??? for REE

[Betty Hiner]

Love the little spiders (Baillie's) but have question on the silk. What wax do you use and how does it change the silk color?? I got the Veniard's tyers wax, but all it does on the silk is look waxy. What am I doing wrong? Yes, I know I can use black thread or olive thread, but silk is what it's traditionally supposed to be. Help??

[kglissmeyer]

Betty, first gills and now spiders. What are we all to think? Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Best of the best dear lady.

Kelly.

[Betty Hiner]

Nooooooooo! Spiders are TROUTS flies! You know, Clyde style ... North Country ... English ... this is a real ghillie fly!


<gawd those bluegills were fun!!>

[rainbowchaser]

Bluegills love spiders. Hand a soft hackle off the back of your rubber leg spider. You don't need the expensive silk bodies either.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Betty,

To get the brown (should be a chocolate {yummmm} color to start with) silk to turn almost black you should be using something like a cobblers wax or even a Keane wax. I have a bit extra of each (imagine that) that I would be happy to send your way if you PM your snail mail addy.

The same waxes used on primrose yellow silk (for the red and dun spiders) will turn the silk a nice translucent olive with the Keane Wax and a very nice olive grey with the Cobbler's wax (also the correct color for a Greenwell's Spider and Greenwell's Glory). Once you start to apply the wax to the thread don't stop part way as the silk will break when you restart. This stuff is sticky.

REE

[narcodog]

Ron didn't tell you this but you are headed down a slippery slope when it comes to waxes. Some will tell you not worry about waxing silk but it opens up a whole new world for you. I have ten different waxes on my desk and I am always looking for more.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Narco! Ssssshhhhhhh!! I've almost got her hooked.

REE

[JeffHamm]

Hi Betty,

The cobbler's wax for the Greenwell's and Black Spider is really dark, it looks sort of like dark chocolate. It's quite hard, and you have to warm it up, either between your fingers, or under a warm coffee mug, so it's soft enough not to just fray the silk. You get a colour shift, and the wax hardens and sort of works like head cement. The purpose of waxing the silk (apart from making it less slippery on the hook) is, I think, for the colouring and for durability. I think you can still get the cobbler's wax at music shops that sell bag-pipes. I read somewhere, probably here, that bag pipers use the same kind of wax. Apparently there are two kinds though, and one kind has something in it that doesn't work so well? Can't recall though? Anyone know what I'm talking about ('cause I'm not so sure I do! )

- Jeff

[quivira kid]

Rainbowchaser, that'd be a spider-spider rig wouldn't it?

Betty, spiders under an indicator during a summer evening will catch gills! (Also catch em all day long in the creek in Wichita!)

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Found this formula for "cobbler's wax" on a bagpipe forum. Have never tried it, but this would be the good one; uses "lamp black" rather than the one that uses "tar".

2 Parts violin rosin
1 Part beeswax
1/8 by volume almond or olive oil

Melt wax and rosin together in a double boiler adding oil, a drop at a time as needed. Lamp black used to be added for color, since it was used on shoes, originally.
Lamp black can be collected by suspending a piece of glass a little above a kerosene lamp. You then collect the soot from the glass. It doesn't take much.

Sounds like it should work.

- Jeff