FLYMPH FORUM

William asked "why wax the thread". Back when I was learning to tie flies the standard equipment was a Thompson vise, a spool of thread, a bodkin made of a sewing needle poked into a small cork and a snappy clothes pin. The clothes pin was to keep weight on the end of the tying thread. Tyers were also encouraged to do half hitches between tying steps, i.e., tying on the tail, finishing the body... wings.... etc.

I suspect the reason for wax was to give extra "grip" at the individual stages and to keep the fly from having loose threads and unraveling at inopportune moments.

We did have small pieces of beeswax to wax the threads in the "dark ages" of tying. The new waxes grab way better than the beeswax. Shame the regular tiers didn't know about Cobblers wax and the 721/722 series of wax.

That's why I often wax the thread. The purpose is for durability of the fly and and for making a tight grip on materials. Plus if the thread breaks, a well waxed thread won't unravel much and makes recovery much easier. It could be possible that this was helpful when no vises were being used. I'll use the dark cobblers wax for changing color slightly. I also have a couple patterns that I'll wax and burnish the thread body to make glossy surface.

I don't always wax but, when I do. .

Sorry don't know where I'm going with that one.
But I usually use the 722 for most of my tying needs. And cobblers for the obvious reason. I remember being told that wax holds the color of the silk so it didn't darken as much when wet. I've found some truth to that when I did some experimental work with some skues patterns.

Bill, my question in response to your comments on the historic patterns was nothing to do with why one would wax their thread. Use of wax seems clear enough. My comment was, why wax pale yellow silk with cobblers wax to arrive at an olive tone or tanish tone when olive or tan or gray silks were actually available. It's a color alteration that is so historically based (olives, Greenwells Glory, etc) that I wonder how that came about. If a smokey, tan was the desired color, why not use the closer color silk and regular wax? Not that there is any reason to do it any differently. It just seems similar to dying a white hen cape to a dun color, when there are dun capes on the rack (or in the farmer's yard, as the case might have been.)

Just a passing wonder.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. And now I'm sorry to have made the correction, you've got a nice thread going here...Sorry to interrupt.

For what it's worth, since I've been pre spinning bodies I seem to have several small balls of various waxes around, or in a pile. I have stayed using it more often for fly durability where before I have always thought of it as only a dubbing aid. Of all things, I have a serious wax collection.

William Anderson wrote:Bill, my question in response to your comments on the historic patterns was nothing to do with why one would wax their thread. Use of wax seems clear enough. My comment was, why wax pale yellow silk with cobblers wax to arrive at an olive tone or tanish tone when olive or tan or gray silks were actually available. It's a color alteration that is so historically based (olives, Greenwells Glory, etc) that I wonder how that came about. If a smokey, tan was the desired color, why not use the closer color silk and regular wax? Not that there is any reason to do it any differently. It just seems similar to dying a white hen cape to a dun color, when there are dun capes on the rack (or in the farmer's yard, as the case might have been.)

Just a passing wonder.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. And now I'm sorry to have made the correction, you've got a nice thread going here...Sorry to interrupt.

For what it's worth, since I've been pre spinning bodies I seem to have several small balls of various waxes around, or in a pile. I have stayed using it more often for fly durability where before I have always thought of it as only a dubbing aid. Of all things, I have a serious wax collection.

Wm,

I've had that same question on thread colors myself. I would think that if someone did the "dunk test" to a thread colored properly for the Greenwells Glory and a primrose thread waxed to the Greenwells Glory color it would have different characteristics wet. I'm thinking the waxed thread would have air bubbles or some other sheen to it.

I have questions on wax also since I have 4 or 5 different types of wax.

Bill