Sally Hansan Question

[Chase Creek 0]

I (and I suspect) and many,many others use SH clear Super Shine on our fly heads when we want a shiny finish. Anyone been using the different colors available from SH like red and black? What do you think of them?

[flytire 0]

i havent used the black or red or any other color for that matter but i wouldnt reject the idea of using for fly tying.

 

a lot of flies use red for the head so the red sallys would give it a nice shine.

[Peterjay 0]

I use the colored stuff a lot on salt water flies, both Sally's and the cheapo stuff I pick up at the closeout store. I always follow it with a couple coats of clear once the colored polish has dried thoroughly. You just have to be extra careful not to get any of the color on the wing or throat, or it'll stand out like a sore thumb.

[mvendon 0]

Hi CC,

 

I've used Sally Hansons metallic gray (not the item name) for Dot Edsons and coated them with their Mega Shine. I've been reluctant to try mixing different head cements like Pharmacists Formula, and then coating that with Sally Hansons brand, since they may not be compatible and end up delaminating. I have some very old streamers that were tied useing just about any color thread that were coated with black for the head, so it's been a practice that's been going on for quite some time now.

 

Regards,

Mark

[Peterjay 0]

Hi CC,

 

I've used Sally Hansons metallic gray (not the item name) for Dot Edsons and coated them with their Mega Shine. I've been reluctant to try mixing different head cements like Pharmacists Formula, and then coating that with Sally Hansons brand, since they may not be compatible and end up delaminating. I have some very old streamers that were tied useing just about any color thread that were coated with black for the head, so it's been a practice that's been going on for quite some time now.

 

Regards,

Mark

 

That's a good point about mixing different types of nail polish - I've wound up with a gooey mess a couple of times. Most brands seem to be compatible with each other, but there are definitely some that aren't. When I'm hunting for cheap colors, I always try to pick up a bottle of clear of the same brand, and that takes the guesswork out of it. BTW - in the real world, I've never noticed a difference between clear Sally H. and brands X, Y, or Z. When you're fishing in the rocks and barnacles, Sally H. gets banged up just as easily as the rest of them.

[Panama Red 0]

I use different colors to paint eyes and will use the sparkle colors to to jazz up the base coat on heads from time to time.

[flytire 0]

mark

 

you still have some pharmacists formula? thats my favorite long gone head cement.

 

i have a bottle of black duck traditional head cement which is supposed to be the repalcement for pharmacists formula.

[mvendon 0]

mark

 

you still have some pharmacists formula? thats my favorite long gone head cement.

 

i have a bottle of black duck traditional head cement which is supposed to be the repalcement for pharmacists formula.

 

Hi flytire,

 

I didn't read your post until a few minutes ago, but here they are on my messy bench. I turned them so you could see how much is left. I actually use SHHAN more, since it's still available, and uses quite a bit for a streamer head.

 

Regards,

Mark

 

 

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

I use the black white red and clear as well as #35 in the spot light glitter

[Michigan fly gal 0]

I usually finish my heads with head cement and add a couple of coats of Sally Hansens when it dries if I want my head color to be the thread color. If I want a nice deep red or black colored head I will use the red or black Sally Hansens and finish with a clear coat on top.

[Piker20 0]

Does anyone use Loon hard head? That comes in different colours. I only had black and clear but found them ok. They thin down fairly well with water but take a good while longer to dry than the nail varnish type finishes.

 

Oh and spoke to my cousin who runs a beauty shop and she said to leave Sally in the fridge and it doesn't thicken up in the bottle?? Any of you guys with a beer fridge in the tying den going to try that out and report back? can't see the boss lettin me put some nail varnish next to the milk and cheese.

[flytire 0]

i leave sally on my tying table and it hasnt thickened up at all in the 2-3 years its been there.

[Peterjay 0]

I have my doubts about the refrigerator trick. Nail polish or head cement thickens as the solvent it contains evaporates - It won't evaporate as fast when it's cold, but I don't see how chilling it in a sealed container will matter much one way or the other. I like to keep a thickened bottle on hand for the heads of saltwater flies. I do this by leaving the cap off the bottle until it thickens. I also seem to remember thinning it once or twice in the past with acetone, but the best way to keep it from thickening is to keep the bottle tightly capped when you're not applying it.

[Piker20 0]

I couldn't think through how cooling it makes any difference. I have always screwed the cap on inbetween uses as having 3under 5's means the chances of spillage are high. Not taking into account my own clumsyness, but the kids are always good to blame when the wife wants to know what happened to the dining table!

but even screwing the lid on hasn't saved my bottles. I do the same as Peterjay and use the thicker stuff on salts or buzzer bodies but i find I need a new 'thin' bottle every 2 or 3 months. maybe this is the norm?

[Stippled Popper 0]

Does anyone use Loon hard head? That comes in different colours. I only had black and clear but found them ok. They thin down fairly well with water but take a good while longer to dry than the nail varnish type finishes.

 

Oh and spoke to my cousin who runs a beauty shop and she said to leave Sally in the fridge and it doesn't thicken up in the bottle?? Any of you guys with a beer fridge in the tying den going to try that out and report back? can't see the boss lettin me put some nail varnish next to the milk and cheese.

 

I use Loon hard head as a head cement and as my clear coat for some of my poppers. Loon Hard Head is a water based polyurethane so thinning with water only makes sense. In my experience it dries to the touch in a few minutes. I find the Loon Head Cement is too thin.