Search found 100 matches

by paparex
Fri Jan 26, 2024 5:54 pm
Forum: Tying Wingless Wets
Topic: Silk Color
Replies: 7
Views: 1561

Silk Color

When using a spinning block what "rule of thumb"dictates what silk color to use?


Rex
by paparex
Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:06 pm
Forum: Fly Dressings - Wingless Wets
Topic: Woodcock and Orange
Replies: 12
Views: 2246

Re: Woodcock and Orange

I thought that one of the objectives to using silk was the opaqueness of the material when wet. When I've tried to put hard as nails, crazy glue or epoxy on the body of the fly it the color was fixed, darker than I had planned and not worth the expense of the silk. Tying thread is just as good as si...
by paparex
Sat Apr 16, 2022 12:50 pm
Forum: Soft Hackle Materials
Topic: Tying Wax
Replies: 32
Views: 9903

Re: Tying Wax

He use{d} a “sunshine oil” (which might have been an oil for miners head lamps. The book is being shipped to me, in print, from an online seller (Abes Books). So I ask. What is sunshine oil ? The best internet search suggests Sunshine Oil is a brand name for cottonseed oil. It was used in miners la...
by paparex
Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:20 pm
Forum: Soft Hackle Materials
Topic: Tying Wax
Replies: 32
Views: 9903

Re: Tying Wax

A number of years ago a fellow tyer showed me SortKwik. This is an item they use at banks and the Post Office to make sorting papers very easy and quick. It comes in a container that has a pad on the back so it does not wander around my tying bench. I just touch it with my fingers and dubbing goes ...
by paparex
Wed Mar 30, 2022 12:13 pm
Forum: Fly Dressings - Wingless Wets
Topic: "Almost" All North Country Flies
Replies: 4
Views: 1648

"Almost" All North Country Flies

I know there is/has been some discord about certain opinions regarding the history and mechanics of fly tying and fly tyers of North Country Flies. Tyers on both side of the Atlantic often have opposing thoughts and styles to express those views. I take no sides of the discussion. And I am not wishi...
by paparex
Fri Mar 25, 2022 1:50 pm
Forum: Soft Hackle Materials
Topic: Tying Wax
Replies: 32
Views: 9903

Re: Tying Wax

The great enemy of waxes that contain any kind of oil is oxidation. Factors that lead to oxidation are moisture, air or even light. Does this mean storage in water is a no-no? My Baileys wax certainly was pliable after I cut a piece off and hand rolled it. No extra heat needed so no water. I apprec...
by paparex
Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:33 pm
Forum: Soft Hackle Materials
Topic: Tying Wax
Replies: 32
Views: 9903

Re: Tying Wax

The Baileys is in the tin.

I used warm water and both warmed up, became pliable. Stored them in air tight containers. I'll continue to evaluate my skills to learn new things.
by paparex
Thu Mar 24, 2022 12:41 pm
Forum: Soft Hackle Materials
Topic: Tying Wax
Replies: 32
Views: 9903

Re: Tying Wax

Considering the age of the wax is 4-5 years, is there a particular way to warm the wax if storing it in water is my chosen style? Do I warm it in hot water, in an indirect water bath, direct heat, in my armpit? I have tried the "holding the wax in my hand to soften it" but have never found...
by paparex
Thu Mar 24, 2022 4:34 am
Forum: Soft Hackle Materials
Topic: Tying Wax
Replies: 32
Views: 9903

Tying Wax

I have two (2) different tying waxes. That is, Bailey's and the type Jim Slattery sells. Each is as hard as a frozen hockey puck.

How do I work with the waxes to regain the pliability and stick?
How do I store the waxes?

Thanks!

Rex
by paparex
Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:14 pm
Forum: Tying Wingless Wets
Topic: 18th/19th Century Hook Sizes
Replies: 6
Views: 3232

Re: 18th/19th Century Hook Sizes

Thanks for the information. Just a bit of a history buff, fly tying is no exception. I have not heard of this system of hook sizing I was attracted by the title. Catechism of Fly Making Angling and Dyeing https://archive.org/details/wblackersartofan00blac/page/28/mode/2up by William Blacker (1843 ed...