Just wanted to share a discovery I made. Bathing suit elastic is exactly the same as the scudback material sold in fly shops. Go to your local fabric store to find it. You can get several different widths, some has a slight sparlke and it’s nice and stretchy. I can only find clear so far and have yet to see if a dye holds… not a big concern for me.
Ah, yet another fabric store find! Don’t mess with dyes; use a Pantone marker on the underside. Thanks for the tip.
Chuck
Been using a product called “clear elastic” for many years. It’s available in most fabric or craft stores. Comes in different widths. It’s the same material sold as scud back. I have used permanent color markers to color mine.
One clear plastic freezer bag will supply most tyers with a large supply of shell back material!
Norm, you should try clear elastic / scud back material. It is far superior to a plastic bag and very durable. It is made from a polyurethane material.
What makes it “far superior” :?:
Besides the durability, for one thing it stretches and relaxes. This allows you to adjust the width to exactly what you want as it’s tied on. You can even have a single piece tied down at varing widths or taper. Once a piece of plastic bag is stretched it distorts and the thickness varies. Try it, you may like it.
I’ve been using plastic bags for years and they seem to work. I don’t think the fish care. 