dubbing wax

[mancfly]

Barbour Thornproof Dressing makes a great dubbing wax. Very tacky, just a smear on to the tying thread with a needle and its like the proverbial s**t to a blanket!

[BRUCE1]

for a tacky wax ...
try a pritt stick the non sticky ,sticky stuff

[boony]

[QUOTE=stevekale;662226]Err that would colour them the wrong colour.

Not IMHO. Look at Davie Mcphail's videos. HIs wax is filthy but doesnt dirty the thread just gives it a nice colour.

Anyway wach to there own

John.

[guest21]

Depends what material you're dubbing with and the effect you're trying to achieve. I use anything from no wax, through bees wax, cobbler's wax to the tubes of 'tacky' wax - horses for courses.

[neilb]

thanks for the replies..i find when using the soft underfur on a hares mask for the segmented body of emergers, bwo nymphs ets touch dubbing with waxed thread gives a better effect..will try heating it between my thumbs and see how that goes

[strikealight]

I use the standard Veniards wax either to seal threads / silks from the water to preserve their original colour, or more rarely to give just a little extra "tack" when I am having trouble making a dubbing noodle from coarse materials. I find that if you pull the thread through quickly and smartly, the speed of the thread running over the wax creates enough friction to cause it to melt, and you get a decent coating. Try running the piece of wax quickly back and forth up and down the thread for shorter lengths - this should get the friction heat levels up. However, people viewing you from behind will wonder what on earth you are doing!!

I use the tacky Veniards stuff in the pritt-stick-type tube for very delicate dubs, such as those very fine, whispy mole hair dubs on a Waterhen Bloah where you just want to touch tiny amounts of the fur onto the back of the thread and to have it stick there, rather than rolling it on in a noodle.

For the sake of completeness, I also use dark / virtually black cobbler's wax on yellow Pearsalls silk to get that classic olive colour for Greenwell Glory patterns and the like. I apply it until the thread is virtually black and then rub it down with a bit of kitchen roll until the colour its right.

[steveparton]

As a commercial thread supplier -

We always lightly wax all modern threads because if you don't you will find that the thread tends to pull down into the bobbin at times and jam subsequently - occasionally causing the punter to scrap half a spool and creating much annoyance !!

Apart from which - wax is the classic thread lubricant throughout the Rag Trade ( when we still had one ) except in that Trade White Paraffin Wax was the commonest .

Rectified ( cleaned of all detritus ) beeswax and its variations are universally useful - don't forget that the speed with which you pull your thread through the stuff - if fast enough - generates sufficient heat to physically melt the wax onto the thread !

Me , naturally I have my own blend suitable for one and all and especially high speed machine winding onto bobbins - oddly it even contains pure tallow which I get from the local Cathedral - ( candle ends ) - yes , mine has been repeatedly blessed if nothing else - ( and may be singularly unsuitable for followers of the prophet !! )

It is available down ebay very cheaply and is probably no better than anybody else's ! But it works fine for me and has for over 30 years !

Best wishes

Steve Parton .