Fumed Silica Fly Floatant in bulk

[foxtrapper1972]

Anyone ever buy this substance in bulk? i found several sources online and actually ordered a quart of it. i plan to refill my small bottle with brush with the stuff. It appears to be a cheap way to buy it. I use a lot of CDC flies and do go through the stuff.

 

[afishinado]

 

[foxtrapper1972]

I am going to get that! Works better than my tee shirt! thanks!

 

[Jaybird]

Question I have is how to get the silica powder effectively in the bottle ??? Sure a funnel but not sure you get the same amount.

 

[Maurice]

Apparently a turkey blaster works well...

This topic was discussed at length 4 years ago here.

Desiccant thread.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

A turkey baster! There you have it. Nice.

Honestly I'm not real crazy about using this powdered stuff but it does work well. I hate breathing it and don't like putting it in the stream either. I try to use as little as possible. Like that Amidou patch though. Will try it for sure. And it is a fungus so all natural. Great!

 

[afishinado]

There's fungus among us, Foxxy.

It works great. I hardly use the powered stuff at all since hanging an amadou patch on my pack.

 

[ryansheehan]

That thing looks amazing, how does it do with hoppers? Can they get wet?

 

[afishinado]

ryansheehan wrote:
That thing looks amazing, how does it do with hoppers? Can they get wet?

I works for all kinds of flies. You do need to keep it out of the water. If you wade that deep, I suggest you pin it to your hat.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

I bought two quarts from this guy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fumed-Silica-Fly-Floatant-The-ONLY-Right-Kind-NOT-Cabosil-Compare-to-Frogs-Fanny-/262594735685?hash=item3d23ddae45:g:28EAAOxyUylTRWNh

This is exactly like FF. I picked it up locally, saving the shipping costs. Nice guy from central PA. Very accommodating

 

[RLeep2]

I usually buy a bottle of arrow fletch drying powder for 8-10 bucks. It's the same stuff, only maybe just a bit more coarse
It isn't a quart, but it is of a manageable size that I can use a folded sheet of copier paper to transfer it from one bottle to another. One bottle fills my FF bottle about 10 times. I last bought a bottle about 5 years ago and am due to get another this year. That's good enough for me given how nasty the stuff can be if I were to spill it in at the same time I sneeze or something...

http://www.basspro.com/Gateway-Feathers-Waterproofing-Archery-Feather-Powder/product/54735/

 

[Fredrick]

afishinado wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
That thing looks amazing, how does it do with hoppers? Can they get wet?

I works for all kinds of flies. You do need to keep it out of the water. If you wade that deep, I suggest you pin it to your hat.

Holding out on me tweed . How well does it work ?

http://www.orvis.com/p/amadou-fly-drying-patch/12fm?adv=587076&cm_mmc=Orvisnonbrand-_-Nontm-x-fishing-us-dsarlsa-_-Nontm-x-fishing-x-x-x-sale-_-_inurl%3Afly&gclid=CPmqtOqcsNICFYmEswodm8UPgA

 

[afishinado]

Fredrick wrote:

afishinado wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
That thing looks amazing, how does it do with hoppers? Can they get wet?

I works for all kinds of flies. You do need to keep it out of the water. If you wade that deep, I suggest you pin it to your hat.

Holding out on me tweed . How well does it work ?

http://www.orvis.com/p/amadou-fly-drying-patch/12fm?adv=587076&cm_mmc=Orvisnonbrand-_-Nontm-x-fishing-us-dsarlsa-_-Nontm-x-fishing-x-x-x-sale-_-_inurl%3Afly&gclid=CPmqtOqcsNICFYmEswodm8UPgA

I use to use a ton of Frog's Fanny (silica powder like mentioned above) to dry my flies; especially CDC flies.

It only takes a few seconds to dry your fly and you're back in business without using powders or chemicals.

 

[albud1962]

Frog Fanny Lung, any documented cases yet?
I have bought the bulk from central pa and it seems to work well.
It tends to go aerosol so try to keep it out of the wind when you refill.
I use an oil plastic funnel with a narrow nozzle to refill my frog fanny containers.

 

[steveo27]

The amadou patches are real nice until you lose a 30$ chunk of fungus in the woods when it snags on something and rips off your pack.

Has anyone used the cheap Ebay ones? I dont wanna cough up another 30$ on one and lose it again

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amadou-Fly-Drying-Patch-Fly-Fishing-Handmade-by-Nelson-/321591349030?hash=item4ae0568f26:gHYAAOSw6btXQ6fK

 

[Bamboozle]

It's been discussed all over the web for a long time, but the consensus is make sure to get HydroPHOBIC Fumed Silica and Progressive Epoxy Polymers is a good source.

I can recommend them as I have been buying their stuff for years AND you will get an MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) with it to make your own decisions in regards to any safety precautions.

A turkey baster works great for refilling empty Frog Fanny bottles, BUT a better option is buying SEVERAL 8-12oz clear plastic flip top squeeze bottles in the camping section of your favorite store.

Filling the larger squeeze bottles with the baster is less messy than filing the small Frog Fanny bottles, then you can use the squeeze bottles to refill the Frog Fanny bottle. The other great thing about using the squeeze bottles is you can keep a few full bottles with your extra gear in the car and refill your Frog Fanny bottles as needed, just before you head to the water.

FWIW – I like a softer LDPE plastic bottle with a flip top. That allows me better control when I squeeze out the Hydrophobic Fumed Silica. I got mine @ REI but there are many sources if you look around.

You will also want to store your bulk Hydrophobic Fumed Silica in a secondary container like a Rubbermaid bin, with the turkey baster because no matter what you think, it gets messy refilling.

In regards to Amadou, the stuff WORKS!!

Despite the misconception among many that Frog Fanny dries & treats your fly, any fly to be treated with Frog Fanny or an equivalent should be dry FIRST, for maximum effect. There are many Amadou fly drying patches you can buy, but after a while the Amadou (which is a fungus), can get beat up and fall apart.

For that reason, I buy sheets of Amadou from NON fly-fishing internet sources (people use it as a fire starter and to make hats) to repair any of my fancy high priced fly-fishing Amadou patches when they get beat up. You could also just buy a piece of Amadou and keep that in your pocket.

In regards to drying your fly first, Cortland makes a product called Dry-Ur-Fly which is a super fine silica desiccant crystal that works fantastic for drying out soaked flies before an application of Frog Fanny. I have been using it forever. If you use it after a squeeze between the Amadou, your fly will be about as dry as if you just took it out of your box.

Good luck!