Is very fine wire as buoyant as thread…e.g. if you tied a dubbing loop with thread…6/0 or 8/0…or used a very fine wire…would the fly float as well with the wire?
Gut response - no the fly would not float as well with wire.
my mind says…thread would float better
What you are describing is a difficult thing to do, although not impossible. If you wish to use use wire for a tougher fly, get yourself a dubbing twister to make dubbing brushes. I would think this would be easier, and you could make up several ahead then just tie them in and wind them forward. Jim Smith from FAOL had his featured in the last issue of FLy Tyer magazine with details and parts list for anyone to make one.
Joe
tie one of each, drop it in a bowl of water and post the results of your experiment. we’d all like to know. 
Joe…exactly why I asked the question…I have Jim’s twister…[and made one of my own]…and I really like those brushes…I have found wire that is so fine that I’m thinking it doesn’t weigh anymore than some threads…hence my question…of coarse as said the gut feeling is …wire doesn’t float…I guess I don’t want to waste my time and tie someting that won’t float…and when you think about it a hook is nothing but wire…
C’mon Norm, I’m trying to save myself time and energy and draw on this vast pool of knowledge we call “FAOL”. 8)
Well wire may not float but the dubbing may have enough buoyancy to overcome the weight of the wire.
I KNOW that wire of even the finest diameter is heavier than tying thread of the same diameter and thread will accept grease or floatant and wire will not so thread SHOULD float better and LONGER.
But…
…just like a wire HOOK will float when dubbed with buoyant materials; a dubbed wire “brush” will float too…
…just not as good for as long as a dubbing loop made of just tying thread.
For the same reason a 3X fine hooks floats a dry fly better than a 2x heavy…
…weight!
Sure buoyancy has a LOT to do with other factors but all things being equal; the lighter fly will have less tendency to break the surface film and absorb less water ultimately resulting in a longer floating fly.
Metals are denser than nylon or cotton fibers. However! The thread also soaks up water. Plus, we don’t know the actual density/diameter of the wire or the thread. So there is no way to answer your question based on the information provided.
Using very fine wire (I have some much finer than 8/0) would not cause the fly to float any less. Besides, most people use some type of floatant.
Why use a dubbing loop on a dry fly?
Deezel
“Why use a dubbing loop on a dry fly?”
An excellent question…and I may be just blowin smoke…but I’m thinking that for some of the big dry fly stonefly patterns some of the stuff I’ve made dubbing brushes out of would make great bodies…yes, I could do a regular thread dubbing loop …
And of course, SM is the master of the obvious 8)
Actually, I’m getting more input than I thought from a rather stupid question…but sometimes you gotta go outside the box :shock:
then again reflectin on my last post thread soaks up water! and wire doesnt
There is a difference between “weight” and " specific gravity". The specific gravity of wire no matter how thin is greater than that of the volume of water it displaces. Wire with no boyancy assist will sink.
Mark
PS: I learnt that in hyskool
You young pups…I had to “weight” till coll-ledge…so now we have to employ “countermeasures”…I just watched Red Crimson so I know about them…would you suggest foam or Albolene???
O my god …I’m beginning to sound like Doug :lol: :lol: :lol:
I guess my intentional mis-pelling of words to try and be clever and funny, cute, original, different, 1 of a kind, smart alecky, can’t someone help me find a girlfriend? (@ 2 YRS!) 
:lol: Has BACKFIRED!
Has anyone seen or heard from Jack Hise??? I MISS HIM!!! His arms are probably cramping from reeling in so many fish. :shock:
Ducksterman, I know what town you live in, you better watch it!! :lol: :lol:
Doug
Marco. you never done the trick of placing a needle on a peice of tissue and resting it on water?? metal can float without outside assistance, surface tension will hold light wire
You are right Garic. I have a very thin copper wire I use for dubbing brushes. I just took a piece off and put it in a bowl of water. It Floats. I will attempt to post a photo shortly.
It appears Photobucket is doing a maintenance. I will try to post the picture later.
Not quite sure why this is really a concern one way or another. Very rarely are dry flies floated by the dubbing in the abdomen anyway. What matters is what else is used for flotation. Both the Elk Hair Caddis and the Stimulator use wire ribs and you wouldn’t really be adding that much more wire with a dubbing brush. An elk or deer hair wing will float almost anything for a reasonable amount of time. Of course, if you are trying to achieve the lightest fly possible, then wire wouldn’t be the greatest idea, but getting it to float is really no trouble at all.
Gentlemen,
Surface tension in a teacup is one thing. In a bubbly stream, it’s a totally nuther thing. Try floating that needle in a fast moving stream and then get back to me with the photos.
Mark
OH BOY! This is like watching Mr. Wizard on WNBQ-TV, Chicago!!! :lol: