lets say the bristles are 1.5 inches long.
how much more bristles would be inside the ferrule??
i do not own a paint brush so i cant take one apart.
3/4 inch?
You gunna use the bristles as tails? Just cut them off at the needed length, no need to take the brush apart.
How much useable bristle is inside the ferrule? It will depend on the manufactor. Some use a glue to attach the bristles, some heat fuse the ends, etc. You might be able to inspect a paint brush to determine this when purchasing. You could stick something like a hat pin into the ferrule to see how deep it goes.
I’m assuming you are hoping to use the paint brush bristles as a leass expensive substitute for ‘micro-fibbets’ or other similar tailing material. After playing with paint brushes I decided that the micro-fibet packages worked pretty well for the price. They are thinner with a more attractive taper and much easier to handle than loose paint brush bristles. By the time I cut, stacked and sorted the paint brush bristles I could have bought several packs of the micro-fibets, all neatly stacked and fused together-ready to tie.
I can get the ynthetic tailing fibers for around $1.75 a package, a paint brush with tapered bristles runs about $17 in my local shop. I’m not sure I was really saving anything. Note: not all paint brushes have tapered bristles, look at them closely to make sure they will work for your application.
Ditto on ‘micro-fibbets’. I played with paint brush fibers for tailing materials and found them a bit too large for most tailing applications. I bought a two-pack of dark dun micro-fibbets 5 years ago, have tied a lot of flies with them and still have what appears to be most of the material left - they go a lot farther than you think.
Kelly.
Normand,
That little indentation that starts just inside the bristle end of the ferrule…that’s the ‘crimp’ and is there to help hold the bristle in the brush. The bristles will extend into the ferrule just a bit farther than the handle end of that crimp.
How far that is in actual measurement will vary depending on the brush.
I’ve watched the sales at places like Michaels, JoAnnes, Hobby Lobby, etc., over the years…you can get nicely tapered micro fibbet sized pieces from artists brushes but you are less likely to get them small enough from ‘regular’ paint brushes. I do like to use fibers from natural bristle brushes more than I like the synthetic ones, although I doubt the fish care.
Remember, the ‘micro fibbets’ you find in the fly shop were not produced for fly tying…they came from a manufacturer that makes bristles for paint brushes…so they are out there in that form, and certainly for less money. Whether it’s worth your time to ‘find’ them is another matter…I just like that kind of thing.
Buddy
the brush i show in my original post is one that is made of ox hair.
i was thinking it could be used for the hair hackle on the sandy mite and george grant hair hackled flies.
ive googled and binged for ox hair and brushes are what mostly comes up in the searches.
Hi,
Micro fibbets were originally bristles produced for artist’s brushes. These can be a bit more expensive than brushes used for interior wall painting. They are usually synthetic in nature and not of natural hair. Ox hair may not be as stiff as the synthetic fibers. It is, IMO, less expensive to buy the micro fibbets than the brush. You get more fibers for a reasonable price.
Coq de leon as well as other tailing packs- real feathers - are probably the better material for tailing.
Mark
Just a reminder, I think FAOL is the only place on the Internet that has the actual steps for doing the Potts woven hackle. The jig and how to make it is also included. Very neat stuff, you’ll find it here:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/advanced/part3.php
after some exhausting GOOGLING i found a video by Randy Flynn that shows the tying of the Sandy Mite including the George Grant hair hackle weaving process.
http://www.theweeklyfly.com/index.php/TheWeeklyFly/2009/11/09/randy-flynn-the-sandy-mite-28-32
A Yak is an Ox and Orvis sells Yak hair…not sure that helps but for some odd reason, I was able to pice that together.
Holly Wowza Batman, does that look like a pita! No trout in my area or any other fish NEEDS a fly like that. If you want to try some for the challenge - cool with me. Those types of patterns would be neat to broaden your tying education, but if I spent that much time building a fly I would put it in a shadow box and not fish it.
Just one guy’s opinion.
I’m with Clay on this one…
You can get some amazing looks with Mr. Grants techniques, but it’s way too much time and effort for me…fun to do, though, and if you are into that, good for you.
Buddy
not every style of fly tying is for everbody
i dont tie full dressed salmon flies, realistics or deer hair bass flies either.
Normand, Thank you for sharing!! Most of the flies I tie right now are simple because of my skill level, but I do have the admire the creativness of some great tyers. In a recent Hatches magazine they showed some weaving techniques, and that was the first time I have ever heard or seen anything like that! Pretty awesome!
I was re-reading your post when I noticed one of these laying on my desk. All natural bristles about 2 1/2" long and 9" wide for around $4.00
http://www.utrechtart.com/dsp_view_products.cfm?classID=2414&subclassID=241410&brandname=C-Thru