Cloudy UV resin under UV light

[[email protected] 0]

I’m having a long time problem with loon uv flow and clear. It goes on nice, looks great when NOT under uv light, but when cooking with a 365 nm light, the flies immediately start to cloud up.  You can literally watch it happen.   Once resin has dried,(within 20 seconds usually)  they look good under normal light but when back under the uv light they are cloudy. This happens on tinsel, asb, and thread. Can’t find a solution. Over time,  (within weeks to a year) the coating then starts to flake off.  Wondering if it's the light (just replaced it) or some other issue.  Not looking to try other products as this doesn't seem to happen to anyone else I can find that uses the same products.  I've just written to loon but have not yet heard back. Ther pix show a fly from yesterday under regular light and then under UV.  I will upload many more pictures  that will show even more detail, but just wanted to get the thread started. Not sure what's taken me so long to ask for help- can't find answers anywhere.

[Fruitrollup 0]

Have you reached out to Loon, and what was their response?

[mikechell 0]

This is just a comment based on what I remember of other such conversations.  As I understand it, cloudy UV resin is due to water in the solution.  High humidity areas (which I don't think Colorado is) or damp thread etc. under the resin ... 

On the other hand, If it looks good under normal light, personally I wouldn't worry about it.  Fish will eat things that look injured or struggling as well or better than healthy specimens.  So maybe that cloudy look in UV light will actually induce more strikes.

[[email protected] 0]

"Have you reached out to Loon, and what was their response?"

I've just written to loon but have not yet heard back.

[[email protected] 0]

 

1 hour ago, mikechell said:

This is just a comment based on what I remember of other such conversations.  As I understand it, cloudy UV resin is due to water in the solution.  High humidity areas (which I don't think Colorado is) or damp thread etc. under the resin ... 

On the other hand, If it looks good under normal light, personally I wouldn't worry about it.  Fish will eat things that look injured or struggling as well or better than healthy specimens.  So maybe that cloudy look in UV light will actually induce more strikes.

That makes sense... However, I just got a new bottle of loon flow (I also use loon thin with similar results) and still getting same cloudiness, I tie in a temp controlled room inside house, and yes, at 8,000 ft it's pretty arid here so I don't think it's water.  It could be that I'm applying too thick or too thin I guess, but I'm pretty careful on that.  It does seem worse along the wire wrap edges sometimes, not sure what that means- too thick or too thin? The older flies were with an older weaker light, so I'm wondering if they just didn't sure correctly.  The new light 365nm seems to be doing better, but I still see some issues with that one too, just not as severe.  Also wondering if I need to give short quick blasts of UV when curing instead of holding it on the fly while rotating for 20 solid seconds- and maybe leave it a bit tacky? I'm kind of at a loss.  Is it possibly the thread I use, some of the 70 Ultra thread seems to have a wax coating on it.

I am also wondering if anyone else sees a fly body actually go cloudy as it dries during the first 10-20 seconds of UV light after adding resin.  

I've included some more examples showing regular light and UV light.  The first two are older ones, the rest are within the past week.  

So, any help, ideas, solutions, suggestions, criticisms are welcome.  I'm pretty thick skinned (just like these flies).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[email protected] 0]

[[email protected] 0]

[[email protected] 0]

[flytire 0]

it could be the body material that makes it look cloudy

[[email protected] 0]

Apparently my new light (365nm) still is not strong enough.  So hopefully this will solve the problem! (See below) 

From Loon:

I believe the issue lies in the light you are using. Our UV Resins are set to cure between 395-405 nm, so the wavelength of the light you are using isn't properly penetrating and curing the product.

[flytire 0]

the sun works great and its free

cure the flies with your existing light and then put them out in the sunshine for an hour or so

[niveker 0]

1 hour ago, [email protected] said:

Apparently my new light (365nm) still is not strong enough.

Interesting. 

A good while ago I bought some non-branded UV glue and a cheap UV light, not sure of the strength of the light, but it was a cheap one.  I used it only once in a great while, as I didn't particularly care for the result.  It took a long time to dry and was still a bit wet, though I didn't notice if it was hazy at all.  I would have to stick it in the sunlight, as flytire suggested, to have it properly cure.  

A few weeks ago I decided to try the UV thing again bought a new, rechargeable light advertised as 395-405.  Works great on the old that old UV resin I have.  I thought the poor result was from the non-branded UV resin, but apparently it was the weak light.  

[flytire 0]

i use the following. never have a problem with either one of them

i wont pay "manufacturer only" light prices to find out they are the same light from asia at an overly inflated price

$7.95 on amazon (cheaper if you look hard enough)

Amazon.com: LEDwholesalers 395nm UV Ultra-Violet 21-LED Blacklight Flashlight, 7305UV395 : Everything Else

[redband02 0]

I moved from Loon products to a product made by "silver creek" over on the Fly Fishing Forum ( https://www.theflyfishingforum.com)

He makes a wonderful clear UV resin that dries quickly and does not cloud up

This guy is a chemist

He also carries UV torches like the main stream ones but for less

his email is:   email me directly using picaboo(at)charter(dot)net Substitute @ for (at) and . for (dot) and put resin in the UV subject line.

[SilverCreek 0]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Here's a post about my resin from a member of The Fly Tying Forum.