Craft store supplies

[wgmiller]

For those of you who have picked up tying supplies in craft stores, what type of items have you found? I gather that thin wire is one item, but just curious what other things one could find. Being new to tying and not having a lot of patterns under my belt, it's always nice to know what to keep an eye out for.

 

[riz]

beads (glass, plastic, brass, etc) yarn, embroidery thread, eyes, plastic tubing like larva lace, foam, cork, braid, hot melt glue, pom poms for egg patterns, some types of feathers like pheasant, peacock etc.

 

[CLSports]

I use the following from craft stores:

Foam sheets for ants and beetles

Small glass beads in black, sliver and gold for midge larva.

"Stretch Magic" in clear and black for ribbing nymph bodies..

Tinsel spools in gold and copper.

Paints for eyes on saltwater flies.

Artist quality paint brushes with fine clear/white bristles for dry fly tails.

Copper and gold wire.

Peacock and Marabou feathers.

Yarn for homemade strike indicators.

 

[gentleshepherd]

I have also picked up some packages of felting. Makes great wool dubbing and in some stores I have picked it up already pre-blended to the standard shades - greens - browns - tans - grey.
You can get a bunch for about $2. Comes prepackaged.

 

[MKern]

The biggest thing I buy from craft stores is foam; I get 4x the amount for the half the price.

I have bought pom poms, but have never tied with them, but if I fished for more steelheads I would.

I don't use glass beads, although I've thought about it. And if I did, I'd get them there too.

However, I think there is a huge difference in the quality of fly tying materials from a fly shop than a craft store.


I also get shadow and display boxes for my flies at craft stores.

 

[ryguyfi]

Michaels has the best selection of colors for foam. Couldn't find orange anywhere and they had that plus many more colors than the other places I looked.

In order I buy
Foam
glass beads
marabou
yarn
tinsel or wire
odds and ends as I see them

 

[shipnfish2006]

I buy a lot of my craft stuff from online craft supply stores. I typically buy all of the stuff that has already been mentioned plus I also buy estaz yarn like it's going out of style, just in case they ever stopped making it.

 

[MKern]

The long synthetic hackle that is on my pike fly in the musky thread comes from a craft store, but I used to get it and supply hille's with it....if anyone is interested, but it is hard to work with.

 

[gfen]

Glass beads (I never see brass ones).
Beading wire.
Beading silicone for legs (black) or wrapping to create segmented bodies (clear).
Yarn.
Thick chenille.
Body braid.
Antron.
Wool (never used it, though).
Felt.
Foam.
Hot glue.
Thin leather strip (wing cases, never used it).
Ball chain.
Cases to hold hooks, beads, etc.

Probably more, but those spring immediately to mind.

 

[MKern]

Fo ryou guys who get glue, do the craft store have colored glue sticks.
I've only found colored glues sticks at cabelas, online and the local fly shop.

 

[osprey]

The possibilities are endless , but let me say this , while you can save a ton of money by buying materials from a craft store , you'll never get the information , education and attention you get by going to the nearest Fly-Shop. The teeny-bopper clerk at "Michaels" isn't going to be able to actually "show" you how to use a certain thing , or maybe what they've been having luck on this week , or where. I'm not saying don't use a crafts store for some of your purchases , i'm saying use your head and your money wisely. wgMiller.......where you are , in Mt. Joy , you're just a short hop from several nice fly-shops , the owners of those shops are all willing to help you in so many ways , i guess you could put a figure to the savings but you can't begin to put a price on what you get in the form of information/education from the shop-owners. Sometimes you spend a dollar and get three dollars back in change.

 

[wgmiller]

I can see your point Osprey. Sometimes it's not all about "saving a buck" because the specific information you get is more valuable. My question was more directed at purchasing 'supplemental supplies' should I be at one of those stores. If the wife is out buying stuff, I can make the trip more bearable if I know I'm buying a thing or two to support my latest addiction - fly tying.

 

[yea-who]

The teeny-bopper clerk at "Michaels" isn't going to be able to actually "show" you how to use a certain thing , or maybe what they've been having luck on this week , or where

But who are you going to ask out for a couple drinks and a night of bliss.
Anyway... Amongst all said above you. Beside wrapping the shank with weight on Buggers i sometimes use pipe cleaner instead of chenille for extra weight.

 

[osprey]

wgmiller.......by no means did i mean to avoid the craft stores entirely , when the wife is doin her thing by all means.......go.......wondering around in "Michaels" and using your imagination it's like being a kid in a candy store again , just for my own curiosity , where is the closest "michaels" type craft store to Mt. Joy , Lancaster , Park City?

 

[wgmiller]

There's a Michael's and AC Moore directly across from each other in the Lancaster shopping center. It's between Rt. 501 and 272 which is just down 30 east from Park City...

 

[flybop]

A while back I was going through the beads ina big craft store when an older lady came up to me and said that she thought it was sweet to see a young man who was interested in beading. With a blush on my face I decided not to explain why I was so interested in the beads.

Besides beads I get almost all my foam from craft stores. They also have some very nice and reasonably priced plastic boxes that are great for hooks. Also, I found a sewing thread holder which holds dozens of tying thread spools for about ten bucks. While I am not sure I really think that many of the synthetics that we now use began as craft supplies and were adapted to fly tying materials.

 

[osprey]

"michaels" sell a real nice metal box (round the size of snuff cans) with a see through glass or plexiglass lid , they make good fly boxes and also you can put a magnet on the back and stick it to metal for display purposes , they are nice and inexpensive.

 

[Fishidiot]

Craft stores are a treasure trove of potential fly tying (and lure making) goodies. I'd second all of the above, esp the foam. One thing I'd recommend staying away from is the colored pipe cleaners. These always look tempting to a new tier but the wire core will rust and discolor the fly very fast.

 

[DGC]

Added to the above: DMC cotton floss for the Holbrook midges. Very inexpensive and works well for small patterns. I have a shoebox of various colors. Also the cotton covered polyester thread by Coats and Clark for even smaller midges (if they still make it).

I also went overboard on yarns one year in a dubbing blend binge.

 

[flipnfly]

i just bought foam eyes and 2 whole rabbit skins for under 20$