Sorry all,
I should have read the plethora of posts explaining this before I posted.
BUT - for Deb and anyone intersted in finding the stuff...
There are some places on the web (Google "Acetate floss, fly tying") that
claim to carry it. That being said, I have found it difficult to
procure. I just picked up 20 spools (in 4 colors) from a friend who had
them "in a crate somewhere in the back of the shop...if ya wanna waste your
time looking for it...".
This is very brittle stuff (we don't usually think of fibers being
brittle). It breaks easily so you should be a little more careful handling
it than you would with Rayon. I don't see any advantage to using it UNLESS
you are going to go the acetone route (making the shell).
For acetone - or an alternative:
If you're not blessed to work in a lab...try nail polish remover. Most
varieties have either acetone or ethyl acetate as the solvent. Don't lick
it. Don't smoke while using it (although you'd probably be ok).
Some bugs I dip in the stuff...sometimes (i.e. shell backs, etc.) I dip a
cotton swap in the acetone and touch it to the floss. Don't rub...it'll
destroy the effect.
Also - make sure that you leave it alone until it's completely evaporated
(give it a smell test...). You can mess up the finish if you touch or
scratch it before hand. This can be repaired to an extent with another
application, but you can go too far with application of solvent (i.e. there
is a point of no return).
Chris
