George, The smallest diameter Rainy Float Foam is 1/8". When I want a smaller fly, I cut the cord in half lengthwise before tying in. Rainy makes smaller diameter foam with red tips for ant patterns, but I don't particularly like that foam. Rainy Float Foam cord is available at a lot of the online sources. I checked Lines End and Byard doesn't stock it but probably can order it. Other online souces (on a quick glance) are J. Stockard and Cabela's.
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=SM-750070-0000 Wes On 2/6/07, George Vincent <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Wes, how small is the round foam. I would like to make ant patterns with it, size 14, 16, 18. Were can you buy it? George Vincent ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Wes Wada <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *To:* [email protected] *Sent:* Tuesday, February 06, 2007 11:08 *Subject:* Re: [VFB] Re: Foam Patterns I've come to the realization that I have wasted a good amount of time and some money trying different types of foam that just didn't measure up as a fly tying material. The Wally World craft foams, flip-flop foams, etc. just don't float well enough! I have found only two foams that I like. The first is the Rainy Float Foam cord that comes in small, medium and large diameters and in black, white, yellow and orange. I use the black, and really feel limited by the color selection. Also, tying with the stuff may require some creativity as you are dealing with a round cord rather than a flat sheet of foam. Rainy Float Foam is easy to work with, floats reliably, and is ridiculously expensive. Buying a large quantity years ago would have been a better investment than the stock market. *grumble* The best floating foam made is the squishy white foam that used to be used in life vests. These days, that foam is hard to find, and when you find some, often the interior of the foam is a tan color, not pure white. Michael Bliss found some pure white that was the interior of an athletic pad, which is my current source of the material. Another source are white keychain floats, but you do have to buy samples to find those that have pure white interiors. Some don't. I finally have found a reliably source for pure white keychain floats, marketed by a sporting goods retailer called G.I. Joes. If you need colors, simply apply a craft marker or a Sharpie. If you want to make a popper or slider, etc., then the standard rigid foam popper heads are probably the best choice. The large diameter Rainy Float Foam could easily be adapted to make good panfish popper heads. Wes Wada Bend, Oregon On 2/6/07, Ed Roden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Sorry, it's not the foam on the back of the carpet - it's more like the > flipflop foam - the squares that you buy for kids with the alphabet cutouts, > link together, etc.....These are just large ones that are meant for an > at-home exercise floor, etc....we just decided to use them under the area > rug of our wood floor. > > On 2/5/07, Jack Lehman < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I didn't want to be negative?? If this foam is anything like what > > they used on my carpet, its too fragile, too soft. It wouldn't hold up to > > fish. I have much better luck using the denser foam from flipflops - we > > generically call it a shoefly popper. Plus its easily shaped using a dremel > > and an emory board. Let me know if you need more info. > > > > Jack > > Austin > > >
