I just signed up but I have been enjoying your website for a while now. It is great. I look forward to getting some terrific information here.
My question is that after hearing about using Thompson’s Water Seal to waterproof dry flies for some time now, I finally tried it and dipped a couple of my newly tied flies in it a few days ago. They are still quite wet and oily and have been stuck in some Styrofoam in the open air ever since then. Do they dry out eventually or do they remain wet and oily? Will they leave a slick on the water if they don’t dry? The colors of the body materials have also turned very dark. Did I mess up? I need help!
Thanks,
Joe
Joe,
Simply want to welcome you to the site and just responding so you don’t feel ignored. However, while sometimes I may respond to questions with my $0.02, I’ll have to pass on this question because I have no experience with that product.What does the container say is the normal drying time?
Allan
Allan,
Thanks for the welcome!
The can says about 48 hours to 45 days depending on the surface, but I think they meant if you applied it to wood or concrete, not peacock herl or poly dubbing. The Thompson people must not be fly tyers!
Joe
Paraffin is the wax in it and it also has wetting agents. I have read about tyers using it for a long time (it is mentioned in the Tying Tips here).
A couple of questions:
Which Thompson Water Seal product?
How old is the one you used?
Did you stir before use?
I don’t use Thompsons but if I did I would use:
Thompson’s? Water Seal? Sport Seal? Leather & Fabric Protector
It seems to be better suited for the type of materials used in fly tying and claims to waterproof and protect, “without leaving surfaces discolored, stiff or sticky.”
Joe
The Clear Multi Surface Waterproofer. It was less than a week old (or I bought it less than a week before) and I shook it pretty well before using it. It hasn’t left the surfaces “stiff or sticky”, just greasy and wet. However, my Royal Trude is now an Oily Black Trude. Interesting, but not what I tied it to be.
I forgot to mention that the white calf hair wing is still perfectly white, it’s just the peacock and floss are now black.
Ouch, I would not used that product (Clear Multi Surface Waterproofer) on flies!
It is solvent based and not for use on certain materials, like fabric.
Try one of the waterbased products that is OK on fabrics next time.
Joe
[This message has been edited by flyfisherjoe (edited 27 June 2005).]
Better yet…Buy some “Water Shed” it’s first of all,Made for Flies,Dries in 24hrs,Is Permanent,Only takes a few drops per Fly.
This stuff when applied to a small piece of toilet paper and allowed to dry…will float forever when tossed in a bowl/glass of water.
seen this at the fly shop I bought it at…and is the very thing that sold me on it…
“I’ve often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before” A.K.Best
“Wish ya great fishing”
Bill
Joe,
With so many good dry fly floatants around, I would go to my local fly shop and ask what they recommend. You can get a season’s supply in a nice applicator for less than six bucks. Try it—you’ll like it. You may be a little old man with gray hair before that Thompson’s drys. 
8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
I kind of agree with Nicholas Gaitt and George Emanuel in the “Tying Tips” section in their articles about treating flies at the bench instead of on the stream. I’ve tried WaterShed and Hydrostop and wasn’t too thrilled about how long they lasted, or didn’t last. I thought I’d try something else that I’d heard about that was supposed to last much longer. My mistake.
Many thanks for all your help. I really appreciate your answers.
Joe
Joe,
One of the items mentioned here some time ago was good old Rain-X, the stuff for windshields. I wet my flies in it if I have a day before fishing them. They float like corks after a proper drying. Just a quick dip into the Rain-X and hang them up to dry. Works well for me.
Ron Eagle Elk
I’ve heard of using Rain-X and was probably going to try that on a couple next. Is there more than one kind of Rain-X, or can I maybe not screw this one up? Does it dry in a day or two? In your experience does it last longer than WaterShed or Hydrostop?
Am I full of questions, or what?
Thanks alot.
Joe,
I just buy the stuff in the yellow plastic bottle at the local car parts place. It usually dries in less than 24 hours. Some of your hackle may look matted, but after it dries a flick of your fingernail separates the hackle barbs nicely.
I tied some small flies made of nothing but deer hair and dubbing. Did the Rain-X thing and dropped a couple in a glass of water to see how they floated. I completely forgot about them, until 6 days later. They were still floating high and dry. That was good enough for me.
REE
Ron,
That’s more than good enough for me, too.
Thanks alot!
Joe
Rain-X works just as well as Watershed and costs a whole lot less. I keep a jar with some on my bench and dip flies in it as soon as the head cement dries. Flies are ready to fish the next day, or whenever I can hit the stream.
Regards,
ScottP
More testimonials for Rain-X! I’m convinced. I guess it will protect the flies if you’re fishing a hatch during a rain shower, too. I’m getting some tomorrow.
Thanks for all the help.
Also try Scotch Guard- the heavy duty stuff in the blue can
Just a word of caution regarding Rain-X. Several months ago I tied up some parasols and treated the parasols with Rain-X. several days later when I got to the stream to try them out. The Rain-X had a chemical reaction with the mono (tippet) materiel that I used to tie on the parasols, and the mono had dissolved. One of the flies had fallen completly into the Rain-X, the fly itself was fine and the parasols were fine but the mono was gone. Be careful how you use this product.
I am curious as to how toxic these materials are to fish (& me). Does anyone know? A material that makes flies float through the air isn’t of much interest to me if it kills every fish in sight.