Dry-Shake

[Wildfisher]

Bought some of this stuff the other day (online from Sportfish). I know that Alex (haresear) uses it: I had to get something to rejuvenate CDC  dries and  testing it at home on a saturated  F-fly (after taking the worst off with a tissue) it seems to work brilliantly as far as I can see. Only problem I can see is that it might also waterproof the body of emergers  which is exactly what you don’t want.

Any of the rest of you used this and if so any tips?

[haresear]

Fred, for flies other than CDC, you should find that your fly will float better and higher after using the powder if you don't Gink it. Just use it as is.
It lasts a long time too. I've had a bottle for nearly two years now.

Alex

[Wildfisher]

Glad to hear it lasts a long time - it is fairly expensive to buy. I think mine cost ?7.50 + post and packing. If it works it will be worth it though. It certainly makes the CDC look as good as new and it is so quick to use it'll get me fishing again within minutes and nothing is more valuable than time when you are fishing and the troots are jumping.

[Traditionalist]

Bought some of this stuff the other day (online from Sportfish). I know that Alex (haresear) uses it: I had to get something to rejuvenate CDC  dries and  testing it at home on a saturated  F-fly (after taking the worst off with a tissue) it seems to work brilliantly as far as I can see. Only problem I can see is that it might also waterproof the body of emergers  which is exactly what you don?t want.

Any of the rest of you used this and if so any tips?

Have been otherwise engaged for a while, and just saw this.  The various dry shake products are hydrophobic fumed silica (Cab-o-Sil  TS-720).  These dry and waterproof the fly, because of the hydrophobic powder material in the substance.

If you just want to dry your flies really well, then get some silica gel. Practically any flower shop or chemist will have it, it is a drying agent used for drying flowers among other things.  It is also used in small sachets to pack drugs and electronics in order to keep them dry in transit.  Grind this up, in a coffee grinder or similar, and you have a pure drying agent.

You can save your expensive dry-shake for flies you want to completely dry AND waterproof.

Here is an article I wrote some time ago on it;

Silica gel is an amorphous form of silicon dioxide, which is synthetically produced in the form of hard irregular granules (having the appearance of crystals) or hard irregular beads. A microporous structure of interlocking cavities gives a very high surface area (800 square meters per gram). It is this structure that makes silica gel a high capacity desiccant. Water molecules adhere to the gels surface because it exhibits a lower vapour pressure than the surrounding air.

When an equilibrium of equal pressure is reached, no more adsorption occurs. Thus the higher the humidity of the surrounding air, the greater the amount of water that is adsorbed before equilibrium is reached. It is in these higher humidity conditions (above 50% Relative Humidity) that stored or in-transit items are susceptible to damage.

The beauty of silica gel is the physical adsorption of water vapour into its internal  pores. There is no chemical reaction, no by-products or side effects. Even when saturated with water vapour, silica gel still has the appearance of a dry product, its shape unchanged.

Advantages of silica gel as a desiccant.

Silica gel has many other properties that recommend it as a desiccant.

- It will adsorb up to one third of its own weight in water vapour. This adsorption efficiency is approximately  35% greater that typical desiccant clays, making silica gel the preferred choice where weight or efficiency are important factors.
- It has an almost indefinite shelf life if stored in airtight conditions.
- It can be regenerated and reused if required. Gently heating silica gel
will drive off the adsorbed moisture and leave it ready for reuse. ( Twenty minutes at 100?C in an oven).
- It is a very inert material, it will not normally attack or corrode other materials and with the exception of strong alkalis and hydrofluoric acid is itself resistant to attack.
- It is non-toxic and non-flammable.
- It is most frequently and conveniently used packed in a breathable sachet or bag. These are available in a wide range of sizes suitable for use with a wide range of applications.

Standard white silica gel is referred to as being non-indicating. As it adsorbs moisture it remains physically unchanged. Non-indicating silica gel is both cheap and effective, available loose in bulk packs or packed in sachets.  Self-indicating silica gels are coloured gels whose colour changes as they adsorb moisture.

It is often used for packing electronic equipment and similar to prevent damage by condensation. It is usually in small paper sachets in the packing boxes. If you ask at an electrical goods store or similar they may be able to give you a whole load of it, as they just throw it away.  Silica gel is in the form of small spheres usually, to use this as a fly drying medium, just grind these up in a coffee grinder or similar, you can also crush it with a hammer, and put in an airtight container such as a 35mm film can.  To dry your fly, just dip it
in the powder and shake, the fly is dry almost immediately.

It is not a good idea to use silica gel in fly-boxes, because the gel will adsorb water from the surroundings, and may have the reverse effect to the one desired, holding moisture in your box.  The best policy is to ensure your flies are perfectly dry before putting them back in the box. The best way to do this is to get a small plastic film canister with a snap on lid. Drill a series of holes with a small drill around the base, and around the upper rim. Drill a hole in the lid, pass a cord through it and knot it, and attach the other end to your vest or whatever. Used flies placed in this box dry perfectly, and relatively quickly. You cannot lose the flies ( flies tend to fall out of "drying-patches" and the like, especially barbless ones ! ), and your drying box may be emptied at the end of the day and the dry flies returned to the main box.  This is the best way to dry flies I have yet discovered.

TL
MC

[Traditionalist]

Just a point here, because I keep hearing this. Fuller?s Earth is an abrasive. You only need to use it once to "de-glint" your leader. After that, a wipe with a small sponge with dilute detergent is sufficient to keep the leader clean and degreased.

The other point here, is that you should not use it on fly-lines.  It abrades the surface coating!  Somebody on another forum was having severe problems, after cleaning his intermediate line with armor-all.  Of course you should not use stuff like this on your lines anyway, unless you know exactly what you are doing, and why, but a lot of suggestions were then made, including rubbing down with Fuller?s Earth. THIS WILL NOT WORK!

The only way to remove heavy grease, silicone, and stuff like armor-all from an intermediate or sinking line, is to rub it down with alcohol. Usually a wash in soapy water suffices for removing normal grease and dirt.

Intermediate lines which have grease or stuff like armor-all on them, will not penetrate the surface film!  They behave exactly like greased silk lines. Rubbing them with detergent only solves the problem temporarily, as the detergent destroys surface tension around the line, but as soon as it washes off, after a couple of casts at the latest!  You have the same problem again.

Further, if you use detergent ( or Fuller?s Earth mixed with detergent), on a dry fly leader. Then it can happen that your dry fly sinks!  This is because the detergent destroys the surface tension, and that is what allows the fly to float! ( Regardless of the floatant used !). So, after degreasing a dry fly tippet and leader, rinse it well before you cast to a fish.

Even a tiny amount of detergent destroys surface tension over a wide area. One should only use very small amounts, and well diluted.

TL
MC