Flip Flops

[Warm Water Fly Fisher]

i have not yet made any poppers or dremel bugs with flip flops but would like to. is there a specific type of foam or thickness. i know i probably won't find them anymore but maybe i'll get lucky. can you use any color? can they have a design on them? help me out please, i know nothing

Warm Water

[James Smith]

I would recommend that you get the thickest sole flip flop that you can find. That way it's easier to make longer dremel bugs like pencil poppers. To punch out the foam, I use bullet casings. I drill out the primer, slip in a 1/8th inch bolt so that the head is inside the shell casing, then I tighten down a nut on the back of the casing. I now have a great plug cutter that fits in any drill/drill press. I have these ranging in size from 22 caliber upto 50 caliber. If you have a shell that has a "shoulder" on it, simply cut it off at the shoulder. I also like to sharpen them up a bit which is very easy once they're in the drill. If you haven;t already done so, I recommend you read Jim Hatch's article on Dremel bugs on the site.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Jim Smith

[ducksterman]

Warm Water,
To state the obvious...when you buy flip flops go for the XL men's size ...more bang for the buck...speaking of a buck they are frequently found at the dollar stores

If you don't have shell cases...you can use various sized brass tubing purchased at the hobby store.

Harbor Freight has sets of open punches ridiculously inexpensive when on sale....again a Jim Hatch recommendation...see if you can search up some of the threads here...it's been discussed

a limiting factor in punches is diameter...need to fit in a hand drill...or better yet a drill press...you see how Jim solved that with the shell cases...

[dixieangler]

I do this:

[url=http://www.warmwaterflyfisher.com/tyingtechniques/Foamsandalpopperplugs.htm:d4e09]Making Foam Plugs for the Foam Sandal Popper[/url:d4e09]

For this (I add rubber legs):

[url=http://www.warmwaterflyfisher.com/flymonth/FOTM012002.htm:d4e09]CLP Cheap Little Popper[/url:d4e09]

[url=http://www.warmwaterflyfisher.com/jarsofflies/Bluegill/jarsofflies_CLP.htm:d4e09]CLP (Cleap Little Popper)[/url:d4e09]

But for Dremel Bugs, this:

[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/082205fotw.html:d4e09]Creative Foam Fly Tying - Dremel Bugs[/url:d4e09]

Foam needs to be rough type closed cell, not smooth foam rubber on the flip-flops to work on the Dremel Lathe so it doesn't glaze on the needle mandrel. I have to pick and choose between flip-flops, kneeling pads, etc. But the stuff I occasionally get that does happen to have more foam rubber in it to rough closed cell, I just use for a standard CLP and don't put it on the Dremel. Best of luck.

Best time of year to get flip-flops is during Summer when the stores stock them. They still keep some stocked throughout the year but there probably won't be as many this time of year.

[Warm Water Fly Fisher]

went to wal mart this afternoon and saw that they had no flip flops. i remembered seeing something on here about using large foam letters so i went to the crafts to look around. the letter with the most foam was actually not a letter but a large green appl for .97. i figured it was worth a try and bought it. i'm hoping to try and make a couple bugs tommorrow. I am a hunter so i have empty shells laying around and i have read every article on flip flop bugs that was here on FAOL, It's Time To TIE

Matt

[kengore]

Michelle's and Joan's usually have flip flops and other foam craft products on sale this time of year.

To get a longer plug from a foam sandal just cut the sole into strips of the desired width and cut the plugs edgewise. At a buck a pair it doesn't matter if you waste some material, your still going top get several dozen plugs out of each.

Brass tubing from the hobby shop make great plug cutters. Better yet find an old radio antennea, they are made of nickle plated brass tubbing. Place the tube in a drill press and file the edge to a point. Using a fine saw or dremel wheel cut a few notches in to the cutting edge to act like teeth.

To eliminate the hassle of stopping the drill to removing the plug on each cut, I set my drill press to cut about 1/8" shy of the foam depth. The plugs stay in the foam block and don't stick to the cutter. When I have punched all the holes I can in the block I cut off the 1/8" bottom layer with a sharp blade and free the plugs.

[GrayGhost]

for thick close cell foam, check out Michaels craft store. In the craft section you well find kits for smores snowmen with closed cell form marshmallows in white, there are other kit with a brown and some for halloween for blacks and oranges.
Ghost.

[Carp]

Warmwater send me a self addressed pouch and I will send you a bunch of pre drilled foam plugs to get you by till summer and I will even through in a sandle to do your own (found at beach). Never mind just send me your snail mail and I will mail it off Monday.

[Rick Z]

Another way to get the foam the thickness you want its to get the sheets of foam and use a spray adhesive on both sheets and then stick them together.

Be carefull as once they touch they are stuck together. You can make as many thickness as you want and then punch out the bodies.
I also make sure I put some weight on them and let them dry overnight.

Rick

[Eric-WD]

Made my first foam poppers yesterday, they floated Is there a preferd size of caseing? I used a 38 special, it was just long enough to get through the flip flop with out drilling through.

The way this came about is I went to a yard sale and found Amereican made Hemostats for 75 cents a pair (New) I only had $7.00 with me and bought 10 pairs. I sat and opened and closed them and they worked far better than the imported ones, I kept thinking about it went to some other sales with my wife then picked up some more money and returned to the hemostats sale I bought 13 more pairs. On my way out the door looked down and there were a pair of thick used girls flipflops, bought them too. I think the guy at the sale thinks Im nuts but I have Hemostats to trade and use forever.

Now I have to set up a lathe, I have a sewing machine motor all ready for somthing like this.

Eric