Tying Material going bad!

[steve98]

Just throwing this out there.
Does anyone know if fly tying material goes bad?
example: Hackle, feathers, dubbing, fur or whatever?
Does fly-tying material go bad?

Steve98

 

[mediclimber]

I don't know if it goes bad, but I just got a bag full of feathers from a friend of a friend who goes pheasant and quail hunting. These feathers are old, like at least five years, and they are more fragile than some other ones I've used. If that's what you mean by going bad, then I would have to say yes.

 

[jayL]

I hat a bucktail rot once. It wasn't properly preserved.

 

[MKern]

Certain skins will go bad if not preped properly. I have feathers and necks given to me that are older than I. They don't stink or anything like that. Okay, they don't stink that bad.

Of course, prepreped hackle, such as strung hackle, 100's packs, and pretreated necks last awhile. Also, synthetics don't go bad.

 

[StudentofTheStream]

It depends on your definition of bad I suppose. Most feathers after a certain amount of time will become more brittle than they once were and could become problematic. I think keeping materials sealed air tight (to the best of your ability) will help their longevity.

That being said I've had many different necks for at least a few years now and they are still in good shape and I've never had any problems with hair going bad.

 

[sandfly]

natural materials will break down in time if not treated....feathers are really prone to this....the proteins in them break down...

 

[dryflyguy]

hackle is the only thing I've ever noticed that deteriates - as pointed out before, they get brittle
that said, I have a brown neck that's over 20 years old, and I still use it. I do break off quite a few hackles while winding then though

 

[David]

And keep some cedar or mothballs in there...bugs will make it all go bad quickly. You can be at a higher risk if you travel you're materials (ie tie on the stream)

 

[jgmcclain]

Carpet beetles are the devil

 

[sandfly]

lefty kreh used to say hang your necks with the tips down so the oils stay in the stems, keeps them soft..some day I'll have a neck cabinet to hang all mine...