Does anyone have a suggestion on how to “dull” brass beads? The brightness of the beads is sometimes a good thing and other times, like right now, it seems to scatter fish. I have considered several acid baths, but not sure of the chemistry with brass. If any one as a suggestion for a tarnished finish to the brass?
Maybe a black sharpie?
Brad
Black or brown nail polish will work. Dollar Tree frequently has these “off” colors. Remember to clean the hook eyes.
The Sharpie sounds like a good quick-and-dirty method if you want it dark; not sure how long it would hold up. Patinas for stained glass (nasty stuff) and gun bluing solution would be a bit more durable. If you’re just looking to take the shine off, how about vinegar or Palmolive dishwashing soap (apparently the sulphur in it does a great job of dulling brass).Regards,Scott
I like Kaboom’s suggestion. You can always remove the marker easily. For example, just carry an alcohol wipe. That way you can get the bead shiney in a second if you want.
Just buy plain brass, unplated beads. They still sell them. If they haven’t tarnished enough by the time you wish to use them, you can choose from a number of methods for advance aging brass.
Re: plated beads…
On a large item, it wouldn’t be too hard to dull the finish (or remove it entirely) with an abrasive polishing agent. Not practical with small beads. Instead, I’d say you’re on the right path with a chemical treatment. My first thought is an etching solution. A cheaper alternative (free if ya got it!) would be oven cleaner. I’d put a few beads in a sealable can, hit it with oven cleaner, close it up and put it out in the sun for a while.
Powder Paint
If you want to tie the flies with dull beads, then any of the many chemical solutions will work…gun blue, oven cleaner, acids, coatings of various types (I’d use clear head cement with some baking powder in it to flatten it). OR, you can buy black beads. The ones from Larva Lace are a ‘matte’ finish and I really like them myself.
For ‘on the water’ use, the sharpie is the simplest. But, I prefer brown or green rather than black. The bead will still shine, but the color dampens the flash a bit.
I seem to remember that vinegar bath works to dull them.
I’m guessing that all of the above suggestions will work but probably not efficiently. Now maybe I’m misinterpreting the initial question, but TaB seems to be asking about something he can do on the stream in line with conditions. In fact he wrote, “The brightness of the beads is sometimes a good thing and other times, like right now(my emphasis), it seems to scatter fish.” So it appears he’s looking for a way to dull the brightness at a moments notice. Then, as conditions change, bring back the brightness. I’m not sure that he’s looking to carry a quantity of the same flies with beads of different brightness though. Maybe he’ll respond and clarify.
Your right Allen, but why wait. Oxidizing them with vinegar probably works, personally I use plain old water. I tie bead heads dull and bright, found out about dull beads several years ago. As far as I’m concerned beads act to sink a fly more than as an attractor. I’ve also gone to using a black bead in place of brass.
Gene
Wouldn’t that mean carrying 2x as many flies and switching according to conditions? A Sharpie (whatever color) is easy to apply as needed and the color can be removed quickly with an alcohol wipe, which can double as a first aid item as well as an emergency fire starter.
Allan
Well one I would have to carry a sharpie and two I would have to carry an alcohol wipe. I would say easier is relative to the individual. Just pointing out what I prefer.
Gene
I took “right now” as a reference to this time of the season,…when flows are reduced, and the trout have seen a plethora of imitations. Never considered another interpretation.
Thanks, Bugsy. You got it right on. For the rest, thanks for your suggestions and I apologize for not making the question clearer. I have recently seen some great fly tying demos using flat finished brass beads. The flash is not present and the color is rather neutral. I do often fish the high pressured streams in my area and the subdued beads are a little bit better accepted. Bright green, orange and red beads are on a few of my flies. They are often used as part of the color pattern or representative of a trigger point. I attempt to build the bead in as part of the thorax, when possible, decreasing the need to otherwise camouflage it. Also, my supplies of brass beads are high finish and I am not sure where to purchase the “matte” or flat finish brass beads. I’ll try a set in black and in gun metal to see how that works for me.
For the suggestion of carrying a green and/or brown markers, I had not considered that for this purpose. Fantastic idea! Also, to change back for whatever reason, I always carry alcohol wipes. My “First Aid Kit” would make most Emergency Rooms proud. Remember the suggestion of using the wipes for a fire starter. The alcohol hand sanitizer that many use works equally well and can be squirted out in a rather large quantity for the real wet kindling.
I echo what Gene says,“relative to the individual. Just pointing out what I prefer.” Thanks again for the input.
If you are prepared to have extra flies, and change according to conditions, you could just cover the beads. I usually part cover beads to make them flash intermittently. The method I use is here. The theory is that when your attention is needed they put a flashing light on something rather than a constant one. A bead is near spherical. If you light a sphere from a single fixed point (the sun in this case) and rotate the sphere the reflection of the light is constant. It would be easy to increase the covering so the bead is completely or mostly covered.
Cheers,
A.
I have a large supply of bright, brass beads. When I want a dull one, I put a bright one on a bodkin and wave it over a flame. I use a butane lighter which is always on my tying bench. This results in a matte, brass surface. I’ve never timed it, but it takes several passes.
If I ever need a large batch, I’ll try the vinegar, so thanks for that suggestion.
AlanB,
That was the most interesting video on fly tying for showing how another tyer uses a completely different method of tying techniques and I really enjoyed it! There was a lot of interesting points brought out and I intend to use some of them in my tying. Thank you for sharing some of your talent and I would enjoy seeing more, if you do not mind.
Warren,
There are three videos up on You Tube that I have done.
The Bead Head PTN you have just seen.
Here’s the Highland Rough Fly,
Anda generic parachute.
Unless I feel I can cover something I’ve not seen done to death elsewhere I am loathed to a video. Being in them isn’t something I find an enjoyable experience. If I have a major criticism of them it is that I’m in them.
Cheers,
A.
AlanB,
Thanks for the links. I really like the Highland Rough Fly. It fits in to my style of fishing. Thanks, again…