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Working With Craft Fur
Craft Fur is a soft flexible synthetic fiber that is available in many different colors, length and textures. It is inexpensive, easy to work with and has multiple length fibers in each hank of fur.
 What is Craft Fur?
Craft Fur is a soft synthetic hair like material that is secured to a fabric mat. The fur was initially manufactured for the craft industry, hence the name, and is used to make costumes and stuffed animals. Many different colors, textures and lengths of fur can now be found in Craft Stores and Fly Shops. Each hank of fur has multiple lengths of fibers that can be easily separated into three lengths. The fur sold in Craft Stores is typically sold in squares ranging from 8” to 12”. This material tends to be 2” to 3” long and the texture is on the course side. The fur sold in Fly Shops is sold in strips from 3” - 12” wide by 8” - 12” long. The fur ranges from 2” to over 6” long and tends to be very soft. The texture and fur length varies depending on the manufacture, so like any other material, it is worth getting the material in your hands before you purchase it.
 What Do I Do With It First?
Since storage space at a tying bench is limited, cut the sheet of fur into quarter sheets about 3” x 4” depending on the initial size of the sheet. The fur can be easily cut down to smaller sheet with sharp razor blade. Place the sheet fur side down on a table and with a sharp razor blade lightly cut the backing while spreading the backing apart with your fingers. The tension created by your fingers on the backing makes it easier to cut. Do not make a deep cut, you only have to lightly cut the backing and it will separate. Mark on the back of the fur the color and where you purchased it so that you have a chance of finding it again. Good colors are hard to find, but harder to find the second time.
Comb The Material
The best way to control the fur is to comb it in one direction to aline the fibers. The fur can be combed with a verity of different combs ranging from dog brushes, plastic round combs, to stiff combs. Combing the hair also removes some of the “under fur” that can be saved and used as dubbing.
 Cutting The Fur
The fur can be cut with scissors the same way a barber cuts hair. Before cutting the fur, a light combing will realign the hair and make it easier to control. Part the hair with a comb or the tips of scissors, grab the fur between two fingers and cut the fur close to the base. If you start at one edge of the sheet, and work across and up it, you will get the best yield of fur from the sheet and it will make it easier to cut and control the material.
  
Getting Different Lengths of Fur
A piece of fur can yield three different lengths of material. If you grab the tips and buts of the fur and lightly pull, the fur separates into two leaving the long fiber in one hand the the medium and short fibers in the other. If you repeat the process with the remaining hair, you will end up with the medium and small fibers. Some flies may only use the long hairs, while others will use the small and medium ones. The fur has a natural taper that makes it very desirable to work with, so you should avoid cutting the tips of the fur. If you have to adjust the length of the fur you can separate the fibers as show above and then trim the buts to the final length.
As you can see, Craft Fur is a very versatile material. The fur can be used in may different patterns in different sizes. It can be used as a tail material, like in a Gooey Body Wide Minnow, as an accent color or even as dubbing. Given the cost, quantity and the wide range of uses, this material is one that should be in your materials inventory.
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