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RoyalWulff

z-lon sub

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Hello everyone, what is an acceptable z-lon subsitute? Will antron do? Antron seems(looks to me from the pictures i have seen) to be more limp and straighter then z-lon. I want to tie tails for comparaduns, and I have got is antron, hackle and hair.

 

thanks a lot!

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Do you have any braided mylar tubing? The stuff most of that tubing is packed with is very similar to z-lon, and it is free with the tubing. I have it in white, pink, gray and yellow. Works just fine as a z-lon sub.

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I believe antron would work fine. You are right, it is a bit straighter and finer though. Also, I like to use wool fibers for that purpose, specifically mohair fibers. Keeping it natural, you know.

 

Nice tip utyer, waste not...

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Personally,I would use almost anything other than Z-Lon,just in protest of the way this stuff is priced!!! ....$4.50 for a wee packet!!! ....where is it made,on another planet!!???? Fly Tyers Dungeon markets a product called "Kling-On" that is a more than adequate substitute...you get about three times as much as is in a pack of zelon,for about 1/4 of the price.....Makes mo' sense to me!!!

 

 

 

Sulfernut

 

utyer: I wonder if that material inside the mylar tubing has changed over the years?? All the mylar tubing I have ever bought (and I admit,it's been awhile!) had a core that consisted of a bundle of string...completely useless!! Way to find the "by-product"!!

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Antron would work just fine. Mylar tubing stuffing would not work well for a proper Comparadun, at least none of the tubing I have has anything even remotely useful (usually just cotton string). If you get your Zlon from Blue Ribbon in West Yellowstone, it is perfectly affordable. Those little packets from Metz are a bit ridiculous.

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actually antron will absorb water where zelon won't.

 

OK, I'll bite...how does a synthetic fiber composed of nylon polymers absorb water? Antron's larger, coarser fibers may trap more water between its fibers than the finer Zlon over time, but if this really worries you a little floatant would fix the problem.

 

Seems to me if you are using enough material that this is a problem, you probably are using too much shuck material for a Comparadun.

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I'd definately go with the kling-on from the dungeon. It is pretty much exactly like z lon but as stated only like a buck for a large hank.

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Mylar tubing stuffing would not work well for a proper Comparadun, at least none of the tubing I have has anything even remotely useful (usually just cotton string).

 

alot of mylar tubing comes packed with a zlon type material.

 

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If you use antron or zelon for trailing shucks, you'll find the antron fibers mat together in water while the zelon holds its shape.

 

That said, I used antron for shucks for years and they seemed to catch fish just fine.

 

(As Whatfly says above, Blue Ribbon is the best source. While not cheap, their generous pack of antron will last a long time, and 3 or 4 colors (brown, olive, amber, cream) should cover most flies if you are using it for shucks.)

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they are actually two different materials and the antron is a porous open cell fibre and the zlon and ep fibers are a closed cell. and i agree the fly floatant works well with the antron, and doesn't hurt on anything

 

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Keep in mind that Antron is/was not any one fiber. There was Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and so on. Type 1 is a very fine fiber. Fine like silk or rayon floss. Other types are a thicker diameter fiber. Some types are Trilobal and some types are not. I have never heard of Antron being an open cell fiber. It is possible that one of the types may be. There is a magnified photo of an Antron fiber in one of Darell Martin's books. It is not open cell. Bottom line is Antron is now only a general term in fly tying and does not always hold true. The different Antrons which were made and are being made have different properties and are not all the same.

 

As far as I know Z-Lon/Zelon is Z-Lon/Zelon.

 

Later, Jim

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I have been buying mylar tubing for decades. I have also seen it with cotton string as the stuffing. I usually don't buy that if I can find the other packing. Not at all sure what the stuff I use really is, I just know I can still find it more often than not. My local shop had a bunch on sale mostly from Orvis it all was stuffed with synthetic Z-lon type material. When the braided tubing is on sale for 88 cents, I can't pass up buying it just for the insides. I don't really use all the tubing just the stuffing.

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Needloft plastic canvas yarn is also an nice substitute for z-lon and antron. I picked up 48 colors for around 16 dollars from an on-line craft supply store (sorry I don't remember which one). Once you split the strands and pull them apart, you can use them in the same way you use antron or z-lon. The yarn makes killer extended bodies for hopper patterns. I first read about using in in one of Harrison Steeves books about Terrestrial patterns.

 

Walmart, Joann Fabrics and Michael's all carry the Needloft yarn in the needlepoint section. I think they charge about 75 cent/skein.

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