Hi,

Cobbler's wax is dark, like dark chocolate. When you wax thread with it, like Pearsall's Primrose, it changes the colour to something you can't buy. Also, it's hard, like rock candy, and you have to warm it between your fingers to soften it in order to wax the thread. Once you've waxed your thread and tied off, it will, presumably, return to hard and acts like a glue to help hold the fly together.

For myself, I don't have an attachment to my vice in order to lay out some thread to form a dubbing loop. I use a bit of wax so I can place dubbing fur along the thread without having to twist it on, as this way when I spin the loop the result is spikier. Again, the wax helps to bind the dubbing to the thread a bit better.

Wax is not required, and there are draw backs. On hot days, apparently, some people claim the wax melts from their flies making a mess. Others seem to think it's cheating, or something like that, but I'm not sure what the compeition is in which one is cheating?

I often don't bother waxing, but I have at times found that it can be useful, either for colour or to assist me in making a dubbing loop. Also, I have found it seem to secure the whip finish a bit better than no wax, so if I don't want to apply cement I'll sometimes use a bit of wax instead. I've not considered the dust factor, but then, I'm typically using it on wet flies anyway.

- Jeff