Epoxy finish comparisons

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

I did some testing on some soft foam, the Live Body foam heads. I'm not sure about durability, this is just about what remains flexible and the quality of the coating. I've got results by each of the pictures. Now, I'll have to see if a flexible coating on a soft bug is more or less durable than a hard coating on a soft bug.

 

Kirk

 

 

Used four different finishes on Live Body soft, close cell, foam popper heads. Top left: LIQUID FUSION (LF) watered down 2 parts LF/1 part water, foam is compressible but finish could use a second coat. Top right: FLEX COAT rod builders epoxy, foam is not compressible but finish is thickest and smoothest of them all, after sitting in shed for two days, the shine has dulled; after reading a little on rod builder forums, I may have put on to thick of a coat - seems that rod builders prefer putting on two or three thin coats. Bottom left: BOB SMITH INDUSTRIES (BSI) 20 min cure epoxy, foam is slightly compressible but not as flexible as LF, coating is thick and smooth. Bottom right: BSI 30 min cure epoxy, foam is not compressible, coating is thick and smooth.

 

Live Body foam not compressible - that's my fingers flattening out. Finish is 30 min BSI epoxy.

 

Live Body foam slightly compressible - that's not my fingers flattening out. Finish is 20 min BSI epoxy.

 

Live Body foam compressible and most flexible - that's not my fingers flattening out. Finish is Liquid Fusion.

 

Live Body foam not compressible - that's my fingers flattening out. Finish is Flex Coat Rod Finish.

[Bugsy 0]

Thanks, Kirk, you're a valuable resource. I'll be looking forward to the "durability" results.

[Piker20 0]

Yep this is a good unbiased view of real life not a manufacturers lab test.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks Bugsy and Piker. I've been wanting to do this for a long time.

 

Kirk

[TheCream 0]

I've heard a lot of good things about the Liquid Fusion. How long does it take to cure? Did you use a turner to keep them rotating to get a level finish? The Liquid Fusion also looks like maybe the thinnest of the coatings, do you think it would need multiple coats to get a finish as thick as the good epoxy?

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Jeff, not sure how long the LF takes to cure but it does need a turner. I tried some on a bug that I just hung up and it ran down the back of the bug onto the hook shank. I think I shut off the turner after about an hour. I wasn't touching the bugs and testing the cure time but it is the thinnest of the coatings I used. I did water it down a little based on some experiences I read about from other tiers; they recommended 1 part LF to 1 part water 50/50. I decided to do 2 part LF and 1 part water. I makes it easier to spread. I think one more coat, two more for a total of three would be the most you needed. The one thin coat could be tough enough, not sure. I do plan on giving it a second later this week when I coat up a batch of bugs I'm working on coloring right now.

That 20 min BSI looks pretty good, it remained unbelievably flexible and was thick. I'll have to see how it holds up or if it yellows (have to put it on a white bug when I do the batch later in the week).

 

Kirk

[Peterjay 0]

Jeff, I've used a lot of Liquid Fusion for coating and strengthening bodies, heads, etc., (see picture for examples) and it dries fairly quickly, but I'd give it a full day for a complete cure. I've never diluted it except at the end of the bottle when it's gets pretty thick, so I'd guess the diluted stuff would cure a lot faster. (????) It's solvent-based rather than reactive, so you'll get shrinkage. Multiple coats are the way to go with it if you're looking for a thick finish for covering eyes, etc. I use a drying wheel to keep it leveled, like Kirk does. Being a hopeless slacker, I've found LF to be very useful when I don't feel like mixing epoxy. Now that I've got this thread safely hijacked, I'll sit back and await the results of Kirk's durability tests on poppers.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Not a problem PJ, its all good information. I'll have to try it without watering down to see if dries thicker.

 

Thanks for the input. Someone as old and experienced and old as you is an invaluable resource.

 

Kirk

[Peterjay 0]

Not a problem PJ, its all good information. I'll have to try it without watering down to see if dries thicker.

 

Thanks for the input. Someone as old and experienced and old as you is an invaluable resource.

 

Kirk

 

And this from a guy whose last birthday cake looked like a prairie fire. I'll have you know that in my family, I'm barely middle-aged. Most of us live well into our 90s, excepting of course, the ones who were caught conducting family business in death penalty states.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

I was wondering who invited the firemen to my last birthday! Damn nosy neighbors.

[agn54 0]

Great stuff Kirk, it's nice to know what you may be getting with the various epoxies. I have never used liquid fusion but use Aileen's fabric fusion alot which I assume are very similar. I use thin coats on poppers and heads and don't need a wheel for those, but I do use the wheel for thicker coats because it does droop if you let it sit. It dries clear and so f`ar hasn't yellowed.

 

PJ, those are some great looking flies, where did you buy them?

[lykos33 0]

now that's funny agn54! I mean, "Now agn54, you know PJ would never post a fly he bought"

Murray

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Ya'll didn't realize PJ is really a 16 year old Girlscout that sits by the computer crocheting beanie caps for the troop and keeps entertained by posting fly related pictures from her uncle's photobucket account to get a rise out of us.

 

Great looking flies PJ's uncle, I've seen you post those before and I know you got the recipe from your uncle but I can't remember how you made the body. Care to look that recipe up and share it with us again?

 

Thanks,

Uncle Kirk

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

Hey wait a minute here I have from a very reliable source that PJ is not a girl scout but my 8 legged friend does say that he digitally alters all of his fly pictures to remove any watermarks that would prove that he didn't tie them

[Peterjay 0]

WHAT THE HELL???????

 

Ya know, it’s getting to the point around here where a man can’t spend a few relaxing hours at a Justin Bieber concert without being surreptitiously attacked by a pack of vicious forum rats whose sole mission in life consists of dreaming up libelous barbs to be hurled at one of the most intelligent, generous, and talented individuals ever to have graced this republic of ours with his presence. Obviously, the new policy of evening internet access in federal prisons was a grievous mistake. It’s equally obvious that these malodorous reptiles are in dire need of alternative recreational opportunities that don’t overtax their limited intellectual capacities, such as wagering on professional wrestling matches or watching reruns of “Married With Children.”

 

In the ten years of its existence, the Fly Tying Forum has failed miserably in one respect: its lack of thorough background checks has allowed these pages to become infested with perverts, jackals, and undesirables of every stripe. A lesser man would walk away in disgust, but being made of sterner stuff, I shall continue in my thankless role as the voice of civilization in this nest of snakes.