I understand that you can buy the dry fly powder (dessicant), in bulk, for a much better price from companies that work with fiberglass or something like that?
anybody know what I’m talking about? Any links or information ?
thanks
Mark
Desicants used in driers for the plastic industry comes in pellet form, I have never seen a powder.
Although I have absolutely NO experience in what I am about to state… pellet to powder ain’t brain surgery. Of course, assuming the pellets ARE similar/exact in composition as is the fly drying powder.
Mark
Someone posted on this a long while back. Seems there was large quantities for cheap. Product was for keeping arrow feathers dry. similar to this.
http://www.3riversarchery.com/Product.asp?c=50&s=46&p=250&i=5086
I’ve been using hydrophobic fumed silica for the past three years. Works like a charm. I don’t have a link but it’s pretty easy to find online.
Chewy, while that price is better than the same stuff when bought for fly fishing, my understanding is that is still really expensive compared to what you can get it for when buying it in bulk.
I have read that it is available in the ‘dried flowers’ section of the hobby stores. Have never looked for it. I save the little packets of dessicant that come with some medicines, shoes etc., and grind them to a powder with a mortar and pestle. NOT AN EASY TASK!
aged_sage
gqualls,
are you sure it’s “hydrophobic” ? That seems like an odd property for a dessicant. Of course I could be wrong… I just don’t want to order 10 pounds of the wrong stuff !
Old Frat bought some in bulk a little while back.
Maybe he’ll be along to answer your question.
Yes, I couldn’t remember his name. Must have been about 3 years ago.
Now I’ve also read about using ‘Minute Rice’! Use it the same way you’d use dessicant. Put rice into a film container, place fly in, shake and blow off excess powder. Absorbs the moisture quickly. When you finish fishing you can replace used with new rice. Sounds cheap enough. As far as the dessicant in little pellets to powder, pound it with morter(or similar) or grind the pellets down in a coffee grinder.
Just some thoughts.
Allan
I don’t pretend to be an expert on this matter, but I think that we are confusing dessicants and floatants. A dessicant actually dries the fly by absorbing water. A few years ago there were true dessicants on the market for drying flies. These dessicants usually had blue beads in them that absorbed the water and then changed color to pink, as I recall.
The products that are available today to not actually dry flies, but rather coat them with a water repellant surface that keeps them from sinking. These floatants work best if one dries the flies first using something absorbant, such as a fly drying cloth.
I wish that someone would make a product that contains both a dessicant and a floatant.
Jgrossing:
I wish that someone would make a product that contains both a dessicant and a floatant.
There is. It’s called Top Ride from Loon.
(It’s also easy to make yourself.)
hydrophobic fumed silica = Frog Fanny if you are familiar with that sort of dry fly product. It’s used for thickening epoxy resins. It’s also the powder part in bottles of desiccant, (the stuff with the beads in it…those beads that come in shipping packages = Silica Gel Desiccant and it can be purchased in bulk). The desiccant removes the water from the fly…the powder part creates the floatant part…all in one bottles (example: Loon’s Top Ride) It’s also known as Fletching Powder used for arrows. It’s also popular with the more flamboyant show dressers (those huge feather head dresses etc).
I was going through 6+ bottles a season of Frogs Fanny. More if I was guiding. Most of it goes the way of the wind when you open a bottle.
I get mine by the 1/4 pound…enough to do me for years. I get it from here: http://www.epoxyproducts.com/f_mixin.html
The real trick is to figure out how to get it from the bag it comes in, into that tiny little bottle. This stuff is messy and though it’s non toxic, you don’t want to breath it. It’s almost lighter than air so it’s hard to keep contained. I inserted a plastic straw (free at McDonalds) right into/ through the plastic bag that the stuff comes in. I leave the straw in place and cap it with one of those memory foam ear plugs. Works like a charm.
If you don’t go through more than a couple of bottles a year I think it’s better to stick with the stuff you get in the fly shop. Keeps the shop in business and you get a good deal in the info you get with the chit chat you get while paying for it.
Here’s some being sold on Ebay:
Go to the site for epoxyproducts in post #12 above. Call them and they will know what you need for flyfishing. At least the gentleman I talked with knew which one, that is, the HYDROPHOBIC fumed silica for floating the fly. I use pieces of the fake chamois cloths (just like on TV!) to dry the fly before the powder. Ordered it and it came within a couple of days.
thanks guys !
I go through the stuff a lot, and right now I’m really not in a position to be trying to subsidize my local fly shop. I do what I can, but …
One of the best ways I’ve found for re-filling a frogs fanny bottle is to use a turkey baster ($1 at the dollar store). I fished Thur, Fri, and Sat of last week and actually used 5 bottles. The fumed silica works well enough for me.
The crystal form of cat litter is silica gel. Probably $15-$20 for several pounds. I don’t know if there’s an unscented version.
Maybe it’s my imagination, but I think the Frog’s Fanny works better than the arrow stuff. Am I the only one?
herefishy, You may be right about Frog’s Fanny working a little better. In a lengthy discussion elsewhere, the consensus seemed to be that Frog’s Fanny includes a small amount of desiccant. However, the bulk order hydrophoic fumed silica works very well for me. I even did my own unofficial home test with refloating and prepping flies with both and I couldn’t tell the difference.
I second the turkey baster method for filling the bottles. My bulk powder came in a 1 qt. bottle and the turkey baster makes it easy to transfer the powder without making a mess.
This is the method I developed to handle bulk fumed silica. I transfer it into a clean quart sized squeeze ketchup bottle, the wide capped ones that are made to store upside down. Take the top off of course. Then get a wide mouth funnel that fits into the bottle top and pour the silica from the bag to the bottle. You can gently tap the bottle to get the powder to settle. When doing this maneuver, do it outdoors on a calm day or in the garage. Don’t do it in the house since the powder can cause silicosis if inhaled.
Then it is simple matter to refill your floatant bottles from the ketchup bottle with no loss of material.
I believe Frog’s Fanny contains no desiccant, just the hydrophobic fumed silica. Desiccant (silica gel) is hydrophobic and absorbs water rather than repel water. The combo products are Loon’s Top Ride and Shimazaki Dry Shake.