Sewing thread

[6wtboo]

When my mother recently passed away and then my
wife I came in possession of several dozen spools of sewing thread.
Most of them are #50 mercerized cotton while others are polyester.
I have read about some pros using sewing thread that they run
through bees wax. Any thoughts/comments on this subject?
Oh the definition of mercerized is: Cotton thread is singed over an
open flame and mercerized by immersion in caustic soda. These
processes strengthen the thread and give it a lustrous finish. It
appears that the thread would be between a 3/0 & 6/0.

[toddsbernina]

dude if it works use it. i tried to rob my moms sewing thread stash and the thread she had(mettler polysheen 50wt) was too thick. my flies turned out too bulky becauts of the thread thickness.

[willieboat]

6wgtboo,
Cotton thread works fine as long as you don't use the fly in water. Cotton, being a natural fiber breaks down pretty fast. So it will rot much faster than synthetics, like dacron, polyesters, and other man made fibers. I'd imagine if you plan to tie a few flies for a season or a specific trip, cotton thread would probably be fine. I'd advise waxing the thread before use. This might help with finishing off the heads. :hmmm:

Don

[Mike Wade]

Waxing the thread is a must. I've tried it when I didn't have a specific color I thought I needed. Bees wax works great.

[mike doughty]

i use sewing thread on yong's specials all the time