do you use dubbing wax?

[shmish 0]

I've only tried to apply dubbing a couple of times and I find it to be quite tricky. I would think that dubbing wax would help quite a bit. However, my bank account is taking a hit from every $2 and $4 purchase I'm making for fly tying. It all adds up in the end. Is there any substitute for dubbing wax? Does it really help very much?

 

thanks

[Philly 0]

I've known folks to use ChapStick as dubbing. Another possiblility is to go to any hardware store and pick up a wax ring that plumbers use to seal the connection between the toilet and the pipe. I'm sure it has a name but I've long since thrown away the box the one I bought came in. It might cost a couple of bucks but you'll have a life time's worth of dubbing wax. What I did was mix mine with some bees wax and I've only needed to make one batch.

With dubbing you need to keep it sparse. It's called touch dubbing, and you apply a very small amount to the thread. If you use dubbing wax, you'll need to pick out the dubbing to make the fly "buggy".

[maddog48 0]

Another thing you can use is .. if you use it for dries .. is the fly floatant. I use Gink or the Loon product Aquiel. Obviously you wouldn't use it on wets but as long as you use the paste for the dries, use it for the dubbing wax, too. You can also just lightly lick your fingers and use "saliva wax".

 

 

Mike

[rockworm 0]

Shmish

 

Dubbing waxes serve many purposes: Many British patterns (ie Greenwell's Glory) call for the body silk to be heavily waxed to better approximate the colour and sheen of the natural. Wax can also be applied to the last inch of silk before the head is wrapped and tyed off. The wax naturally hardens with time, creating a very well secured head (with no risk of head cement getting sucked up into the hackle!) Wax is also used on the fingertips (sparsely) to increase the friction applied to thread and dubbing. And it can be used to make dubbing stick to the thread. In my opinion, this last purpose should only be used when "touch dubbing" or when working with extremely difficult dubbing (ie adult seal.)

 

Like maddog48, I am more likely to wet my fingertips (just slightly) with water if I need help keeping my fur on the thread.

 

(Note that different waxes or conconctions are used for each of the above mentioned purposes.)

 

[Cagolddigger 0]

When i started tying a few months ago I used dubbing wax.

To be honest, I wish I never bought it. It always seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

 

Watching others tying, I never saw any of them using wax.

They told me the secret, which really isn't a secret. It's the same mantra I've heard about dubbing "when you think you have enough dubbing, use half as much."

 

I take a small pinch of dubbing and pull a whisper of it to use on the thread. I lick my fingers and twist it on a little at a time. I first thought that there was no way that that tiny little bit of dubbing was going to do squat. Well, it doesn't take much at all.

 

Anyway, since ditching the wax, using a minuscule amount of material, and a little spit, I have turned the appearance of my flys completely around and no longer dread dubbing flys.

[flytire 0]

Is there any substitute for dubbing wax?

 

Saliva works and its free!

 

just moisten your fingers.

[Chase Creek 0]

I only use it for touch dubbing. And very small amounts. Just make sure when you use it that you don't "glob" it on, you only want to lightly coat the thread.There's a really good atricle on dubbing by Al and Gretchen in Hatches magazine if you can get an issue. Best explaination, along with great pictures, I've seen.

 

[oldfart 0]

I use dubbing wax, but after watching AK Bests videos, I use it the way he does. He puts the wax in a small container on his bench, then just puts a bit on his index finger and thumb. I tried it, and what a difference. Much easier to put dubbing on that way than trying to wax up the thread. And use small amounts of dubbing at a time.

 

Tim

[purolohi kalastaja 0]

I just use the bow-string wax that I have for the string on my Hoyt. After reading this thread, I'm going to try the saliva wax method and see how that works for me.

[ILikeFish 0]

you could use my philosophy - "2 bucks? sure I'll get it" altough, I have a hunch thats why every time I need 5 dollars worth of materials at the fly shop, I end up with 60 dollars worth of stuff before I leave. oh well, the fly shop owner doesnt seem to mind