button hole twist

[Tom Smithwick]

Hi Ron - If it is the rusty orange it appears to be, I think I have a spool of the stuff, also some bright orange. Send me a PM with your address, and I will send you a couple samples. If one of them does match, I will send you the spool. I likely haven't used the stuff in 20 years. I have had good fishing with the olive and red serendipities, however. Probably just me...

[NedZeppelin]

So, is there any consensus on a particular brand, size and starter set of colors for a selection of buttonhole twist to serve the needs of this newbie flymph tier? If not, I will continue the journey, just thought this august body might have some recommendations to pass on.

[dj1212]

If you're not dead set on silk you might try DMC embroidery floss. It comes in many colors and is not that expensive. Also easy to seperate into smaller strands. Just a suggestion.

[Old Hat]

Embroidery Floss would be good. Also rod winding thread.

[ronr]

this fly continues to produce for me.I've finally given up trying to get it just like the commercial one, and tying it with a variety of orange threads. Getting the segmentation right is the hard part, but the color of the threads Im using seems to produce just fine. Getting the size 18 hackle right is the really hardest part.

[NedZeppelin]

Thanks, I have a full selection of DMC embroidery thread thanks to Midge Magic, a cool book.

https://books.google.com/books/about/Mi ... ead_button

[joaniebo]

floss.jpeg
Hi Ronr
The top spool is Pearsalls, the others are Belding Corticelli. None of them are all that easy to separate without getting a bunch of fuzz. I would also be inclined to find some #50 or #60 thread. Just curious though, are you sure the commercial fly is silk? the body of the fly does look a lot like the body of a serendipity pattern which was popular a while back. They were tied with Antron yarn, which could be separated into smaller bunches pretty easily for smaller flies.

Tom

No doubt you're aware that YLI makes both YLI 100 and YLI 50 silks in mucho colors...just a reminder.

Bob

[Theroe]

I've been trying to work out the body material on a commercial soft hackle. I've identified the color, but can't find the thread. It is a silk, its not gossamer pearsall's, it appeared to be button hole twist. I took a chance and ordered some button hole twist silk from Superior threads, but it was too large diameter...
Question is: are there button hole twists of various diameters? Who makes them, and who has colors similar to Pearsall's?

The image is the commercial fly..size 18...

That looks too big to be buttonhole twist -maybe it is Naples? I will check tonight, I have a couple of colors very close to that, which look similar if my memory is correct.
Dana