Does anyone else have as hard of a time with this thread? I use Danville and Ultra and love both. I bought some UNI 3/0 a good time back and stopped using it mid spool because it breaks easy when the whip finish is trying to get done.
The spool I am using has a W on it, but seems like it is not smooth at all and when it breaks it just shreds. I can say that I am pretty happy that I don’t have much of it, but still would like to use it since I paid for it. However I am not sure it’s worth all the pain it brings when tying.
I would have thought that the W would mean waxed, but it sure seems like it has so much tension from it self that how can it be waxed?
Sorry for the vent, but would like to know if anyone else has had this problem and maybe warn some that all thread is not created equal for sure.
Also if anyone likes this stuff I have some for sale cheap, LOL!
Dunno but I do have a spool of 8.0 Uni in Black that is CRAP, breaks if you look at it crooked and I have a Ruby tipped bobbin.
I suppose all things of this nature can have faults and for $1.85 I am not sure why I haven’t just chucked it…oddly enough, this same spool is what caused me to question my orginal bobbin and spend 19 bucks on the Ruby Tip.
Although I’ve not been tying flies all that long compared to most guys, I’ve yet to have any problems with Uni Thread myself. I’ve acquired several spools of it, from 3/0 up to 8/0 and it’s held just fine.
That being said, I do like the Ultra thread better.
I’ve been using the Uni for about 9 years and have not gotten a bad spool yet. There have been times when I’ve experienced breakage and I attributed that to my bobbin because when I switched bobbins I had no more breakage. Of late I’ve been using some of the 12/0 Bennecchi thread and I love it.
I use Uni threads in 6/0 and 8/0 quite a bit and have never had any major problems except with some bobbins that had a burr (would shred floss). However, if the thread was sitting in the shop for a long time, then it’s probably past it’s prime. I’ve never used 3/0, but I would think it should be pretty tough stuff. Odd that it’s breaking when you whip finish as I only ever break thread when tying on material - but then I whip finish by hand.
I agree its odd that the thread should break when whip finishing and not during the tying. Have you checked for burrs on your whip finisher? Are you whip finishing with a Thompson or Materelli?
I use Uni 6/0 and 8/0 for a good deal of my fly tying and have no complaints with either, in fact I find both threads to be highly acceptable. I don’t use 3/0 often and have only a couple of spools of Uni in this size, but my 3/0 chartreuse thread has been a constant source of problem with my whip finishes. I’ve approached this difficulty from a number of different angles and it seems to me the weave or twist of the thread leaves a highly rough, abrasive surface which tends to bind during the final stages of the whip finishing process and requires more and more pressure to finish the knot. The thread may either break from this closing force or just cut itself as you pull the knot tight. My solution is simple----half hitches. A little bees wax might also help the knot close. My favorite 3/0 thread is waxed Monocord which glides closed on whip finishes. I’m trying to use this 3/0 Uni Thread up and will not purchase more. Just my 2% of a dollar. I’m sure others will disagree----they always do! 8T
Sounds a lot like my problem and I use a Wasatch Matarelli whip finish tool. I only have this thread in a few colors and all seem to be just bad. I have some tan that I am sure I have seen it dust when it breaks. It goes on very dull too. I will never buy any more of this stuff and maybe it’s just the 3/0, but I am not sure. The red is so dull looking that it gets more red when I apply some home made Flexament or any thing wet.
Just looked and I do have some 6/0 UNI that I like a good bit, but it is not the same at all. I buy it for the colors though.
From what you are telling me now, it sounds like you have come across some old thread that had too much exposure to bright lights or direct sun light. I’ve had to toss some of my old Herter’s thread because of old age. It was good reliable tying thread years ago but it began breaking unpredictable and lost it’s glossy appearance. I doubt that your Uni was over 20 years old but who knows what it might have been exposed to before you purchased it. 8T
It sure sounds like that could be the problem, but I bought it from what I would think a reliable place. However maybe they didn’t know how old it was either.
All I know it is more trouble that it’s worth for sure.
I use Uni 8/0 for all the flies I tie that have dubbed bodies. The rough surface of the thread is a great aid in helping to hold the dubbin without having to mess around with wax. I tie several hundred flies a year with Uni thread without any problems. Could be your whip finish has too many turns that are too tight.
I use nylon for foam bodied flies because polyester thread (Uni) cuts the foam like a saw. I tie several hundred foam flies a year too.
