I’m not cheap but might be able to find you some free stuff. Drop me a PM with your address and I’ll see what I can rustle up.

In the $2 shop they have feather dusters on a stick that have fibres about 3" long rather than feathers in many 4 colours: red, yellow, blue, green that look like mylar fibres that should work ok. 

EVA foam

Anyone know a cheap source of neutrally coloured sheets of EVAfoam?  I've tried Warehouse (don't stock it), Pararubber (too thick), various craft stores (only in garish colours), $2 shops.

Spotlight did have some, but it only came in a multipack of 6 colours - and only 2/6 colours are useable.  Not cheap at $11 a pack.

Have looked at Bunnings/Mitre 10 etc  for those adhesive foam strips for sealing windows/doors etc, but all far too thick foam, and still $15 a meter or so.

The best foam is still the stuff sold in fishing stores, but it's priced accordingly.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Rudy 

found this at te warewhare $1.99 a pack, they are strips of self adhesive holo mylar, add a dot with a permanent marker, and twist off to create an eye. they also have self adhesive solid sheets (about A5 size) in metallics and dazzle/holo in an assorted pack of the same colours.

Spotlight in Christchurch has a whole section devoted to feathers used for who-knows-what.

They sell packets of goose biots for $6.99, about 5-6 feathers/strips of biots to a packet, in white, red, black and purple.

I don't know how waterproof the dye is - I use the red for buzzer wing-buds which are varnished, so it's not a problem. 

The white ones are great for Prince Nymphs.

They also sell ostrich feathers and nice speckled guinea feathers, in a whole range of (mostly garish) colours.

Another great one is Marabou in different colours, including  black and white.

They do stock whole Pheasant Tails as well, in natural and black, but they're $17.95 for 5 to a packet, so might be cheaper than tackle shop - not sure.


 

Nice - where from?