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fishaholic69

can you use regular thread?

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went to gander today and all there thread was waxed and cost 2 bux a piece. just wondered if you can use regular thread from say michaels? i have a wax stick i got today and wondered if you can just use the cheap thread.

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Not really it tends to be to bulky and doesn't allow for smooth heads. I like UTC. But Danville Uni Guiderbrod and all good. Thread is the cheap part about tying! Just wait until you try to explain to your wife what you need 15 different capes of feathers. Start with tying thread the other stuff will only hold you back.

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thats another thing. they didn't seem to have a lot to choose from at gander . i got some but none said danville and none really said 6/0 3/0 most were 210 utc. is 210 utc good? sorry for being a noob . i got grey and orange colors from there. i also grabbed some regualr thread from micheals but it was like 2 bux for 12 colors lol.

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I love UTC it is almost all that I tie with. 210 is beefy stuff I like it for big flies that I need to crank on the thread. 140 is great for almost any fly. and I use 70 on nymphs. I think 210 is 3/0 140 is 6/0 and 70 is 8/0 but I'm not sure. So 210 is great for big bass and pike flies. 140 is great for size 2 to 10 flies and 70 is best for size 4 and smaller bugs. One thing about UTC is that it is a flat thread but as you use it is rolls and twists. if you simply spin your bobbin counter clock wise while it hangs free you will see the twist come out and the thread flattens up nicely. This helps to keep the fly form getting bulky. Especially on the head.

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ok guys thanks for the help! i used the 210 on a hares ear nymph and it worked ok. now that i kno i will look for smaller threads. so even tho regular thread sux do u think i can get away with using it ? or should i not even try. just have it laying around might as well try. worst thing that could happenb is it could fall apart?

i just amde a hares and posted it. check it out!

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went to gander today and all there thread was waxed and cost 2 bux a piece. just wondered if you can use regular thread from say michaels? i have a wax stick i got today and wondered if you can just use the cheap thread.

 

If you need enough colors you can order them from J. Stockard's for $1.25 for Danville Flat Waxed. Give up on regular thread IMHO.

 

Here is the link.... http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/T...lon-Thread.html

 

 

Skip

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I can't find my fly tying rules book....but i think "regular" thread is ok.......but most people find it about as good as using a plastic coat hanger for a hook. soon you'll find that you NEED the real stuff!

 

I tied a tampon on a hook once....hooked a salmon and lost the fish....kept the fly....got rid of the girlfriend. fortunately for me, and the salmon, no one told me i couldn't use it on a fly.

 

use the regular thread, because tying tonight with the wrong stuff, beats waiting till tomorrow to do it with the right stuff.

 

 

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fishaholic69

 

I would say: go ahead and use Michael's thread. It may be thicker and weaker than the more expensive stuff, but it will work fine for most flies which aren't too small. Most of us use 8/0 when 6/0 would do fine (and require fewer wraps.) One advantage to starting with Michael's stuff is you will need to learn to use as few wraps as you can to get the job done. Then, when you start using the expensive stuff, and/or start tying smaller flies, you will have the skill to do so.

 

I have a box full of poly- and silk threads bought at a place like Michaels which I often use to make the bodies on small soft-hackle flies or nymphs. These threads are much coarser than Pearsall's Gossamer silk threads and hence give a nice segmented effect on small flies.

 

By the way, you may want to experiment with your thread unwaxed as well as waxed. (You might also want to experiment with different waxes- as they have different effects on the behaviour of your thread and the final results.) For example: I use a soft wax on the silk to help hold a light dubbing on a soft-hackle fly. This wax, however, prevents the thread from being pulled through a whip-finish. So I use a harder wax (predominantly beeswax) to help hold the heads on my soft-hackle flies.

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unfortunately that's like asking if it's OK to use a knife as a screwdriver. You might be able to do it, but they are different tools for different jobs.

 

Sewing thread is not fly tying thread because it's built differently, behaves differently, has different characteristics, and is intended to accomplish a different task. You could sew up a torn jacket with fly tying thread and get by. You could tie flies with sewing thread and overall just barely get by.

