another doctor from the vise

[NB Rob]

Silver Doctor. One of my favorites!



speypages gallery uploads aren't working tonight... I had to put this one on flikr. Unfortunately, this is the largest size I can link.

Hopefully the SP gallery will cooperate soon.

Thanks for looking.

[hitcher]

That's incredible Rob!!! That head is unbeleivable!! One of the nicest doctors I've seen!!

[gt05254]

I'm with John, Rob, that fly is incredible. It would have been worth the price of admission just to watch you finish off that head! Simply awesome.
Gary

[Speyducer]

Another super example !

We are humbled

Mike

[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Just incredible Rob
Another sick display of skills from you ..... this is your finest piece I must say










Mike

[NB Rob]

Thanks very much for the nice words.

The head is 6 coats of cellier over red thread, flattened and waxed with my own concoction of white wax. Whenever I wax, the head comes out that color. If I had not waxed the thread, it's more of a candy-apple deep red color.

I let the head dry completely between coats, and polished with a strip of tack cloth. Overkill? Definitely. It was fun though. I wish I had not had to wax the thread, I would have much preferred the deep red color for the head. The wax helped keep it very smooth from the beginning though, which was my primary concern.

I normally use 3-4 coats max. of cellire, no polishing in between. this was a bit of an experiment for me.

-Rob

[hitcher]

Thanks for the info. The color looks great to me! Have you ever experimented with other thread colors? orange,hot orange. Must give just as cool of an effect.

[Hardyreels]

I can't do that.. However being able to view finished work like you show us Rob is very cool.

Wow,

Ard

[B.C.Flychucker]

Originally Posted by Hardyreels

I can't do that.. However being able to view finished work like you show us Rob is very cool.

Wow,

Ard

+1 agree with Ard, I'm in the same boat.
Thank you for sharing

[Neil]

Great job Rob.
Fantastic finished head,thats not easy to do.

Maybe Julian will get a Salmon on that one in Sept.??
Neil.

[NB Rob]

Hi Neil, I've got some great flies ready for Julian! Although I'm afraid they won't bear much resemblance to this one. My favorite go-to fly right now has a wing consisting of 10 black hairs.

Given current conditions, and the apparent horseshoe I've been accused of having 'somewhere', I think it's going to be a fantastic day. I would love to share a great day of bomber fishing with Julian if conditions permit.

Thanks again for so many nice comments from so many tiers I respect so much! I've learned a great deal from many people that have posted to this thread! Most recently; a great conversation with Gary over fresh coffee on an island in the middle of the Miramichi. Gary was kind enough to let me pick his brain about dying materials (the next frontier). It's all a big learning experience, and I'm fortunate to have a community to hammer continuously with questions.

[fshnazn]

Fantasticly mesmering.

Big applause for your fly,
Adrian

[NB Rob]

Originally Posted by hitcher

Thanks for the info. The color looks great to me! Have you ever experimented with other thread colors? orange,hot orange. Must give just as cool of an effect.

John, sorry I missed this question,

Yes, I often experiment with other colors. Hot orange being one of my favorites. I think you'll recall our conversation with my recent revelation in head colors; using white thread colored with pantone markers. You can match the head to the color of any scheme if you color about 4" of thread prior to flattening and wrapping the head. Let the thread dry completely (a couple of hours) prior to the first THIN application of head cement, otherwise it will run like crazy.

I tried sharpies, but the head cement acted like a solvent, and made a mess. The end result is worth the experimentation with different markers.

I am also in the habit of coloring an inch or two of the thread in places that it might show through, such as the base of throat hackles, etc. Also for dubbing, I find it nice to color the white tying thread and dub on to that, rather than changing out threads to match the dubbing color.

-Rob

[gt05254]

when do you find time to run your company???

[Black Zonky]

All I can say is,...wow.