I thought I'd share something a bit different. Arctic Fox fur is one of my all-time favorite tying materials, especially for leeches and minnow patterns. I find the choice of colors available to be somewhat limiting, so I like to dye my own. The batch was originally two Arctic Fox fur coat collars I purchased off of eBay. I use Jacquard Acid dyes which are widely available in many colors and not expensive. Some of these were dyed with two colors blended together to make a somewhat uniques color. I put the dollar bill in the photo to give you an idea of the size of the pieces. Not difficult to do and I now have enough to last me for quite a while. I thought I'd share this in case others might be interesting it trying this to add to their fly tying supplies. If you do decide to dye your own materials, make sure that you use the acid dyes. The other dyes are for cotton and cloth and will not provide the bright colors that the acid dye does. Don't be afraid of the word acid, it only refers to the white vinegar that you add to the solution after dying the material to help set the colors.

Jim Smith


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