FLYMPH FORUM

Thanks, all -- it was a lot of fun, and the smoke wasn't as bad as it appeared in the photo. More of a haze, really -- but i was still glad the wife wasn't home!

Chris - I am positive folks will want to refer back to this thread in the future, so I have added a link in our reference section. Thank you for such a great contribution.

http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... 065#p25065

Not to poach or hi-jack the thread, but has anyone ever tried using the wax rind often found on cheeses? Comes in a variety of colours, normally a waste product, can be soften and moulded- yet reverts to a hard wax if left alone at room temperatures.

On the subject of lard, I would say your substitute does just fine. You might ask a local butcher or at the butchery counter of your supermarket to see if they have or can get suet fat. Suet is the fat from the inside gut cavity of a sheep, or pig normally and is found around the spine where the kidneys sit. This stuff is unlike body fat contained in meat products and you can grate it with a cheese grater before adding it to your resin/wax mix.
It used to be an important ingredient in soap making. Tallow is more popular now. When I was a wee nipper, you used to be able to buy suit in pound blocks wrapped in greaseproof paper.... have not seen it on supermarket shelves for years.

In Eric Taverners book "Fly Tying for Trout" he lists a wax recipe of "McClelland's Wax" which is nothing more than equal parts of amber resin and turpentine, placed into empty metal tubes meant for oil paints. Messy and sticky on fingers so he suggests filling another tube with straight turpentine to clean the fingers.
T.R. Henn, "Practical Fly-Tying" suggests: Simmer for 10 minutes 2 oz resin and 1/4 oz beeswax. Add 1/4 oz tallo, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into a basin of cold water, and work until it is pliable.
He then adds: This is from Francis Francis's "A Book of Angling".
Simmer for 10 minutes 2 oz light coloured resin and 1 drachm bleached beeswax. Add 1/4 oz white pomatum; then simmer for a further 15 minutes. Pour into cold water and work with the hands.
This produces a colourless wax.

MM,

Not hijacking at all -- very interesting stuff. Suet is available here -- it's most commonly used, I'm told, for bird feeders for winter.

And great wax recipes. I purchased all that rosin because I want to experiment my way through a number of wax recipes (without, hopefully, burning my house down); I'll add these to the list!

I have to add that I had to look up 'drachm' (more commonly known here in the states as 'dram' or 1/16 ounce / 1.772 grams as a unit of mass or 1/8 oz / 3.697ml as a unit of volume. I wonder which Francis Francis meant?) as well as 'pomatum' (more commonly known here as 'pomade' - aka hair styling goop).

Fun stuff!

c

I am guessing he would be more akin to using the dram in weight rather than volume. I think at the time balance scales would be more readily available than calibrated volume measures to the average fly dresser?
Pomatum refers to the "cold cream" of the day, a skin or face cream. Best recipe for the stuff I can find is mixing 25lb of Pigs lard with 8lb of Mutton suet. At a 1/4 oz per mix, that blend should last you a while!

Further to the "lard" question, I have seen references to recipe's that are much the same resin and wax quantities with the "lard" content replaced by plain Olive oil and even Castor oil, I just cannot for the life of me remember which book it is in, nor the exact amount recommended.

I recall reading somewhere -- I can't currently find the reference -- that the Dettes switched from lard to Crisco, so I figured it would be okay (it was an aside, rather than part of a larger section on tying wax, if I remember correctly). And Marvin Nolte's article on FAOL, which is *extremely* useful, is where I found the reference to castor oil. His 721C (in which the 'C' represents castor oil), is a very good general purpose tying wax, and the first wax I made some months ago.

c

cassady wrote:I recall reading somewhere -- I can't currently find the reference -- that the Dettes switched from lard to Crisco, so I figured it would be okay (it was an aside, rather than part of a larger section on tying wax, if I remember correctly). And Marvin Nolte's article on FAOL, which is *extremely* useful, is where I found the reference to castor oil. His 721C (in which the 'C' represents castor oil), is a very good general purpose tying wax, and the first wax I made some months ago.

c

Mary and Joe both told me they use Crisco now instead of lard.

I really eagerly read this story. What a fascinating story. The photos just gave it that wow factor. Tremendous work! Your story had all the elements to be a true blue ribbon WINNER.

Cassady,
I agree, this is one of the best posts ever. Entertaining and educational. Amazing what a difference the photos make.
You say you are planning to mix other recipes. This one is Leisenring's, and although he says it is from Keene, Keene's proportions are different. Is that on your list to try?