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William S Bailey, "Bill", is a master of Dubbing and the "Old World" dyeing methods. That's not a picture of Bill to the right; it's a Swallow-Bellied Mangalitza Pig. Unfortunately for us this extremely woolly pig is also extremely rare. That has caused Bill to make do with wool from wild boar. It requires a great deal of work and time to render the dark, steel wool like, substance into a usable product known as Pigs Wool Dubbing. After preparing the material he then uses the "Old World Methods" to dye it. When I refer to "OWM" I mean he uses roots, bark, bugs, wood chips, plants and lichens to duplicate the colors that were available prior to the 1856 discovery of the first synthetic dye.

Bill has studied all of the old Masters who described dyeing in their books on Fly Tying as well as the information from the textile industry of that era to assure you the colors he achieves are true and accurate. Bill's materials and the methods coupled with his hard work and studies allow us to literally go back in time. Bill brings us Pig's Wool, Berlin Wool and Mohair (available soon) exactly as William Blacker or Francis Francis would have used. If your desire is to duplicate the patterns of the early period Masters as closely as possible then you owe Bill a great big Thank You. He has made that possible.

Bill has located sources for other wools that were in use at the time but difficult for the fly tyer to obtain today. In fact, true Berlin Wool, is no longer available since Berlin wool work was a 19th century craze. Bill has identified the fiber which simply put was 4 ply yarn made from soft Merino wool and is able to obtain yarn today exactly as it was 150 years ago then dye it using the old methods. Click HERE to see his Berlin Wool Colors. He has also perfected the steps necessary for dyeing the finest textured Mohair available, bright authentic colors of that period. Both of these items will be available soon through FeathersMc but if you can?t wait any longer or you feel you will need a "Lifetime Supply" of something contact Bill directly at: wsbailey1@msn.com