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Drier Sheets to Keep Bugs Away For Your Hackles...

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I came across a deal of a live time on EBay a few weeks back. There was a husband and wife that were retiring and getting to ready to travel. Her husband had a large collection of fly tying stuff but was getting rid of it because he had arthritis and basically could no longer enjoy fly tying. I manage to snag $1500.00 worth of various hackles, hooks, chenille, rubber legs, dubbing, rabbit pelts, thread, just all kinds of stuff for a little over $200.00. Good quality stuff I might add!

 

Anyway I have a question on drier sheets that maybe some of y'all have seen or heard of...All the hackles and other feathers that they shipped to me each had a drier sheet like Bounce in each plastic bag. I was wondering if they were doing that to keep the bugs and critters out of the feathers.

 

Any thoughts????

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I heard one time that dryer sheets kept bees away, there was a nest of bees in my garage the one that make the small paper like combs, I put a box of dryer sheets in the garage no more bees. I don't think it kills them but repels them

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I have heard over the years of fantastic claims for dryer sheets and this is one of them. I don't think dryer sheets repel insects at all. Use moth balls or some other insect killer/repellant if you must but I wouldn't add anything as toxic as that to my flytying materials either.

Check this link out: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/bounce.asp

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I wouldn't rely on dryer sheets to kill the insects that could infest your materials. Moth balls will KILL them eggs, larva and adult. Dryer sheets MAY repel some bugs (or not,) but using something that is proven to kill bugs is a much better choice.

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Oh I am not going to rely on drier sheets at all...I was just curious why they placed the sheets in all their plastic bags.

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I've heard that dryer sheets will repel mosquitoes, too. I haven't tried that, yet.

It's also possible that the previous owners felt the reduction in static when pulling the material out of the bags was the key.

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Oh ... and .... HOLY CRAP!!!

Nice find on E-bay !!!

 

Did you get a good vice and tools with all that? Care to take pictures of the lot and post them?

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No vise or tools....Just tying materials...I have already got a lot of it re bagged and put up...sad.png

 

Just about everything I got was for $5.00...Nice cape and saddle hackles $5.00 each, 5 whole pheasants $5.00 each, 2 each 8 ounces of black and white strung hackles all for $5.00 ( I figure the white ones I can dye), 32 each 1/4 ounce white marabou all for $5.00, 37 each 1/4 ounce black marabou all for $5.00, 41 each 1/4 ounces of purple marabou all for $5.00, several 72 yards skeins of chenille in black, white, pink, red, orange, brown, purple $5.00 each. 2 each 4 ounce of peacock herls all for $5.00 and lot of other stuff as well! I hit pay dirt on this deal!!!!

 

I wrote the couple a personal thank you letter and sent it to them in the mail. The wife said she and her husband was glad to see a fellow tier getting use of out their collection in the EBay messenger. I promised her if I still had a lot of the stuff left and I was no longer able to tie one day I would pay it forward to some one else. We corresponded a few times on email and she seems like a sweet lady. I am proud of my find. She only had a few items listed on EBay initially and I made an offer. She accepted so I messaged her and asked what else did she have. Needless to say I stayed up till about 2:30 AM on a week night looking a everything she posted. As soon as it was posted I made her a $5.00 offer and she accepted. I got several boxes of Mustad hooks for $3.00 each many of the them have never been opened!

 

What made the deal even sweeter is she paid for the shipping. The Fly Tying Gods were smiling down on me on this one. I am highly pleased with everything I received.

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I always keep an eye on Ebay stuff.

Am i wrong or did someone post pics of flys withdryer sheets cut for the wings?

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No you are right...Some one did post that you can make wings out a used drier sheets. Can't remember who did suggest that though...I think mikechell did actually give it a try.

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They have been stored by the original owner for years and UNLESS there is evidence of bug damage on some of the materials, you can just sort and store them. Why put a chemical in the bags if you don't need to. Transfer the materials into appropriate sized zip lock bags.

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P...Joe: Mike posted some flies with dryer sheet wings on the first page of March Flies from the bench, topic 80635. Also a discussion of dryer sheets on 80576

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I read somewhere that putting drier sheets in with skins and other natural materials will keep them from smelling over time. I tried this with a couple of saddles that were getting an odor, and it worked for them.

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Jolly Red,

Maybe that was the reason why the had them in the bags. I just found it odd...

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