Alternate, Cheap Tying Materials

[markdej]

electronics store: heat shrink tubing.
Fine lead wire (fine solder)
Clear plastic tubing.

Bungee cord is a good source for rubber legs. And the different diameters have different colours and thicknesses.

Corgi saddle (from swambos dog) guard hair makes a workable deerhair substitute but wicks up flotant.

[Buzzers]

Impala tail - Black and brown short hair and long, white hair (clousers)
Impala belly skin - Very fine natural white hair - not bleached
Scissors - R9.99 for a small Chinese embroidery pair ("werk soos 'n skaapsker" - so no worry about thick fingers (at Elna or Singer stores)

[frikb]

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).

I picked up a scarf (don't know what the chicks call it) made from cock hackle for about R30 from Showbiz in Cresta. Lots of feathers on that thing.

Byron I think you posted one with marabou.

[ebf]

Bridal shop for a variety of colours of sparkle organza cloth

Strip individual threads from the material and you have "flash" ranging from white thru pearl to pink/purple.

Makes interesting salt-water flies if you put some of this stuff in a dubbing loop and wind it around a hook...

[C J]

Make friends with some-one in the freight business....endless supply of foam packing materials for floating patterns.

Kempton materials...........say no more, go check for yourself! (take lots of money).

Petshops, check where they keep the birds.......for feathers and fluff.

Pharmasies, for surgical foreceps, scissors, tweezers and nael glue.

Tackle shops, check the "papgooi" department for cheap hooks.....also look for those oval shaped foam policeman's.....cut them in half and you have 2 popperheads for bass or salt poppers.

Television/reception cable, for the thinest copper wire you have ever seen!

Liquer stores, by the cheap white wines with the "foam" corks......using a sanding disc you can sand that foam into any shape for poppers and insect bodies.

CDC, Roll the stem of the CDC feather under a bottle an hard surface.....this will flatten the stem making it soft and easy to palmer.

Ok..........! That should do.

[Beetle]

Hi
One way I found to cut costs on dumbell eys for the salt is to paint the eyes with cheap nail polish. You can get just about any color you can think of. It has a nice goss and once it has dried, cover them with epoxy when you do the head. I have found the stick on eyes come off easily and the dumbells with the eyes already cast into them are expensive.
Cheers

[redhumpy]

I buy my thin copperwire (any colour) for R25-00 for 100m and v-rib any colour R25 for 100m from a little chinese shop in Pretoria east. They also have brass beads about
2.5mm at R15 for 100. Packs of flash that will last you a life time in colours green, charteuse, purple, yellow and orange go for R15-00 a pop.

[Korrie]

Hi
One way I found to cut costs on dumbell eys for the salt is to paint the eyes with cheap nail polish. You can get just about any color you can think of. It has a nice goss and once it has dried, cover them with epoxy when you do the head. I have found the stick on eyes come off easily and the dumbells with the eyes already cast into them are expensive.
Cheers

Keep nail polish in the fridge, it will last longer.

[Korrie]

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.

Instead of using moth balls, which "stinks" get campher sticks from you pharmacy. If they dont have they can order.
It smells much better and is not toxic and it does the same job.

[Byron]

I buy my thin copperwire (any colour) for R25-00 for 100m and v-rib any colour R25 for 100m from a little chinese shop in Pretoria east. They also have brass beads about
2.5mm at R15 for 100. Packs of flash that will last you a life time in colours green, charteuse, purple, yellow and orange go for R15-00 a pop.

Do you have a name and address for the shop?