Waxing thread

[jbieg 0]

Hello all,

 

Read an article recently that said to wax ALL thread upon application to the hook, not just for dubbing. Maybe it's my own misinterpretation (and I have been applying all thread / knots dry) but is the wax that critical ? If so, why ?

 

Thanks as always for any / all replies.

[rockworm 0]

There are several reasons for waxing your thread. I think, originally, before the use of the vise a tyer would wax his thread to ensure it stayed in place. When you put pressure on wax, it softens (or even liquifies), but then quickly solidifies- essentially gluing the thread in place. This is handy when starting a jam knot, when tying off the head, and anytime in between to keep the thread from unravelling. We also use wax to help material, like dubbing, stick to our thread. Some argue that a well-waxed thread also resists rotting. Lastly, wax can be used to alter the appearance of the thread. Primrose (yellowish) silk is often rubbed with dark (cobbler's) wax to present a delicious olive colour.

 

I don't think wax is essential. But it certainly has its uses and benefits. I use it when tying patterns which call for its use. Such as Greenwell's Glory or any of the traditional North Country Spiders. I also use it whenever I want to reduce the number of thread wraps or avoid the use of head cement.

[Henrik Thomsen (DK) 0]

Wax is essential when using silk threads for strength and to avoid rotting.

Wax is good for help when dubbing, just not use too much, then your dubbing will be embedded in the wax and not fluffy

Wax is a good help when setting on wings made of quills, it hinders that the smooth synthetic threads slide on the material and layers below.

 

Wax is an essential tool along with a pair of scissors, the rest (Vise, Hackle plier, Twisters etc.) are just the little extra help needed.

 

For most flies however with the tying tools and thin synthetic thread we have today along with the many synthetic materials, wax is an obsolete tool...

 

I make my own wax, and cannot live without it, but that's not the same as saying that wax should be applied everywhere.

 

Try different techniques with and without a good wax applied to your threat and feel the difference. The best teacher is your senses...

 

Henrik

[phg 0]

To complicate things, many fly tying threads are already waxed, and don't require any additional wax.

 

It's all part of becoming a master of the art....

[flytire 0]

tyers preference

[FlaFly 0]

Out of curiosity, what do you use to make the wax? A lot of people make their own moustache wax, some paraffin based, and some beeswax base. Are you looking for a stiff wax, or a gooey wax? I've found a good source of gooey wax is the wax rings you can buy at big box stores that they use to seat toilets. (It's ok if it hasn't already been used for that purpose).

[FlaFly 0]

One more question... If you use wax on winding heads, doesn't it keep the Sally Hansen, or whatever, from sticking?

[rockworm 0]

One more question... If you use wax on winding heads, doesn't it keep the Sally Hansen, or whatever, from sticking?

Yup! It sure would. I apply beeswax to the last inch or two of thread just before whipping the head. The wax hardens and holds almost as good as SH. And it is considerably neater.

 

I use other waxes for dubbing, changing the colour of the silk, etc. They are blends of beeswax and rosin with other ingredients such as vegetable oil, lard, lanolin, pine tar, etc to give the wax special properties.

[wschmitt3 0]

That's a really good question jbieg. I had wondered about wax. I figured it wasn't a concern because most of the threads I use are prewaxed.

[BBBruce77 0]

I use a mixture of bees wax and pine pitch...... sorry can not find the recipe... I know I have it some where..... this part of getting old really sucks.

[Chase Creek 0]

Just to throw something in the mix - I always understood "pre-waxed" thread to mean it was waxed just enough to keep the thread fibers from unwinding, it isn't enough to do anything else, like dubbing. I use wax most of the time when using dubbing loops and touch dubbing. When making silk or thread dubbing brushes, it is required to keep the brush from unwinding. I also think waxed thread helps keep some materials from slipping on the hook. As flytire said, it's really a matter of preference (except for the brushes).

[s fontinalis 0]

here's how to make wax....vary the ratios to suit your needs. more rosin = tackier and harder

more beeswax less tacky, more oil, softer.

 

http://www.addictedtovise.com/2013/10/on-making-of-cobblers-wax.html

 

E

[Ty Flyer 0]

Welcome to the forum,

 

It's tiers preference, although there is a topic (Waxing Your Way To Success) in the Featured topic archive section in the fly tying bench. I mainly use wax when i start the thread on the hook, use dubbing, and when I finish the fly.

[Crackaig 0]

Most of the main reasons wax was used have already been mentioned. To prevent silk from rotting and to change its colour. There is another, To help grip whatever a blind hook is snelled to. That was either gut or horsehair. As we rarely use silk threads and blind hooks these days those reasons don't apply to most fly tying. The threads we use are available in many more colours than they were, and don't change colour in the same way silk threads do

 

The usual myth has also been proposed. That it helps stick dubbing to thread. Fine, there is one case where this is true. In touch dubbing it does. In other methods of dubbing the dubbing sticks to itself, not the thread. Dubbing is related to felt making, Wax isn't used in felt making, usually just water, perhaps with some soap added. A dubbing noodle is formed around the thread not stuck to it. Just because your thread runs through your bobbin holder tube doesn't mean that the two need be stuck together. In the same way thread runs through a dubbing noodle.

 

The only other place I've come across where wax is essential is in forming the relatively tiny heads on classic salmon flies. It is used to stop thread turns slipping.

 

Yes wax has its uses, it does not need to be blathered all over the place willy nilly.

 

Cheers,

C.

[SilverCreek 0]

I must be in the minority. I have not added wax to thread in the last 20 years of fly tying. The only time I would use wax is in touch dubbing which I have not done.

 

After I dub the thread, the lack of added wax allows me to slide the dubbing up the thread. I trap the tip of the dubbing with a couple of wraps and then I twist the dubbing noodle around the thread. Since the dubbing cannot unwind itself once the tip is trapped, you can control how tight the dubbing and therefore how smooth or rough the dubbing is by the degree of twists.

 

Adding wax to the tread makes it difficult to slide the dubbing noodle smoothly up the thread.