do i need wax or is the answer between my ears?

[lee majors]

heya

i have just started on the enjoyable and expensive path of tying my own flies. I have been reading stuff on here and watching videos on youtube and the info is excellent. I want to start tying hares ears and some people say i need to use wax to coat my thread before tying in the dubbing and some say i do not need to. I guess after a bit of experimentation and time i will work it out for myself but in the meantime what are the reasons for and against using wax? cheers

lee

Lee it depends to some extent on the thread you use. but here's the thing... It wont do any harm if you wax a thread that dont need it!
So for a quid or so get a little block and give your thread a few rubs with it. As you get more experienced you can discern what needs it and what doesn't.

[fishyfranky]

Originally Posted by lee majors

do i need wax or is the answer between my ears?

It depends on how often you clean your ears, i.e. if you've never, then I dare say you'll dig out some nice chunks.

[guest21]

Originally Posted by lee majors

heya

i have just started on the enjoyable and expensive path of tying my own flies. I have been reading stuff on here and watching videos on youtube and the info is excellent. I want to start tying hares ears and some people say i need to use wax to coat my thread before tying in the dubbing and some say i do not need to. I guess after a bit of experimentation and time i will work it out for myself but in the meantime what are the reasons for and against using wax? cheers

lee

Some patterns, particularly traditional ones such as the Greenwells Glory require waxed (Cobblers Wax) silk to achieve the colour of the thread body.
Some threads come 'pre-waxed'.
I like to use a 'sticky' wax for dubbing bodies, particularly very sparse ones on spider patterns.

It very much depends upon what you're going to tie - if you're tying modern stillwater flies and lures I very much question the need for wax but having said that it very much comes down to personal preference and technique.

[Chris Reeves]

Wax.....Urrrgh Horrible sticky stuff, I have tied for years without using it for anything but I do always use pre waxed thread.

That said I'm beginning to change my ideas a bit, I sat next to Paul Little at the "Fly Only" tying weekend a while back and he uses loads of it. It is begining to dawn on me that there are times where a tiny bit of extra wax is actually useful. Especially for holding stuff in place with a single turn of thread.

I don't use it while dubbing as I don't like the dubbing to become clogged up and the sticky waxes tend to do just that if overused.

The secret for dubbing hares ear, mole and other short staple fur is in the preperation. Make sure you mash the hair up into a ball and then tease it out to form a mat where the fibres are interlocked. The long guard hairs will need to have been bent and crushed for this to happen. Once you have your mat, offer it to the silk and dub from the mat a small bit at a time

I find it helps to wet my fingers and then dry them immediately before starting the process. This leaves the tiniest trace of moisture on your fingers and allows better grip while spinning. Make sure they are properly dry though or the material will stick to you not the thread.

If you find that wax helps then by all means use it, There are no wrong ways to ties flies. I'd be interested to know how you get on.

Cheers

[stevekale]

I use BT dubbing wax. You don't apply it to your thread. You use a miniscule amount (simply press your forefinger gently on top of the wax tube and then press finger into thumb - if you can see wax on your finger then you've collected too much) on freshly washed hands to help grip dubbing so that when you slide finger across thumb you can more readily create a dubbing "noodle". Dirty hands or dirty wax will just discolour your dubbing.

[BRUCE1]

i use pure beeswax ........

[dwiltshire]

I don't believe there is a hard or fast rule or indeed a correct answer. Soft, very tacky wax does not have many applications with my tying - although now and again it can be useful. Many will find it useful.

I do like using less tacky, harder was for certain options: tying with pearsalls especially and it also works well on finer threads such as powersilk and Sheer (my favourites!). This can help when touch dubbing, but just waxed thread alone can make a nice contrast for a rib.

I would suggest you learn to dub without wax though initially - noodling the dubbing around the thread or using a plit thread are often more productive methods.

Experiment and find what suits you. As with many materials, less is more

Cheers,

[allthingsolive]

The first thing Paul Little did at the Lakeland Fly Dressers classes was to give everyone a piece of wax. Which proved very helpful when tying hairwing pattens and keeping the tread build up to a minimum.

David.