Clark Spinning Block

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Tom Smithwick
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Re: Clark Spinning Block

Post by Tom Smithwick » Sat Apr 04, 2015 9:33 am

Excellent discovery on the new yarn. I have been chasing the killer bug for a couple years, too. I just ordered some of the alpaca, which does look perfect. To date, the spindrift oyster has worked best for me, but really, it's more like Mrs Sawyer's later substitute than the original Chadwick. I ought to have the new stuff in a few days. I also tried the SemperFli substitute from Britain, BTW. They got the grey right, but not much in the way of pinkish undertone. It seems to have a subtle fuzzy haze as well. It's been too cold to get the fish's opinion.
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William Anderson
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Re: Clark Spinning Block

Post by William Anderson » Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:40 pm

Phil and Tom, I know at this point it turns a corner from jovial interest to weird obsession, with a diminishing return on time spent, but it has never stopped me before and I see I'm clearly not alone. I have really enjoyed tying the KB's in a few dozen yarns, on a few dozen hooks and with different wire combinations and proportions. That being said, it seems like I'm on a quest to get it out of my system completely and to do that, I have more to go. I bought a skein of the yarn Phil recommended (Berroco UAF1214). The SemperFli sub is something I still need to find. I'll be curious to add these to the gallery for comparison wet and dry. I also have the Patons yarn that was heralded on another site and have tied a number with it for the same purpose. These subs are just interesting, and I can't claim any other justification other than a minor brain abnormality, which I hope to retain. It may take some time before all the flies are photographed and posted but there doesn't seem to be a hurry. Maybe some deluded effort to end the pursuit for myself and move on to develop Ruard's KillerTups Soft-Hackle. A noble pursuit.

Phil and I also arrived a very different results tying with the genuine 477. I find the result to be more gray with little red showing and even less so when wet (same when wetting the yarn on the card, but you've found a brighter reddish tone. It could be a function of the green background making the red tones more prominent where blue might do the opposite. I don't know, surgeons use both shades of scrubs for the same purpose. This is the psychosis I mentioned. This conversation is probably best had by email. Nobody else wants to witness my crazy. :D
"A man should not try to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into accord with them. They are ultimately what directs his conduct in the world." Sigmund Freud.
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letumgo
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Re: Clark Spinning Block

Post by letumgo » Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:12 pm

William - I do. Post away!
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Tom Smithwick
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Re: Clark Spinning Block

Post by Tom Smithwick » Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:43 am

Agreed, I don't see why you even consider apologizing for being OC on a fly fishing website. If we could not do these things to absolutely wretched excess, half the fun would be gone.
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Old Hat
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Re: Clark Spinning Block

Post by Old Hat » Fri Apr 10, 2015 12:45 pm

Misery loves company. I have the same infatuation with different versions of the Teeny Nymph, William. I just don't let every know. :D
I hate it when I think I'm buying organic vegetables, and when I get home I discover they are just regular donuts.
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PhilA
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Re: Clark Spinning Block

Post by PhilA » Fri Apr 10, 2015 3:06 pm

William,
What some might call "obsession", others (including me) would call "thoroughness". More power to you!

If you have already received the Berroco UAF1214, and if it is NOT dye lot 2J9711, I will send you a sample of my yarn. Adding another yarn to your stash would increase the magnitude of your thoroughness, but you are in the best position to truly compare all of the Killer Bug contender yarns. I've not investigated many of the yarns on your web site Killer Gallery.

In the course of my search for a KB substitute (especially in obtaining the photos), I learned an awful lot about photography, illumination, color accuracy, and computer monitors. I still struggle to get the color balance correct. I'll send you a board message with some details.

Regarding the deep ruddy redness of my Killer Bugs when wet, I think the wire has a big impact. When I wet either Chadwick's or Berroco yarn by itself, the material darkens, but it does not become redder. On a finished Killer Bug, however, the color is markedly redder when wet than when dry. Not a bright red, but more of a brick reddish tan. This is true both of Chadwick's-tied and Berroco-tied Killer Bugs.

My wire is a modern red magnet wire similar in color to red Wapsi Ultra Wire. My interpretation of the color change when wet is that the red wire underbody is showing through overlying wool. If true, then the thickness of wool wrapped over the red wire underbody would probably change the final color. Thick wool would presumably absorb or scatter incident light before it ever gets to the wire (and also any light reflected by the wire). I haven't directly tested this idea, however.

On the other hand, the recent online viral buzz about "What color is this dress?" (for example, http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/us/blue-b ... old-dress/) shows that there is quite a lot of human variation on perception of color.
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