wire for flies

[pnptrapp 0]

Has anyone used jewelry craft wire to tie flies with? If yes is there any difference between buying it at the craft store and buying it at the fly shop?

[utyer 0]

Craft wire is thicker than a lot of ribbing wire. Other than that, its no different. What you want is 28 to 38 gauge wire. My wire is all 38 gauge. A good source is the old ribbon cables that were used to connect hard drives to computer motherboards. Computers no longer use these ribbon cables, so they could be found in computer repair shops at a reasonable price. Old coaxial TV cable is shielded with a very fine silvered wire. You would have to unravel the woven wire, but there is a lot of it in a yard of coax. Speaker wire is also a good source. Most of the time you will only need 6 to 8 inch pieces for a fly.

[Crackaig 0]

Yes, and yes there is. Its a lot cheaper, and available in more colours and sizes.

 

By cheaper I mean UTC here is £2:30 for a 10 yard spool. Craft wire £0.90 for a 100 yard spool. Ten times as much for less than half price. Look up Tiger Tail Wire on ebay. Its probably the same stuff.

 

My one frustration is that I haven't been able to get any yellow (not gold). Even the UTC yellow has an green olive tinge to it. There is a company here that will make it for me, but the minimum order is 50kg. Much more than I'll ever be able to use.

 

Cheers,

C.

[spm 0]

Seems like every year, I have one string of Christmas lights that don't work. I save the string and strip the wire out. I must have several years worth of wire.

 

spm

[tidewaterfly 0]

You can get copper wire from many sources as the others have said. I salvage as much as I can find from old appliances & such when they no longer work & are cheaper to replace than repair.

 

I've purchased wire in various sizes & colors from places like Joann Fabrics & Michaels Arts & Crafts. Same wire, less costly.

[pnptrapp 0]

Thanks!

[RCFetter 0]

There is a thread with a chart showing what gauge corresponds to wire size for tying.

 

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28 Guage => .0126" => Medium Size => Waspi
30 Guage => .010" => Brassie Size => Waspi
33 Guage => .00708" => Ultra Small Size => Waspi
38 Guage => .00397" => X-Small Size => Waspi

Most of the colored copper wire in craft stores is 28 Gauge. Other sizes are available on line if you search.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Link to the thread:

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=58418