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Peterjay

Synthetic Hair Source

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I know there are a lot of tightwads in this group, (like myself, for instance) so I thought I'd share this. I think I posted something similar a few years back, but anyway, if anybody's looking for a cheap source for Kinky Fiber, Slinky fiber, or whatever it's called these days, just go to the Etsy website and do a search for Kenekalon doll hair. You absolutely will not believe how much hair you can get for $3 or so. If one Etsy shop doesn't have the colors you want, another one probably will. I've never found olive, but it's easy enough to blend green, yellow, and brown to get the right shade. I also like to blend it with flash from Fly Tyers Dungeon. (think Steve Farrar blend) I've got a lifetime supply of 19 colors that cost me about $60 total. BTW - Etsy is also a good source for a lot of other materials, including craft fur. Here's a tip - Angelina Fiber is for all intents and purposes, the same thing as Angel Hair, and you can find some real bargains on Etsy. (I buy it from the hippiechix shop) There's lots of stuff that's available to anybody who does a little poking around. Good hunting.

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Happy to share the wealth, guys. Here's what Angelina Fiber looks like - it's the same as Angel hair; it used to be called something else back in the day, but it's all the same stuff. Some dealers sell it by the half-ounce and others by the ounce, so you have to check the quantity to get the best deal. Aside from using it on fish patterns, you can also chop it up & mix it with dubbing. Comes in every color imaginable, including holographic colors.

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If anyone else is a fan of "kanekalon", beauty supply stores can be a bargain also.

 

Me..not so much. I use it sparsely, mixed with other stuff. I'm not a big fan , but it certainly has it's place for fly tying.

 

My wife is an etsy fanatic. I may have to take a peek to see what kind of stuff I can find that I don't really need.

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That's one interesting fiber!

Do you have pocs of flies tied with it?

Does it shed a lot when brushed?

 

I'd have to check my files to look for a pic, but here's an image of Dave Skok's "mushmouth." I believe Dave blends Slinky Fiber (Kanekalon) with Angel hair (Angelina Fiber) for this pattern. I usually also blend the Angelina Fiber with other synthetics. No, there's not a lot of waste, at least the way I use it. I just take a small pinch, pull it out, snip it in the middle, and go from there. The big green streamer is a simple bluefish fly I tied using Kanekalon blended with crystal flash. The Kanekalon is tough stuff - blues are good at destroying natural materials quickly, but Kanekalon holds up well. The only problem with looking for it at beauty supply outfits is that they carry mostly natural hair colors. For bright colors, you'd probably have to look elsewhere.

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Peter, I was asking for a poc, but I will gladly look at the pics you posted... :)

 

I saw online that this Angelina is heat fuseable (sp?). It is easy to make sheets out of it. I wonder what a creative mind could tie with it... Curly tails?

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Peter, I was asking for a poc, but I will gladly look at the pics you posted... smile.png

 

I saw online that this Angelina is heat fuseable (sp?). It is easy to make sheets out of it. I wonder what a creative mind could tie with it... Curly tails?

 

Sorry about that. Here's a pic of a male poc that I saw prancing around the neighborhood a few mornings ago. Pocs are not only extremely aggressive during the mating season, but their screams keep us awake for weeks at a time until their young are born and the herds break up for the summer. The poc is a fearsome beast, whose very presence keeps the human population in check here on the Shore. I've never eaten one, but the flavor of their meat is rumored to fall somewhere between a garden slug and a striped skunk.

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I was looking for something similar to a new Euro material called Predator Dubbing. It is very similar to Laser Dub but is much longer. I saw it being used by Niklaus Bauer on one of his large articulated pike flies.

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Fin, I've never used Laser Dub, but from the pictures, I'd say it's some kind of synthetic hair mixed with Angelina Fiber or something similar. Virtually any kind of flash can be blended with hair to make the materials that the shops charge an arm and a leg for.

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