We just got back from my in-laws where we spent the weekend and had Christmas. My father-in-law who doesn’t fly fish made the comment that he had thought about getting me some thread and stuff to tie flies with. Instead he got me a set of flies, he must have seen the flies I tie He was going to buy me regular thread like at Wal-Mart or something. I told him what we used was different, but I really wasn’t sure what was different? I know some of it is already waxed, is that the only difference? Or do some of you use thread for sewing? I don’t like to appear to be a complete idiot in front of my in-laws though after 9 years I am getting use to it. :rolleyes:
I think sewing thread is somewhat bulkier than your average 8/0, though I may be mistaken…I dont do much (read: any) sewing, so I’m not too familiar with the kit involved.
I believe the previous discussion of this topic can be summarized thusly:
You can use some craft/sewing threads for fly tying if you’re careful and know what you are looking for. However, the cost benefit of doing so versus buying fly tying thread you know will work, is dubious at best.
My verbose take on the subject:
Let’s just pull some numbers out of the air and say a spool of tying thread goes for two bucks and will last the average tyer one year. A spool of sewing thread goes for fifty cents and would last ten years. I think these numbers are heavily weighted toward sewing thread, but I’m new at this so who knows.
That means you have to pay twenty dollars to get the same number of years from tying thread as one spool of sewing thread. That’s a difference of $19.50 spread over ten years or about two bucks a year.
I figure it’s worth two bucks a year to not have to become more expert regarding deniers, materials, winding style, bindings, etc. than I absolutely have to. There’s already enough mystery in tying to keep me learning my whole life without adding in this bit of complexity.
As noted, there has been recent discussion here on this topic, to which I contributed. I will summarize my earlier comments, and add a few new ones. The polyester sewing threads available in your local fabric/craft store will definitely work for tying flies. HOWEVER, you will be highly restricted in the size hooks you tie on, as these threads are rather large. They will work great on big bass bugs, larger saltwater flies, etc., but they willNOTwork on smaller flies. Hence, the array of tying thread sizes that are available to tiers today.
It must be remember that almost all of our threads were first developed for the garment industry; NOT fly tying. Therefore, there are other threads that are available that are equivalent to our standard tying threads, but are not marketed as such. One brand in particular that is very popular for making furled leaders, and readily available in the fabric/craft stores, is Gutermann. Their “Sew-All” and their “Mara 100” are both equivalent to Uni 3/0 tying thread. The “Sew All” is readily available locally in the fabric/craft stores. They also have one (Skala 360) that is equivalent to Uni 8/0 and another (Tera 180) that is equivalent to Uni 6/0. I have not found the the last two locally; but have not ventured forth into our biggest suburb to look for them. These threads are available on spools ranging in size from 100 yards to 5,470 yards and range in price from less than $2.00 per spool to less than$10.00 per spool.
You can wax your own by drawing it across a block of beeswax as you use it. This is how it was once done, in the pre-bobbin days.
There is a book Midge Majic by Holbrook’s that list a variety of across the counter threads that he uses in in tying small flies. Some thread and button hole silk you can separate and use as many strands as you need.
There are also several threads that can be used for ribbing. Van Put uses a thread for ribbing on his Catskill style fly the Abel Mabel.
In addition to what has been written above, ordinary sewing thread, by and large, is much larger diameter than is typical tying thread. Thus, the ordinary stuff will build up the thread volume on a hook at a very fast rate. Thus it will be unsuitable for tying typical trout dry flies that imitate most mayflies and caddis flies.
Much sewing thread also contains quite a bit of cotton. Such thread, for it’s diameter, is probably not as strong as tying thread. I am thinking that most traditional tying thread is either nylon or polyester, although there are some newer more high tech (and more expensive) tying threads out there.
However, Aged Sage has pointed out (above) that some brands and types of sewing threads are very suitable for tying trout flies.
Buddy Sanders has pointed out in an earlier post that some “Coats and Clark bobbin thread” is 70 denier polyester, and has found it to be similar to Unithread 8/0, and works well for tying. I tried to find some at a couple of fabric stores, but found none. I have not given up yet though, and will be looking at other fabric shops.
Ordinary sewing thread, if polyester, will probably be suitable, as mentioned above, for tying large flies such as saltwater, or for spinning deer bass flies in large sizes.
So, some sewing thread is apparently suitable for tying, but you have to be knowledgable, and know exactly what you are looking for. So if you just go into a fabric store and randomly buy a spool of ordinary thread that just happens to be the right color, the odds are that it will be a poor choice for tying.
Jason;
As a Just getting started fly tyer look at Hook and Hackle’s “Uni Thread Sampler” in 6/0 or 8/0. 12 colors, 50 yds. ea., $12.75! 50 yards will tie a lot of flys and you will discover which colors you use the most with out a large expense.
i have actually pondered on this recently, so i went out and found an answer. many threads used for sewing are cotton wrapped polyester, which makes them strong, but smooth and soft enough they dont damage the fabric.
Also, sewing threads tend to be round, whereas tying thread is more of a webby thread, think spiderman’s web rope on an extremely small scale, where each of the fibers is separate, and only connected to the others if they get tangled. this makes the thread wrap flat and overlapping, as opposed to next to each other like a garden hose winds on a storing reel.
Using genuine tying thread is, in my opinion, the much better option. it is less bulky, as mentioned before, and when it comes down to looks, gives a better looking head, and on the flies that matter, a slimmer, neater body.
Thread is thread, it is comprised of a material that is constructed from either; cotton, nylon, polyester,gel spun polyethylene (GSP), kevlar, rayon, silk, or wool.
Then the material adapted to create thread that is either; air entangled, core, monocord, monofilement, spun, textured, or twisted monofilement.
Finally the thread finish is apply by; bonding, gassed, glaced, mercerized, or soft process.
I do not use rayon floss any more instead I use rayon thread, helps eliminate the broken strands, and give almost the same result. I do save my empty “Waspi” spools for transfer of thread matrial, because Waspi has the best spools design, and different thread makers have different size spools which if used would cause havoc with thead tension problems on my thread bobbins.
Cotton thread is good to use for dressing hooks, the color may fade from exposure to sunlight over time, but you have to ask yourself, what is the life span of the flies you tie?
Thanks Steve, that’s a ton of info and exactly what I was looking for. I wasn’t really concerned with the price, I mean that is a very small expense, but I just didn’t know enough technical details to tell my father-in-law.
He was going to buy me regular thread like at Wal-Mart or something. I told him what we used was different, but I really wasn’t sure what was different? I know some of it is already waxed, is that the only difference? Or do some of you use thread for sewing?
I don’t like to appear to be a complete idiot in front of my in-laws though after 9 years I am getting use to it. :rolleyes:
