WhiteBuffalo58 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2012 Hi folks, thought i'd use my first post to introduce myself. My name is Rob and I live just up the road from Bull Shoals Lake in SW Missouri. Even though with the help of my trusty Noll fly tying kit, I tyed a few flies as a youngster. I am really a complete newcomer to the art and science of fly tying. About 3 months ago, I purchased a box of about 100 older flies from my local fleamarket. I learned later these were tied in the late 50's and early 60's, supposedly by the man who tied some of the first flies sold by BassPro Shops. These flies sparked an interest in learning more about the hobby.(is hobby the correct term?) Anyway, at the time I told the shop owner that i'd like to give fly tying a try. He said he might have some materials in a box somewhere and would try to find them. A couple of weeks later I stopped in and he said, "boy do I have you covered"! He told me to come look at something. He had an 8-1 gallon Clorox box heaping full of fly tying materials, all originally purchased from Herter's and an outfit called Sonnies out of Chicago,IL. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! These materials came from the same person who tied the flies I had purchesed a couple of weeks prior, and from the same time period! As I went through the box he asked what i'd give for something like that? I said, "what would you have to have for it"? He said, "twenty dollars". Now, I may be a newbie, but even I knew that was a steal!! But, being a fleamarket junkie, I said, "$15 and you've got a deal". He said, "load it up"! (by the way, I only paid $5 for the 100 vintage flies I mentioned earlier!) Folks, there are materials in here that I have no idea what to do with! There are furs and feathers from virtually every conceivable bird and animal on earth. There's even one bag marked "anteater"! So here I am to learn all that I can to best utilize these materials and hopefully make good use of them. I still have all the tools from the Noll kit I had as a kid and will upgrade as time goes by. If I can figure out how to post pics, i'll add a few of the materials and a few of my early attempts later on. Thanks for the chance to introduce myself and what I hope will be a great time here on the forum. Rob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MIKE*A 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2012 Welcome aboard Rob! It sounds like you won the lottery! When you get a chance, we'd love to see photos of some of those flies! As far as your materials, I'd put them in an airtight container w/mothballs or something....better yet, put the feathers/skins in the freezer for a couple of days, pull them out..thaw...put them back in again for a couple more days them pull them out and let them thaw....then the airtight container w/mothballs....just in case they picked up unwanted critters whereever they were stored at! It sound like you made quite a find! Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteBuffalo58 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2012 Welcome aboard Rob! It sounds like you won the lottery! When you get a chance, we'd love to see photos of some of those flies! As far as your materials, I'd put them in an airtight container w/mothballs or something....better yet, put the feathers/skins in the freezer for a couple of days, pull them out..thaw...put them back in again for a couple more days them pull them out and let them thaw....then the airtight container w/mothballs....just in case they picked up unwanted critters whereever they were stored at! It sound like you made quite a find! Mike Thanks for the advice and welcome, Mike. Both are appreciated and I will follow up on the advice. If this works, here is a couple of pics of the vintage flies I spoke of. This is how they came and I put a few up on the lid to show a sample of what's in the box. The smaller box in the second pic, was in the box of materials. I'll try to get some decent pics of those and post them later. Again, thanks for the warm welcome! I can see already, i've got alot to learn! Rob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riffleriversteelheadslayer 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2012 welcome to the site be sure to ask any questions you may have we are all more then happy to answer but I must clarify something fly tying is no more of a hobby then crack cocaine is an upper its a pure addiction and seeing you have already admitted to being a flea market junkie that tells me you have an addictive personality so I will go out on a limb and say you will fit right in Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteBuffalo58 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2012 Thank you Paul, and yes I do find addictions way too easy to aquire and next to impossible to get rid of! Fortunately, all my addictions do stay within the boundries of the law. I have tons of questions, many upfront are dealing with these materials. Some have the original labels, but many don't. I need to learn how to recognize them by name so when following instructions or watching a video, I know what they're talking about. That's how basic my lack of knowledge is! I've hunted and fished most all my life, so I do recognize a good many of the upland game bird feathers and even some of the furs that were in this bunch. But, there's alot of exotic looking materials in here that i'm totally clueless about. So hopefully as I sort through this mess, i'll be able to post pics and get help on identifying them and how to make the best use of them. Thanks for the nice welcome, Rob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
