In a Jack Dennis video he was tying with Microfibetts and mentioned that you could also use bristles from a paint brush. This would be a good money savings idea. Has anyone used paint brush bristles and how did they work?
YUP! But I had to be dumb enough to go out and buy a small pkg of fibetts to make sure. I paid $3 for a small package of microfibetts…and got a 4 inch WIDE “hong kong” paint brush for 99 cents on sale!!!
FYI: Microfibbets ARE paintbrush bristles! They are used extensively in Artist’s brushes. Check out the artist’s brushes in your local crafts store. Some are already dyed brown. The white or clear ones should be readily colored with a permanent marker, such as a Pantone Pen.
exactly! thats where john betts got them from
If what you really want is the tapered bristles that they use for the micro fibets, as Aged Sage and Normand pointed out, you’ll need to look carefully for them.
Many low end paint brushes have straight bristles. While it may not matter, that’s up to you. They certainly work fine for most applications.
You’ll see these tapered bristles mostly on artists brushes. Some of these are quite expensive. But, the way they price art brushes is usually based on model/line rather than bristle clump shape/size. i.e; A tiny brush with only a few bristles will be the same price as a larger bursh with hundreds of bristles in that same line of brush.
If you watch the sales, art stores often have buy one get one sales on brushes. That whole starving artist thing has some basis in fact and can be used to our advantage.
Buddy
precisely!
For some reason I just cant believe that a fish can detect any “taper” in the fibetts??..:lol: And when I can get a 4 inch wide brush for 99 cents on sale…Im gonna have to go for the LARGE brush…
Check your local hobby/craft store (Michael’s, Hobby lobby, etc,). Look for Loew-Cornell nylon paint brushes. #1177 is brown and #1170 is white. These bristles are tapered. Cost is about $5 for a 3", a 2" and a 1" brush in a single package. As previously stated the white is easily colored using permanent markers.
Sully:
It is not necessarily what the fish sees; but, rather whether or not the fibers (bristles) break the surface film. When the fibers break the surface film is when the fly begins to sink, as has been noted by many of the older authors. Those flies with tails and hackles whose tips don’t break the surface film apparently float the best.
I found tapered bristle brushes at Michaels. I cannot recall the brand. They have white bristles. I soak them in tea to change the color.
Oil Brushes, used for oil based paints, commonly use “Chinese Boar Bristles”, which are soft and pliable. Life Time supply, normally can be found in brown, white, tan, and black. The White can be dyed in hot water with a vinegar wash, rinse in water and left to dry.
Chinese Boar Bristles are not only great for tails, but also good to beards, hair-wings and antenna.
Parnelli
I wondered about that. Since the other is some synthetic material ( ???) I didnt thing they would absorb water…but wasnt sure about the boar bristle ones.
Guess I’ll have to hit Harbor Freight again…Thanks
If my paintbrush fibetts have a very rough end, splitt ends so to speak. I take the edge of my scissors not the sharpe edge and run it over the fibetts this is like what you do with ribbon to give it the curl, what it does for the fibetts is but a slight curve to them I then tie them in the the curve up this imitates the real mayfly tail and works very well with extended bodies…
Thanks for all the info. Sully I did the same thing
I use CDL hackle for 95% of my tailing now. One hackle will last a lifetime.