 

Sort of like "all trout are fish, but not all fish are trout"--- All fly tying thread is thread, but not all thread is fly tying thread.

 

This is one of those things where you'll be much more satisfied when you spend the buck-and-a-quarter for the real stuff than try to get by with sewing thread. As Day5 said, when it comes to tying flies, thread is cheap.

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Buy the thread. $2 is nothing compared to the small fortune you'll spend on other materials shortly. You're getting 200 yards, which should last you a while.

 

Seriously, modern fly tying thread has certain characteristics that make is suitable.

 

First is size. There are many sizes, and only one sizing system is standardized, the denier system. the /0 system is non-standard--one mfrs 6/0 is another's 12/0. 70 denier is what Danville 6/0 flymaster is. 70 denier is suitable for dry flies, down to say size 18, and as big as 3/0 atlantic salmon flies. 120 or 140 denier is coarse, suitable for large flies, like wooley buggers only. 210 is about the old size A or B, used for rod making, not fly tying. The larger denier thread IS suitable for built-up underbodies, like on streamers or classic atlantics. There are a few 50 or 60 denier thread, but these can be quite fragile-suitable for midges and tiny dry flies below size 18.

 

Second is material and structure. Danville is spun nylon. Uni is bonded polyester. The spun nylon is a bunch of fibers, spun together into a single "rope". For tiny flies and for classic Rangeley streamers and classic atlantic salmon flies, often it is desirable to make underbodies smooth. Untwist the thread and wrap like a tiny ribbon of floss. The disadvantage of spun nylon is that it stretches a little, and frays if it touches the hook point. Also the bobbin will spin if left dangling from the hook-- can be annoying to the new tyer. Bonded polyester is a little stronger in this regard and cannot come un-twisted. Some say it is better for tiny flies as the thread does not twist. It is two "ropes" of polyester, bonded side-by side and spun during the bonding, so it has a cross section like a twisted lampcord. Might hold dubbing a bit better. There is also GSP which is smooth and while much stronger and suitable for spinning deer hair, is expensive and being smooth needs special care to keep tight. Kevlar also is stron, not as smooth, suitable for deer hair spinning, but will cut your hand and dull your scissors--but probably can never be broken. These last 2 threads are more like $4-$6 per s200 yd spool.

 

Thirdly is waxing. Probably a holy war could take place over the opinion of whether wazed thread is better. Personally, the amount of wax is small, and I like it. Others will disagree. Probably best for beginners.

 

Sewing threads are cotton, which deteriorates when wet, or polyester, which is similar to the Uni thread, but not bonded. Don't waste your money, except if you want to use certain sewing threads for ribbing or decoration, not structure.

 

Also, look carefully at spools of tying thread. make sure thay have not been exposed to sunlight, causing color fading, and more importantly loss of strength. Also make sure there is no fraying or wax blobs, both signs of inferior product or band handling.

 

Tight lines & tight wraps

-E

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"Sewing threads are cotton, which deteriorates when wet, or polyester, which is similar to the Uni thread, but not bonded. Don't waste your money, except if you want to use certain sewing threads for ribbing or decoration, not structure"

 

That's right on the money. I've used sewing thread many times for the decorative value, but not to hold the fly together. There is an amazing variety of colors and finishes avaialable with sewing threads. I always go with my wife to the fabric store to check out the stuff, and some of the tools, too.

 

As far as waxed thread, it is waxed not to hold dubbing on, but to keep the strands of thread from unwinding.

 

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ok thanks guys! i just used some cause i didn't have the good stuff yet. i only used the stuff to make one pheasent tail and 4 egg patterns tho. i used my good stuff for egg patterns and hares ears. I will order some good thread asap. thanks for the link to the site. thats cheaper than gander mountain. keep ya posted!

 

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went on that site and got me 14 colors of thread for 16 bux and some streamer hooks plus marabou and hackle for 27 bux including ship because i got 5000 reward points and 5 dollars off the order? awesome. way cheaper than gander! thanks alot guys! so all together it cost 27 bux

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