craft store innovations

[flyfishingtaz 0]

ok here is the challenge. how many of you have gone to the craft store with the girlfriend or wife and gone into a frenzy over the things you've found there? so far I've found bows, and ribbons great for scud backs. Sewing thread boxes, that store huge amounts of spools, xmas tape dispensers(the g.f makes bows outt of em) great for keeping things like chennile on a spool, and well organized. Gimme some tips. I'm having to redo the room, the g.f's kid had a fri nite party, n they trashed my tying room :bugeyes: :wallbash: :help: :crying: . Now I get to build a new table. Looking for help for a better tying room. YES THE DOOR NOW HAS A KEYED LOCK.

[flyfishingtaz 0]

did I mention I dont have to buy her a car now so I have lotttttts of money to spare on it??? :headbang:

[sniksoh 0]

they have all different types of feathers...i think the best thing that i found was a bag of red,blue,green,yellow,black, and white biots...i got about 10 of each color for $2

[Nick N 0]

If you have lots of money, look at jewlers workbenches. they have lots of small drawers and storage in them. Also, hanging files! they are the easiest way to organise your stuff. Look for thread, rayon floss, wool, feathers, balsa wood, scissors, magnifiers......lots of stuff.

[Inconnu 0]

I think that as far as storage systems go, you can find pretty much anything you want at a large craft store, we have Micheals up here not sure what you have where you are. As far as materials go, just watch the quality. Some of it is good and in larger quantities for less money, but quite a bit of it, especially feathers, is of lesser quality so just be aware. There is so much "stuff" that tyers can use it is probably too lengthy to list here. I'd have to agree with the Jewelers bench, but in lieu of that look for multi-drawered cabinets that can sit at the back of your new tying area. In the end though, you are probably as doomed as the rest of us and your amassed collection will outgrow your space in time.

[Blackotter 0]

they have all different types of feathers...i think the best thing that i found was a bag of red,blue,green,yellow,black, and white biots...i got about 10 of each color for $2

 

I got a lifetime supply of black and white biots from Ben Franklin Crafts for about the same price. At the fly shop, you get two feathers for that price and I have more than I'll ever use.

[Guest]

Just a warning on feathers....I'd stay away from the marabou feathers boas they sell. If you look at most of them it will say "dye not water- fast". Had a friend find just the right color of pink marabou on one of those, tied his flies and after a fewe casts he was using white marabou. I usdually get guinea hen plumage and pheasant plumage at the craft store for tying soft hackles, as well as strung peacock herl. I tend to sort through whatever they have in strung hackle. Sometimes the stuff is usable, but I probably reject 95% of the packages. And I only use the stuff for tails on poppers, wings on saltwater flies and and essentially as woolly bugger hackle. None of it is suitable for dry flies. Lots of specialty yarns can be found at the craft stores. What I do for my new portable flytying box (which my fishing buddy built for me recently as a surprise) is to take my chenilles, yarns, braids, etc. and wind them onto plastic embroidery bobbins and store them in some plastic boxes.

 

I'll have to get a couple pics of the new box...it's pretty slick. This is not a streamside type box (I have one of those). but a large box, essentially for carrying to conclaves and such to tie.

 

Mark Delaney