FLYMPH FORUM

Earlier this year I purchased a very large bag of baby seals fur on eBay which cane from the U.K. it’s enough to fill a gallon ziplock bag with. I actually was given a similar sized bag of dogs fur which I got when in Petco from the dog groomer it was a yellow lab retriever. They simply gave it to me. It’s hard to tell the difference between the two. Being a natural cream colour bothe are easy to dye. I use Veniards dyes because they are easy to use in small batches. The only colour I have had a problem with is surprising black, it comes out with a blue tinge.

Dye orange first. Orange is red plus yellow. Black is red, yellow and blue.

https://graf1x.com/ryb-color-mixer-guid ... rt-poster/

I would agree with the others, go for seals fur.
Personally I would have a couple of shades of olive, black, claret and a couple of shades of brown.

ronr wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:40 am If I were to order and assortment of colors of either seals fur or mohair... which colors would you suggest.
feathersmc has assortments (pretty pricey) but highly recommended. Also, should I just go for the mohair as a substitute, or is the real seal worth it...

I plan to use either of these for dubbing blends. I'm reading Atherton's book and he has a number of flies with seal's fur blended with various other materials that I'm going to make up..

ronr
just re-read your initial post: for the Atherton flies, you wont need much seal. IMHO, the hackle is equal to if not more important than the seal fur.
Try this: buy a small amount of natural seal fur, and mix it with another fur containing the shade you wish to achieve. My best results usually come from 2/3 of the colored fur mixed with 1/3 natural seal. I start with 7/8 of the color, adding seal until the shade (and texture) required is achieved.
Note: my "initial" 7/8 is equivalent to one of the standard dubbing bags sold in stores. Try seal with hares ear, seal with fox, muskrat, beaver, etc. All make great mix & match dubbings....just be careful: it is another rabbit hole to go down!!!

Good luck !!

Dana

Dana.. thank you for the suggestions on the seal mixes... I have a decent supply of various furs and have been waiting on my seal to start the process. I've been away from home a bit so my supply should be awaiting me on my return. I'll try to post some results when I get going.
By the way, I believe I received your secret Santa submission. The flies are superb and will try and do justice to the feathers. I enjoy quill bodied flies and will give those a try with the feathers you sent.