Fly tying: Cleaning a Dubbing Needle

For those of us who tie flies and work with various resins, from head cement to full-on UV materials, a dubbing needle is likely our tool of choice for applying the goo. For years, I used a square of craft foam to clean the needle after each use—I'd just poke the needle through the foam and let it take the excess material off. 

But, above, Tim Flagler shows us another method that likely works better. While the foam works, if the resin starts to harden, it's just not dependable. Using Flagler's method of stuffing an old film container with steel wool and then plunging the coated needle through holes in the top, the needle seems to come clean every single time. Just another great idea for making life at the vise a little bit easier from Flagler.  

Enjoy.

— Chris Hunt