What are the differences between fly tying thread and the threads you buy at the sewing store?
Threads
What are the differences between fly tying thread and the threads you buy at the sewing store?
Most fly tying thread are waxed aren't they?
Plus choice of diameter.
But, I imagine you don't need wax and diameter wouldn't really matter to tie flies. The old English didn't use thread....just wire
dont drink the koolaid about cotton thread rotting. nobody has done a scientific study to verify how long it takes to deteriorate and rot.
sewing threads come in polyester, nylon, polypropolene, kevlar, nomex and even deniers just like tying thread
Last edited by Normand; 11-25-2009 at 02:47 PM.
Cotton thread DOES rot...but most probably not before a fisherman has lost it in a bush or had a bass tear it to shreds in the case of a fly.Originally Posted by Normand
Poly and nylon are just that. And if your talking about the same "denier" in both..then the basic difference is the size of the spools!
i never said it DIDNT rot!
I said "dont drink the koolaid about cotton thread rotting. nobody has done a scientific study to verify how long it takes to deteriorate and rot."
whenever folks talk about cotton thread they always say that it will rot but can never come up with any evidence on how long it takes to rot. thats what i'm saying.
my tshirts are 100% cotton and have gone through a number of wet and dry cycles and they are still in perfect shape and no rot.
just tell us how long it takes to rot. 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year etc etc etc.
Last edited by Normand; 11-25-2009 at 04:25 PM.
Just about every natural fibers will break over time. One thing to note is if you add any kind of head cement, the breakdown time should, in theory, take much longer, at least on the head yes, but that's generally the most exposed part. I always thought that cotton thread would break down as well, but Norm's t-shirt analogy makes you wonder why we don't use cotton thread at the vise at all.
I think the main thing most tyers are concerned with is size (diameter/denier/strength etc)of the thread and the size of the spool versus what the actual thread is made of. If those larger sewing machine sized spools wont fit your bobbins, the thread could free and we still wouldn't use it.
No one really cares if it's Kevlar, gel-spun, polyester or nylon. Tyers want the strongest thread in the thinnest diameter or the flattest thread.
No rotten cotton....
....yet and it's been about six years since i've tied and not lost a few of the remaining leech patterns i tied one day and they've been used a lot not to mention slimed by many trout, lmb, smb, gill, crappie and a few yellow perch.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
A fly tying thread is usually found on the Fly Tying Forum. The threads you find at the sewing store are most likely at JoAnn Fabric and places like that.
The fish are always right.
That wasnt a reply aimed back at you...just the opposite. It does rot as you state but how long does it take. As I stated it takes a long time. Only cotten things Ive ever seen that were totally shot were close to 60 years old at the time.
I have some of my dads army uniforms from WWII in the pacific that will tear as easily as tissue paper..but geeze...they're 65 years old...
Cotten Army tarps made PRIOR to WWII...rotten as dead tree bark...but they are probably..??...close to almost 80 years old.
And the next time you want to fly off the handle..at least quote the total statement..."Cotton thread DOES rot...but most probably not before a fisherman has lost it in a bush or had a bass tear it to shreds in the case of a fly."
Last edited by Sully; 11-25-2009 at 07:57 PM.
Just like with rod-wrapping thread, suppliers have chosen threads that meet requirements for consistency of color, diameter, twist, fiber length, strength, smoothness, etc that professional tiers have asked for. Also, the spools that fly tying thread typically come on are sized to fit the bobbins that we use (not necessary, in a pinch). From what I've seen in sewing notions shops, I'd have to put a lot of effort into picking out threads that would work as well as tying threads, and their prices wouldn't be cheap enough to pay me for my time. Rotting would be the least of my concerns in picking thread. Bottom line is that I just don't think it's worth the trouble, when consistently high quality thread is as close as my local fly shop or online, but there's no reason you couldn't tie with other threads, especially if you were looking for unusual characteristics for a particular pattern, or if you just needed some thread quickly and no fly shop was immediately available.
-CC
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