A different type of wax to use is found on some wine bottles! I ran across some that is a nice red color and if worked a bit, becomes nicely tacky. The thing I find it useful for is to wax my finger tips, allowing the threads and floss to slide through without snagging, yet allowing a good grip when needed.
While I too, tie a lot of flies without using a bit of wax in the process, there are times that the wax is needed. Before we had the finer threads that are around today, thread build up was a major factor in tying small flies. There isn’t really a lot of room for a “extra wraps” of a thick thread and still keep in the right proportions. Wax, used correctly, allows the thread to “grip” the materials effectively with a single wrap or two. Wax can add color as well at a “water proofing”!
FliTrap
That is ordinary sealing wax, as once used to seal letters. It will work for some things. You can still buy it at many stationery shops.
As a lot of people ask about this, a couple of further points;
Many dressers used “finger wax”, this is more or less the same as the dressing wax, ( Resin/tallow mix), but it was used differently. One touches the wax with the finger tips, and this gives one a great deal more “grip” for rolling the dubbing around the thread. It has much the same effect as licking one?s fingers in order to count money, turn pages etc. Finger licking itself is best avoided, especially if one uses unwashed materials.
Using various “waxes” in various ways, and in varying amounts will produce different effects. Wax used with some dubbing like mole or fine rabbit, will tend to “scrunch up” the dubbing, and make it less mobile. It also affects the sheen of the dubbing.
Used with crinkly relatively hard dubbings like seal fur, or many synthetics, it will also make the final appearance of the body different.
There is no right or wrong way to do these things, merely different ways, and they are a matter of personal preference, so there is little point in arguing about it.
If you don?t wish to use wax, then don?t. It really is as simple as that.
TL
MC
Rookie,
I never knew that there was so many use’s for wax other than dubbing.
With pre-waxed thread for sale I never thought wax was needed.
Bob.
Ron:
I swear my tube magically refills itself after use like the glass of sherry in the movie “The Bishop’s Wife”…
…angels maybe?
I’ve had it at least since the 1980’s and I use it ALL the time. I don’t remember EVER pushing up the tube yet it’s up about 1 cm with another 5.5 cm to go!!
At this rate I figure I have another 110 years worth of wax but sadly no where near that amount of years left in me so if you out live me; I’ll put you in my will for the Overton’s.
It is perfectly understandable that you should not know this, and I think Betty may have misunderstood your initial comment.
Opinions on these matters rage across the boards, with some people becoming very irate about it. This is all quite pointless.
You may use wax for some of the purposes described if you wish, but with modern hooks and thread etc there is no real need to, and you don?t have to.
Some people like to use wax for some purposes, others insist it should not be used.
It is entirely up to you what you use or don?t use. Just as it is up to others what they do or don?t use.
However, before one comments one way or the other, one should at least know WHY!!! wax was once very commonly used, and WHY some people still use it for various things.
Indeed, I did not even mention another of the main reasons for using sticky wax ( resin/tallow mix). This was because at one time all flies were dressed in the fingers using lengths of waxed thread ( Usually silkworm gut from a skein, reels of thread as we now know them did not exist, but hemp, horsehair and some other things were also used). If it wasn?t very sticky, the fly would simply fall apart at every stage of the dressing!
Using vices and bobbin holders has made this superfluous.
There are also other considerations, which are not relevant to modern dressing, but they were very relevant once.
TL
MC
Mike,
I don’t think I misunderstood his comment, I just didn’t like the way it was stated. :shock: After this post I will let it go.
When you question something, question it. Please don’t make a following statement that infers just because you are so proficient at tying, and you never use something, that it makes it wrong, or ludicrous, for someone else to use it. Be you a poster of 6 or 5000.
I hate the innuendos. I won’t tolerate put downs. Be nice. Play nice. It’ll be a much happier place.
Betty
carry on …
OK Betty, sorry, I was just trying to play nice! 
TL
MC
Bamboozle,
I appreciate being in the will, however at 61 myself, this may be a moot point. Like a fool I got one tube of Overton’s many years ago, thinking “It will always be around.” Wrong.
Mike Conners,
I learn something or have my memory refreshed about something everytime you post. I had forgotten about those who tie “in hand” needing the wax to prevent the fly from falling apart. Please keep it up.
REE
If you want wax identical to the Overton?s original recipe, then get this;
(Scroll down to last item) ;
http://www.uncleginkscave.com/GC-newsletter_page1.html
Quite a few shops stock it.
TL
MC
PS. There was some bad feeling about this wax, as Glen Overton was of the opinion that the recipe was stolen. I corresponded with him for a while on this matter. However this may be, the wax is identical to the original Overton?s recipe. I also analysed it and it has the identical components, and works exactly the same.
Betty,
You read innuendos, and put downs, others read is as why things are being done the way they are.
Hillery was talking the same why on TV last night.
A wise man quits when he is ahead…
You got the wax explanations you said you wanted. There is no point in being hostile towards anybody. This would merely serve to indicate that Betty was right, and possibly ruin the thread for others.
TL
MC
I have really really received quite an education on waxes. I appreciate all the information that has been provided by each one.
Thanks
I am facinated with this thread! I had no idea that tying with silk required special wax and always wondered how some of those beautiful colors came about. Could we see some photos of some of the flies you folks are whipping up? Also, as traditional fly dressers are you using modern vices and tools? Over the years I’ve made self-wood bows, arrows and knapped stone arrow points and can appreciate the hard work that goes into creating something as our ancestors did.
Jeff
One can not see any difference between flies dressed in the fingers and flies dressed using a vice. ( Given adequate skills of course). This is especially so, as other techniques are possible when one does not need to incorporate a gut link into the pattern.
The old time dressers were obliged to use some other techniques and the order in which materials were tied in to a dressing were different when using gut links.
TL
MC
I’ve recently received some of Bill’s traditional wax, and it’s great stuff. A lot different from overton’s and really for a different purpose. Mike’s explanation is excellent, and there is one more traditional reason to use a high tack wax, when tying in hand the tyer does not use a bobbin, but a 18" length of tying silk. It’s nice to have your tying silk waxed up when tying in hand as it doesn’t start unwrapping every time tension is released. Finally to finish a head with a steep slope or to apply a herl head on a sloped head, nothing works like a bit of the traditional wax.
Ree, I too have a tube of O wax, and I wouldn’t be opposed to trading it away. Ronn may have a source for O wax as well.
Indeed. There are also some “thread control” tricks which can be done with waxed ( special resin tying wax) thread, which are not possible with unwaxed thread.
( This is done with bobbin control nowadays ).
The thread was “flattened” when applying wings for instance, this helped it to bite but not cut the wing, and it also allowed fewer turns, giving less bulk. Some of the old wet flies were made with five turns of thread, Including the gut whipping, wings, and hackle. In order to fix hackle stems, the thread was twisted tight. On a fair number of flies, the hackle was twisted around the thread, and then applied.
TL
MC