Using the right thread for the job at hand goes a long way to effiecient fly tying. Also, don’t put one turn more on your fly than is nevcessary to hold it together.
I’m another ‘UNI’ thread guy. I prefer it above all the others, and won’t use 8/0 or 6/0 in anything else.
I’d agree that you probably got some old thread. One of the things I like about UNI is the brightness and uniformity of it’s colors. Your thread sounds like it’s gone bad, which it will do if stored improperly or if it’s too old (light and heat are bad for thread).
Well I guess I should have said that I was using that with crappie jigs and I tie from 1/80 oz to 1/4 oz so I mostly use 210 denier for them. However I use some 6/0 and 140 denier too for the colors.
With flies I use the smaller thread a good bit, but I also don’t hesitate to grab that 140 denier.
I do a 4-5 and mostly 5 turn whip finish and much of the time tying jig I don’t have all the time I would like as I tie a good number of jig per year. A really busy month can get to 2000 plus jigs, but most months are like 1000 per or a little more. Slowest one can get pretty slow too, but there are only a few of them each year so far.
Even though I don’t use UNI any more when I did my only compalint was the wax they used. It had a tendancy to dry out and get white & powdery with age and the thread lost its sheen and was kinda rough.
Exactly the kind of thing that causes the problems with whip finishing like Eight Thumbs describes. If you try waxing the thread just before whip finishing and the problem disappears that would confirm the theory.
I wouldn’t quit on UNI if it is working for you in other sizes; just try and examine the spools if you have the option. If the thread looks like it has a sheen and it’s not white & powdery it should be fine.
Like many of the others I use the 6/0 and 8/0 a lot, with no problems to report. I do have some 3/0 and use it primarily for larger steelhead flies and a few specialty flies that need bulky thread. I’ve not had any of the difficulties you describe. I use the materelli whip finisher and 3/0 has been the least likely size for me to break.
8/0 and 6/0 uni thread does break sometimes but only some of the spools. on some spools you have to apply a good bit of pressure to break the thread, on the others it breaks very easy, i don’t know why there is such a difference. maybe its shelf life. can’t tell much about thicker threads.
i once noticed that the thread breaks too often, and found that the problem was in the bobbin holder, it had sharp points somwhere on the surface of the tube that were breaking the thread.
i use 6/0 and 8/0 uni exclusively, and have had the same problem as you decsribe. i found that if a put alot of tension on my wraps when making a whip finish, it binds up and the thread breaks almost every time. back off on the tension your applying to the thread with the whip finisher a little. the thread wont bind against itself, and it will slip threw the overwraps easier and will snug up with a couple of gentle tugs.
I use and have been using Uni 8/0 for years for my tying and have had no problems. I have my beginner fly tying students use Uni 6/0 because it is not as easily broken with tying pressure that beginners usually apply. I have noticed that my students will have a breaking problem due to the way they are doing the whip finish. I instruct them that the whip finish must begin at the very front of the thorax area of the fly and wind it forward to the back of the hook eye and then remove the whip finisher and snug up the whip finish. I find that those that break the thread while doing the whip finish have started their whip finish behind the hook eye and wind it to the thorax area. This causes the thread to bind against its self and will break or bind up at times. I have also noticed that they will sometimes do their whip finish all in one place instead of winding it forward and this will cause the binding and breaking problem for them. Another area I have noticed is that some hooks have a rough place at the hook eye where the hook shank meets the curved hook eye and that rough spot can sometimes cause a breakage when you are snugging up the whip finish. I am not saying that you are not doing the whip finish correctly. I am just saying I use Uni and have no problems and stating the problems that my students sometimes have. I cannot report on the Uni 3/0 because I have never used it.
Hey WarrenP: Appreciate your comment about winding toward the eye of the hook. While I use both Materelli and Thompson tools, the Materelli is more suited to stronger winds and heavier threads. My Thompson is better suited to lighter threads with light spring tension as opposed to the Materelli where the wire is heavier gage to resist greater thread pull with little or no give. If the tying thread is digging into the head threads, lighten up or breaking is inevitable regardless of thread diameter. Also the thread tension increases with the Thompson as more winds occur on the head. 3 turns on the Thompson does the trick
Interesting about whip finish info. I mostly use the Matarelli, but can use a Thomson as well, but I then bought a Stonfo and have not yet got any good with it. It looks like a great one, but we shall see. It is supposed to whip finish any size head and that is why I got it.
