Fly Tying Wax
Martin,
I am assuming that you want this for waxing Pearsall's silk for tying spiders.
Be careful of Cobblers Wax as it has a high concentration of pitch in it which makes it too dark for some colours. The wax you should be looking for is almost a beer colour and it is difficult the get. Especially commercially. I make my own.
There are lots of recipes in the classics as it was used to stop the thread rotting.
James Leisenring (in his book "The art of tying the et fly and fishing the flymph" devoted a whole chapter to this topic. This is the recipe I have used>
Here it is:-
Chapter 3 - Wax
Waxes for fly tying are like hook - there are all kinds. The wax which I have found to be entirely satisfactory is made according to an old recipe of L. Harrington Keene's as follows:
Melt one half pound of the best white turpentine resin, add one ounce of pure white beeswax which should be paired off or chopped up into small pieces. Simmer for fifteen minutes, allowing it to melt and mix thoroughly with the resin. Now add one hal ounce of fresh lard and stir slowly while the mixture simmers just below the boiling point for another fifteen minutes. (Note: when stirring this simmering wax remember that it is extremely inflammable and therefore dangerous. The safest and best stirring implement is a stick about eighteen inches long and somewhat smaller in diameter than a lead pencil.) Pour this liquid into a basin of water. Do not touch it until it has had a chance to cool because your fingers will be badly burned. After it has cooled enough to permit handling, pull at it and work with it, as taffy pullers do with taffy, until it has a light colour and even texture. You will find it necessary to immerse it in warm water in order to make it pliable enough to work.
Remember that a batch of this wax will last for years, so make it right while you are making it. Roll it into pieces about the size of hickory nuts, wrap them in wax paper and store in a cool place.
When using this wax do not use a piece bigger than a BB shot because you will likely break the fly tying thread using it. Before waxing your thread, moisten your thumb and forefinger and work the piece of wax between them to soften it somewhat.
Drawing your thread against the wax between your fingers will give you a thread stiff enough to grip well against the hook, accepting the tension given and somehow sealing itself onto the hook, a most valuable aid to a fly's durability.
This wax on your thread will often leave a tiny speck of wax on the head of the fly after the whip finish is completed. This tight wrapping of the thread over itself and the pulling through necessitated by the whip finish causes this. I always remove this speck of wax with my dubbing needle with the satisfaction of knowing that, unlike the half hitches used by some, that whip finish is there to stay. And they do stay. THis is a perfect wax for tying durable wet flies"
Now there are many others and I have quite a few recipes.
__________________
"A traditional wet fly addict"
Uk representative and Instructor for Fly Fishing Masters - www.flyfishingmasters.co.uk
Distributor for Terenzio Silk and Artificial Silk Fly Lines - Pay distributor retail price.
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