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3. dubbing wax

Generally I use dubbing wax when my hands are so dry I can't spin the dubbing well, and so I put it on my hands. Are you all using dubbing wax on the thread to help flies float? Does it make a difference?

A bit of low tack wax on the fingers is a good trick that I also use sometimes, and I sometimes wax my thread with tacky wax for specific applications, such as touch dubbing, but I don't believe that using wax on the thread makes a big difference in terms of flotation.

Never heard of the wax adding to floatation, but do use it for touch dubbing like Martiniff posted. I use some cream fly flotant on my fingers often. Greatly assists in application, and flotation getting the cream into the material. Downside?...dubbing wax can discolor your flies sitting in your fly box.

"Are you all using dubbing wax on the thread to help flies float?"

You might be missing the point of the use of dubbing wax. When it is used it is to create a sticky base on the thread so dubbing material will adhere to the tying thread. I don't believe anyone who uses wax on their tying thread is doing so to promote fly floatation.

Use the least amount of wax as possible. I've not heard anyone ever suggest that dubbing wax helps in floatation. However, I will opine that too much wax will be a detriment to floatation because it will add weight to the fly and it will also make the fly a mess. A trick I learned a long time ago. Before tying: Place about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and about the same amount of baby oil in your palm. Rub your hands all around for about 30 seconds and rinse off with warm water. Pat dry. This will soften your hands, get the burrs out of your skin and smooth it out, and clean your hands so no dirty skin oil gets into the fly. This is especially important with light color dubbed bodies.
Hope this helps. Oh, obviously if you get a chance, get some Wonder Wax and just give 1 swipe to the tying thread before dubbing.

Allan

Some great tips here. As said the wax is to hold the dubbing on, not for floatation. But are you buying thread that's already waxed? I tried to get some Danville (sp) thread as it's not pre-waxed and the store didn't have it, they only carried Uni-thread which every roll is waxed. This is most important if your bobbin is ceramic. The wax will, as I'm told, clog your bobbin. If you're tying drys get fly floatant, don't apply too much wax when you dub.

Good luck.

Wax can mat the dubbing and wings on a dry fly! If your hands are dry, just keep a small container of water and tip your finger in it and mat off. this allows you to work with the materials and helps with some dubbing. It does not hurt the fly in anyway.

When tying and putting wax on the thread it never really did much for me for ease of tying.

I go to a stream and fish there all year but in late March/April the state plants trout and I'm constantly putting more floatant on, catching little tikes left and right, and am usually doing dry fly/dropper. So I thought maybe if I waxed the thread ... Wax floats ...

I think I'll just stay away until the locals harvest out the little things, they don't provide a challenge they'll hit a cigarette butt, even those funny smelling ones. Must have a script. Lol.