $56.00, the materials about $179.00, and State Sales Tax $15.00.
They tax you for earning the money, then they tax you for spending it, go
figure!
One of the material items I just had to have was those dubbing storage
boxes with all the different color dubbing already in them. How convenient,
how economical, how orderly!
Since then, I have bought more dubbing materials and needed something to
put them in. Something that would sit on my tying bench and be readily
available. To be able to pull a puff of dubbing as I needed, just as if I
was taking a facial tissue. Thus I came across George E. Manuel's Article on
Steaming Chenille, which gave
me an idea, a variation on his 35 mm film container for storing the chenille.
Instead of the container sitting with the lid on top, I designed mine where
the lid is the base. This gives a more stable platform for the dubbing container.
A bonus to this variation is that to drill a ¼ inch hole in the
container, the container already has a dimple in the center of the bottom
(now top).
Once you have drilled the hole, there will be a 'hanging chad' on the
inside. This can be removed easily with a round file, or with a sharp
knife and some sandpaper wrapped around a dowel or pencil.
Place your dubbing (works best with 'Poly' or 'Antron' type dubbing),
in the bottom (formerly known as the top), and close the container.
Cut out the label off of the bag that held the dubbing, and tape to the
outside of the container. Start the dubbing, thru the ¼ inch hole, with your
Bodkin.
Now the dubbing is more readily available to use. You can replace any
excess dubbing back into the bottom container for reuse.
Hint: Where to find all the 35 mm canisters you want for free.
Most Photo Finishing Places are a good source, they usually just trash them. Now you
will be helping yourself and the environment too!
Please check out the Fly Tying Section, in the Bulletin
Board, on FAOL too.
If you have any questions, tips, or techniques; send them along.
Someone else thought up most of this material before we did,
they just forgot to tell anyone about it. Or else we just
forgot about it, while learning something else. Let us
share with each other, all the things we know!
~ Steven H.
McGarthwaite (Chat Room AKA Parnelli)
|
