Mataura mayfly wrote:Heck, if I made the block it is a wonder that fine looking fly is not full of splinters!
Just a thought on that...... you being a leftie, might want to look at taking a sharp blade and making a thread retaining slot on the left hand side of the block- for the top thread.
Having the cut for holding the tag end on the right, works fine for me
That way when you use your dominant hand to bring the top thread over, you will not wipe off the dubbing from the bottom thread with your cuff.
Or even upset the dubbing with air movement as you reach over.
You will not go far wrong with instruction from either of the other two fine gentlemen. Awful lot of knowledge floating around in those two heads.
I am still stoking my fire and looking out for snow, so I may have to jump on the tying of flymph bandwagon and see what I can come up with.
So the Hare ear, from the inside-back-leading edge of ear?
Just the back of the ears, trying to clip fibres which are equally short
Did you find the ear fibres easier or harder to control on the dubbing block?
These shorter fibres are difficult to handle normally, as you know. Washing them as per John Shaner's instructions made the job much easier. It just came down to how long I could hold my breath.
Did you have to add more than you thought to the waxed base thread as some fell off when twisting the bodies?
Again, having washed the dubbing, it holds together well and forms a cigar shape easily. There is no touch dubbing effect on this block because the silk lies under the block surface. Once the tag end silk is firmly positioned on top, it is secure. Making the dubbing loop as Jim Leisenring did avoids this problem.
Another difference using the block is that the loop is twisted from one end only. Making it on your thigh enables both ends to be simultaneously twisted, in opposite directions. With this advantage, I'd be surprised to hear that Jim Leisenring gave up tying on his leg, in favour of using a dubbing block.
Did you stop the working thread at the thorax area after tying in the twisted body, wind the hackle and then work the thread through the hackle?
Yes, 3 thread turns through the hackle.
The hackle was tied in first thing, reverse-hackle style.
Was the hackle tied in at the eye and wound down, or at the abdomen/thorax junction and wound forward?
), you could modify it with a couple of pins and a strip of vinyl or leather, just like William does on the beautifully made examples he sells. You might even get away with a plastic strip cut from an icecream container lid? 
