foam cylinder sources?

[Fishin' Jimmy]

Check This out ! I works and I use them.

Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Sleazy Steve's Soggy Bottom Fly ShopSleazy Steve's Soggy Bottom Fly Shop produces the only tools in the world designed for the sole purpose of letting fly tyers build the best foam flies ...
www.jvlnet.com/~swinters

Fishin' Jimmy

[Bass_Bug]

Check This out ! I works and I use them.

Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Sleazy Steve's Soggy Bottom Fly ShopSleazy Steve's Soggy Bottom Fly Shop produces the only tools in the world designed for the sole purpose of letting fly tyers build the best foam flies ...
www.jvlnet.com/~swinters

Fishin' Jimmy

Nice looking product but a standard plug cutter set cost less than one of those and I don't see the center drill bit making that much of a difference (at least to justify 20 bucks per cutter/punch. Now the shaping tools for the dremel I can see that being advantageous.

[pszy22]

If you have drill or dremel tool, I've had great luck turning chunks of flip flop foam. Don't need anything fancy to get started, I have some more detailed pictures of the process posted here -

http://www.freewebs.com/fountainheadflyfish/apps/blog/

I think some of the other solutions are a bit more elegant, but no reason not to at least get started with stuff you already have around the house.

I use cheap, $1 a pair flip flops. One thing I found, the flip flops seem to be made with one of two different material types. One is softer, and makes great bugs, but doesn't turn as well as the harder foam type. Give it a whirl, it's alot of fun.

[ducksterman]

Some examples to chuck up in a drill/drill press...

[Panman]

I went to the dollar store & found some round foam beads that were about 3/4 inch long & 1/2 inch diameter. There were predrilled and just needed a hook and a little imagination. There were about 70 cylinders in the package I purchased. They were in the craft section.

Tim

[Troutbum 1975]

You can make your own cutters out of different sizes of copper piping just sharpen the ends and make a handle wood etc and bingo as far as foam as mentioned cheap flip flops or you can get scotch 3m adhesive spray and stack and mix your own colors to your likings.I go to craft stores and buy the foam sheets hope this helps.

[Bass_Bug]

If you have drill or dremel tool, I've had great luck turning chunks of flip flop foam. Don't need anything fancy to get started, I have some more detailed pictures of the process posted here -

http://www.freewebs.com/fountainheadflyfish/apps/blog/

I think some of the other solutions are a bit more elegant, but no reason not to at least get started with stuff you already have around the house.

I use cheap, $1 a pair flip flops. One thing I found, the flip flops seem to be made with one of two different material types. One is softer, and makes great bugs, but doesn't turn as well as the harder foam type. Give it a whirl, it's alot of fun.

OK, THIS has to get the grand prize for ingenuity! Turning bug bodies with a tooth pick in a dremel!! Doesnt get any simpler than that!

Well done pszy22!!!!

Pnaman, I know what you're talking about. I got similar stuff, I think at Michaels . White dense (but pliable) foam cylinders. These are 1/2" diam x 5/8" long. Perfect on #2 kink shank hook, with only a slit in the foam from a razor blade and a little 5 min epoxy. That was the only size they had at the time.

[Diane]

Jim Hatch did a couple of Fly of the Week articles on FAOL a while back that were about foam dremel bugs. I liked them so much that I started messing around with them and eventually hosted a swap. I've got to tell you that Betty Hiner's teeny tiny "jelly bean" dremel bug caught me a ton of fish. Fantastic fly and really fun to tie.

Here are the links to Jim's articles:

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...062606fotw.php

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...010603fotw.php

[Richard Komar]

http://www.stoneriveroutfitters.com/, 1-800-331-8558

3/4" foam M06238
1/2" foam M06325
3/8" foam M06326
1/4" foam M06324
3/16" foam M06323

Cheers,

Richard in Plano TX

[Bass_Bug]

High-density polyurethane foam can be worked with any wood working tools. A little denser and heavier then balsa, but just as easy to work with. A plug cutter set like this, a drill press, a few blocks and 15 min, and you'll end up with a pile of plugs ready to shape . The pic with the different sizes of 'plugs' are all polyurethane.


Polyethylene foam, like these craft foam cylinders, doesn't shape as well but is flexible and unsinkable. This is the same type & density as craft foam sheets etc, and the same general material as the backer rod, but backer rod has bigger cells (think rougher texture when cut). The white bodies in the other pic were bought at a craft store. Thats the only size like that I've found so far. The hooks are #2 Mustad 33903 kink shank. I'll post pics when I get these painted and dressed.

They are all good serviceable products for making flies, like many materials it just depends on particular application, which will work best.