the long hair on the tail of whitetail deer looks somewhat like brush hair- hmmm, anybody try this yet ?
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the long hair on the tail of whitetail deer looks somewhat like brush hair- hmmm, anybody try this yet ?
Give it a go.let us know:)
I tied fishing flies years ago and used it to tie buck tails. It can get a little brittle. Don't think it is as durable as badger or boar. Let us know how it works
What most fail to realize is That, Boar,Horse etc is not Hair,it is brisle which is solid,They will all make lather.
The reason Badger is and always has been the benchmark is beacuse true silvertip is Hollow,It retains heat and water.
True silvertip comes from the animals neck area,Why?because in cold climes (some badgers actually hibernate in winter) the hollow hair retains body heat which in turn warms bloodflow to the animals brain,since 60% of any mammals blood flow is directed to the brain,is important to keep it warm.
Than we have black Badger, the lowest grade,it is not a hair but a fiber (solid) they will also make lather to a point.
As the silvertip badger hair is hollow and that gives the brush its great properties I would like to try a Polar Bear brush. That hair is hollow.
We just need someone to grab a handful and put it in a knot. Of course, the bear cannot be injured.
Seriously, it is a great shame these amazing animals may be gone in a rather short time.
I've got my eye out for a brush made of North American beaver,,,,:shrug:
Attachment 193439
John where in the hell did you find a picture of my first wife:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
,,,,,,,,on my nightstand :rofl2:
Whitetail deer hair is hollow as well.I see 2 issues, 1- the length as it may not be long enough and 2- it may be tool brittleBe interesting to see if it could be pulled off.Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
It may be worth a shot if you've got some extra time and money, but I do use the body hair a lot to tie flies and it isn't a very sturdy hair. Deer hair has a tendency to bend and break pretty easily especially when you wrap it tight. But it may be a bit different on the tail itself. I'd find a fly shop around you to check it out first. They should have some you can look at.
You can experiment with all manner of critters. it's been done for hundreds of years. As Pixie pointed out, there is a reason badger is considered the premium shave brush and boar and horse were selected for use by the masses (historically speaking).
Funny. Do her a favor a buy her a better toothbrush and stop worrying about your marginal shaving brush. Get your priorities straight! : )
Thanks for all the input- my wheels are turning. I'm also kicking myself- I process all my own deer and over the last 7 years here on the mountainside I've thrown away 25 tails. In AL you get 1 doe/day, 3 bucks/year.The tail hair is banded different colors, is very thick at the root and fades to very thin at the tip. A local antique shop has a pile of old brushes in a case- I plan to get a few and try my hand at brush restore like in some of the excellent tutorials here next fall when I get some more tail. In good acorn years the deer also have a huge tallow layer- hmmm maybe shaving soap-but that's another thread.
mepps used to buy deer and squirrel tails for there lures , and some fur buyers buy hides .. make ya a few bucks !!Quote:
Originally Posted by KenG
O.K. you go ahead and hold the bear while I watch.Quote:
Originally Posted by rolodave
On second thought; maybe a profitable side-line for cash-strapped zoos?
Although I am not entirely sure how the public would react to the sight of a shaved Polar Bear whose hair has just been harvested.
Maybe better keep the bears out of sight till the hair grows back...
I once thought about getting a very young badger, raise the badger as a household pet, so he can get used to me, and then shave him once in a while in exchange for little morsels of his favourite food.
Maybe I could even teach him a few tricks, like fetching a ball or bringing my newspaper??
But as young badgers are exceedingly hard to find on ebay or Amazon, I gave up and shaved my long-haired dachshund instead, but the brush was a disappointment and the dog looked genuinely depressed afterwards.
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B.
Used to use polar bear hair for tying dry flys,stuff really floats because it is toattaly Hollow.
couple more stupid facts,the skin under a polar bears hair is jet black,the hair is actualy translucent,has almost no color.
Bears in warm climes (such as zoos) turn green green in the summer because algea grows inside the hair fibers.
Very important stuff we should know:)
I swear I remember reading in a deer biology book (Leonard Lee Rue?) that the summer hair on whitetail deer is more durable than the winter hair.
summer deer hair is smaller in diameter and more flexible than winter deer hair which is very brittle. I use summer deer hair to tye comparadun flies and wings on other dry flies
