Wax

[wayneb]

Hi all;

All the recent threads on wax has me curious about what makes a good wax for silk??

I have my own wax mix that's dark, tacky, and appears to give me great results turning primrose green and providing tackiness for touch dubbing.

Am I missing something by not using one of the more traditional waxes for silk??

Wayneb

[letumgo]

Wayne - You make a couple different waxes. Which one are you referring to?

[wayneb]

Hi Ray;

I've only made one basic wax mix myself. But, I was referring to Keene's wax or Tie2fish's blend many here use.

Wayneb

[gingerdun]

I have little to contribute here, except for this. I compared J. Harrington Keene's wax recipe published in Fly-Fishing and Fly-Making for Trout, Etc., (O. Judd Co., New York, 1887) to the one Leisenring attributed to Keene in The Art of Tying the Wet Fly.

Leisenring switched Keene’s proportions for the lard and wax. Keene used one ounce of lard, where Leisenring used only a half ounce. Keene used a half ounce of wax, to Leisenring’s one ounce. It is unknown if this discrepancy is a mistake, or intentional.

Jim Slattery has made the Leisenring wax, and he believes that the change in proportions was intentional. I am agnostic on the matter. Wouldn't it be an awesome winter project to make both versions, and compare them to see what the difference is?

Leisenring's Recipe

• 1/2 lb. best white turpentine resin
  1 oz. pure white beeswax pared or chopped into tiny pieces—(Keene specified only 1/2 oz. wax)
  Simmer 15 min. melt and mix

• Add 1/2 oz fresh lard, mix for 15 min, don't boil— (Keene specified one oz. lard)

Lance

[Mataura mayfly]

Lance, you do know by posting that recipe that you might just be behind divorce proceedings for every married forum member that attempts to cook up this brew in his kitchen?

One question I have, you may not know, but..... Are the ingredients heated in a double boiler set-up? A pot within a pot of water, I can see direct heat to the bottom of a pan with these ingredients leading to burning and one heck of a smell.
In my experience (don't ask!) heating oils, waxes and turpentine based products via electric element, there is a fine line between heating to mix and a volitle combustable black gooey gasseous stinking goop.

[gingerdun]

Jeff,
You are funny. I'll take my chances. Not ever having made the wax, I'll keep my mouth shut regarding the pots and utensils.
Here is the entire text of Leisenring's wax chapter.
_______________________

WAXES FOR FLY TYING are like hooks—there are all kinds. The wax which I have found to be entirely satisfactory is made according to an old recipe of J. Harrington Keene’s, as follows:

Melt one-half pound of the best white turpentine resin, add one ounce of pure white beeswax which should be pared off or chopped up into small pieces. Simmer for fifteen minutes, allowing it to melt and mix thoroughly with the resin. Now add one-half ounce of fresh lard and stir slowly while the mixture simmers just below the boiling point for another fifteen minutes. (Note: when stirring this simmering wax remember that it is extremely inflammable and therefore dangerous. The safest and best stirring implement is a stick about eighteen inches long and somewhat smaller in diameter than a lead pencil.)

Pour this liquid wax into a basin of water. Do not touch it until it has had a chance to cool because your fingers will be badly burned. After it has cooled enough to permit handling, pull at it and work with it, as taffy pullers do with taffy, until it has a light color and even texture. You will find it necessary to immerse it in warm water in order to make it pliable enough to work.

Remember that a batch of this wax will last for years, so make it right while you are making it. Roll it into pieces about the size of hickory nuts, wrap them In wax paper and store in a cool place.

When using this wax do not use a piece bigger than a BB shot because you will likely break the fly-tying thread using it. Before waxing your thread, moisten your thumb and forefinger and work the piece of wax between them to soften it somewhat.

Drawing your thread against the wax between your fingers will give you a thread stiff enough to prevent twisting and just sticky enough to grip well against the hook, accepting the tension given and somehow sealing itself onto the hook, a most valuable aid to a fly’s durability.

This wax on your thread will often leave a tiny speck of wax on the head of the fly after the whip finish is completed. The tight wrapping of the thread over itself and the pulling through necessitated by the whip finish causes this. I always remove this speck of wax with my dubbing needle with the satisfaction of knowing that, unlike the half hitches used by some, that whip finish is there to stay. And they do stay. This is a perfect wax for tying durable wet flies. [Copyright © 2013 by Lance Hidy]

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

It would appear to me that maximum ventilation
and a close eye would be adviseable. Not a time to be
multi-tasking ...

hank

[Mataura mayfly]

Nor smoking a cigar!

[wsbailey]

I have made just about all of the waxes in the literature. The wax Leisenring, Keane and others made is usually called white or transparent wax. The formulas are almost always rosin, beeswax and some form of oil or fat in different proportions. The beeswax adds smoothness, the oil or fat adds softness and the rosin adds stickiness. You just play with the proportions until you get the result you want. Bill

[wayneb]

Gingerdun: very interesting recipies, thanks for sharing.


I've always used dark violin resin, anyone know where to find terpentine resin?

Also, for those who have made some of these harder waxes, what do you use as a mold to pour it in to?

Wayneb