Can you use any type of closed cell foam to tie with or is fly tying foam specifically designed for tying? I'd love to think I can use stuff from a craft store.
Hare
Kinds of closed cell foam
Can you use any type of closed cell foam to tie with or is fly tying foam specifically designed for tying? I'd love to think I can use stuff from a craft store.
Hare
Craft store foam works just fine.
Regards,
Scott
Tie something up and see if she floats. You may stumble across something great...
Ditto, been using it for years!Originally Posted by ScottP
Not only does craft store foam work fine, it cost much less. Often you can get it for $0.50 a sheet and the sheets are 4 times those sold in fly shops for $3.00 or more. The only issue you may fine is finding olive or other fly color favorites in a craft store.
Go for it!
Dr Bob
I have tied lots of flies on the foam sheets you can find at the local craft stores. The only down side compared to the more expensive stuff in the fly shop is that you are more limited in your choice of colors and thicknesses. At the fly shop I can find colors like 'blue wing olive' or 'golden stone'. At the craft store it's mostly the primary colors like red, green, black and white.
They both float the same. You can adjust the color with any waterproof marker. Another good source of foam are cheap flip flop sandels, you can sometimes find these on sale for about a buck a shoe.
I did use one unusual foam source that got me in a bit of hot water with my kids. I was running a bath for them one night and noticed that the letters that they play with in the bath were........closed cell foam! Hmmmmmmmm. They were about 3/4" thick, and wouldn't you know it, my punch set worked perfectly on them. Needless to say, the kids didn't take kindly to me turning their bath letters into swiss cheese so I had to buy them more.
Thanks to you all for the info !!!!!! I'm headin for the craft store now.
Hare
I have a kittens tail in my pocket right now from one of my daughters foam puzzles...sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
Janus
Dad, How come this pool noodle is shorter than the others???
1. Because the pool shark ate it?
2. What did you think was in those sandwiches I made for lunch? or
3. Because I needed purple for a wounded minnow fly, I answered!
The only problem I have encountered with using foam is that some foams such as the styrene packing peanuts give off toxic gas if you get nail polish/solvent based glues on them.
So, test them outdoors. Some buzzers use a bit of this packing foam wrapped in a piece of stocking for flotation. For these I use a water based polyurethane instead of nail polish
Ed
Foam door knockers from Joanne's Fabrics make excellent wiggle bugs, and you can make several of these great bass catchers our of a single door knocker. Don't forget flip flops and the Dremmel trick. Amazing poppers and sliders. JGW
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