Alternate, Cheap Tying Materials

[Gerrit Viljoen]

pharmacy

Surgical blades @R1 per blade and something like R14 for the tool that holds it.

Deer hair koppe

[Michael]

Plus...got any old stuffed toy animals and teddy bears lying around?
a Wealth of materials on those things! Synthetic fur, etc.

[schloshd1]

I get tan, mustard and cream dubbing from my cat.I just snip a bit off now and again when needed so she doesnt have big bald patches I also get a black/charcoal dubbing from my sister's chow . . .

[Michael]

Surgical blades @R1 per blade and something like R14 for the tool that holds it.

Deer hair koppe

Yep, I also use the surgical blades in rod building. Also those "Lion" brand shaving blades, I think there's 10 in a pack and it's cheap.

Someone else on the forum (was it Morne? Can't recall) gave an excellent tip wrt holding mothballs in your tying kit to ward off bugs.
Get thin plastic pill containers and put the mothballs in there. Drill or punch a few tiny holes in the bottom and the top. This way the mothballs are still effective, but doesn't come into contact with any of your materials.

[Michael]

I get tan, mustard and cream dubbing from my cat.I just snip a bit off now and again when needed so she doesnt have big bald patches I also get a black/charcoal dubbing from my sister's chow . . .

haha! Ja I have three labradors...a White one, tan one, and black one (was this on purpose? ) Get good dubbing off them, especially when they shed in summer. LOADS! The black one has great hairs for mayfly tails too.

[FlyFanatic]

Mike you got it!! Diskem is the best!! I just bought a new scissor from them the other day, paid 25 bucks, and its excellent quality, only bad thing is that the finger holes are a bit small, if you have really large hands and fingers, they probably arent going to work for you. Another Diskem buy, Sally Hansons clear nail varnish!

Like the mothball and surgical blade idea!

Oh and the Creative Talent shop, thats the shop's name. Dont know if its a franchise, or just a stand alone shop, its in Vereeniging. If there is something you need, give me pm mike, and ill go have a look!

[Byron]

Be nice to farmers and they will supply you with skins of animals they don't like, like Jackal.

I have a full black back jackal on order.

Gift and paper shops also sell raffia much cheaper than tackle dealers sell it.

[Byron]

You can also pick up closed cell foam in a variety of colours for about 2 bucks for an A4 sheet at craft shops .

Also get your blades, markers, dyes and paints there.

Showbiz in Cresta is a goldmine for this stuff.

I picked up a set of ProMarkers (10) for about 25% of the normal price as they were marked down and they were in a special pack designed for landscapers (greens, browns, red, yellow and black).

[FlyFanatic]

Ahh i always wondered where to find some nice permn markers!! will check it out next time im in the area!!

[beefybovril]

Great to know there are others out there who look for alternate methods to make fly tying materials. Here in Dubai, we don't have a choice because there are no fly shop dealers!!!!!

- I use colourful dusters to make clouser patterns.
- I get bead chains from the local hardware store for eyes.
- I buy lengths of nylony type string and have my wife untangle them and use her hair straightener to smooth them out a bit. Then I can use them for various salt water patterns.
- The little stick-on pads for putting under chairs to stop them scratching work wonders for crab patterns.
- I cut up multicoloured umbrellas and take apart the strands to use for luminous strands for bright flies.
- Cheap furry dash board and seat covers are great for polar fibre minnows.
- The foam from those thin mattresses you use when hiking are really cheap and work well for poppers.
- The packaging from computers also works well for this.

My fly tying kit is an absolute mix of anything not available in fly shops. It is fun finding things and whenever I am shopping with my wife, my one eye is looking out for any materials which might go onto a fly......

Great post, thanks!!!!

Beefy