Peterjay 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2017 Flat Rock - that's an old link to my photography website. I'd forgotten it's even there, since I stopped exhibiting a few years ago. It depends on what you're tying. I use Flexament (or it's equivalent - I make my own) for a construction cement and either a head cement, (Sally Hansen) Liquid Fusion or epoxy, and it takes care of all my needs. I tie for salt water, and the harsh conditions require that ALL materials be glued down securely. (a lot of tyers use superglue, but IMHO it can be more of a hassle than it's worth) You can get away without using a lot of glue in fresh water, but the fact remains that cement will make your flies more durable. Most commercial cements come in a bottle with a polyethylene stopper under the cap. Just insert a large needle through the stopper, and there's your applicator. You can also pick up a needle with a wooden handle at Michael's or AC Moore. (I think they're in the pottery section) Like I said, it's all about your fishing conditions, and how durable your flies need to be. FYI pjay, the link in your signature line may be broken... Flat Rock - that's an old link to my photography website. I'd forgotten it's still there, since I stopped exhibiting a few years ago. Here's a link to my current site, although there's not much on it. (I'd also forgotten the new site is there - I'm not exactly the most ambitious guy on the planet.) Thanks for the heads-up. http://www.peterjacobsonart.com/photography Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreshH20 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2017 Thanks for all the responses, very helpful. I guess, like the rest of fly tying, as I keep at it, in a few weeks of months it'll all be second nature. So, Sally Hansen's is a nail polish harder and I can get it in the beauty section? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flat Rock native 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2017 Thanks for all the responses, very helpful. I guess, like the rest of fly tying, as I keep at it, in a few weeks of months it'll all be second nature. So, Sally Hansen's is a nail polish harder and I can get it in the beauty section? Get Sally's at ubiquitous cosmetic departments everywhere.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2017 Get the clear nail polish at the dollar store Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSzymczyk 0 Report post Posted February 19, 2017 sometimes, like anything else, "glue" is the right tool for the job. If you tie only smallish trout flies where at the head maybe a few fibers or a hackle stem is all that is tied in, a whip finish with no glue will be just fine. Tie a streamer with a full squirrel tail wing on a size 2 and don't use any cement. Get back to me when you see how long it lasts. This ASSumes of course you value detail and craftsmanship. You could tie in difficult materials at the front of a fly and have a huge dumpy looking head with no cement and it might last a while. I tie my flies for ME, and I value precision along with durability. I tie a lot of bucktails. I cut the hair to the correct length before tying in and brush on a bit of cement before making my thread wraps from back to front. I've learned over 30 some years of doing it that this method causes a fly to be very durable along with having the smallest reasonable thread head which gets the job done. Thinned flexament (Goop thinned with Toluene) brushed on the bottom of a spun deer hair bug soaks through the hair into the thread wraps, if done correctly, and causes the fly to be nearly indestructable. Important to me when I spend an hour crafting a deer hair bug. A drop of Zap-a-Gap thin formula on the tie-in point of dumbell eyes causes them to be locked in place for the most part. If they are tied in correctly (x-wraps AND round and round under the eyes and over the x-wraps) the drop of CA glue saturates the thread and bonds it to the hook shank. If I want to stick eyes on the side of a baitfish imitator, nothing does better than synthetic silicone such as Plumbers and Marine Goop. Epoxies and the various UV cured polymers are not as useful to me as the others although I have messed around with them. It's not a "crutch" when used correctly. It's just a tool. So, because I tie all different kinds of flies for all different kinds of fish, I have a few different glues on my bench. Zap-a-Gap thin in the pink bottle, Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails as a general head cement, Goop thinned with toluene as a "flexament", and regular thick marine Goop for heavy duty jobs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris_NH 0 Report post Posted February 19, 2017 It's not a "crutch" when used correctly. It's just a tool. The term "crutch" inherently means that folks tend to become dependent on something and over use it. By definition it's not a crutch when it's used correctly, and correctly is sparingly. All I was saying is that the glues tend to be overused and one is better to restrict usage to limited areas and let tying technique be the primary contributor to fly durability. That's the right habit to get into, not reflexively reaching for it every time one wraps peacock herl or ties in a set of dumbbell eyes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted February 19, 2017 if a tyer feels there is a benefit to adding a tiny drop of any kind of glue during the process of tying a fly then just do it. and dont forget adding that half hitch especially after wrapping a perfectly smooth tinsel body. one bump on the bobbin HOLDER and it all comes undone i too add a drop of glue to slippery material such as squirrel tail as joel mentions above i will also coat the wrapped thread underbody with gorilla brand crazy glue when using stripped peacock herl and stripped hackle stems or when fabricating wings for feather winged streamers (even the highly experienced tyers do that) i dont use glue on every single fly i tie but i use it when it adds a benefit to the fly gluing doesnt hurt anything so use it as you see fit Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSzymczyk 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2017 It's not a "crutch" when used correctly. It's just a tool. The term "crutch" inherently means that folks tend to become dependent on something and over use it. By definition it's not a crutch when it's used correctly, and correctly is sparingly. All I was saying is that the glues tend to be overused and one is better to restrict usage to limited areas and let tying technique be the primary contributor to fly durability. That's the right habit to get into, not reflexively reaching for it every time one wraps peacock herl or ties in a set of dumbbell eyes. I copy. The lifeblood of this craft/art/pastime is wrapping materials to a hook shank with thread. Got to be careful when talking about changes or, as some would say, advancements in the way things are done. Some of the most revered fly tiers of the early-mid last century didn't use vises... One of the earlier "famous" fly fishermen (I can't remember who- Joe Brooks, Lee Wulff, Ray Bergman... ? ) was selling fly hooks with plastic molded bodies on them as soon as the plastics industry got up and running to the point of making it feasible. I'm sure lots of people had heartburn with that- and it didn't take off among FLY FISHERMEN, but my God, look at the scale of the soft-plastic lure industry right now. Carrie Stevens used to glue together sets of wings for her Rangeley Streamers well in advance. If someone is just gluing stuff to a hook, then no it's not really fly TYING. As fly tiers we are tied (ha ha) to a form of expressionism bound by (ha ha again) what and how we can tie a bit of material to a hook or a tube or a bent wire. A bit of glue here and there makes some of my flies a whole lot nicer and more durable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2017 lee wulff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flat Rock native 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2017 Flytire, is that a Chell's Panfish Attractor, Parachute Variant? Was Lee Wulff attempting to match the hatch of baby Picket Pins? Once caught a fat Cuttbow on the WindRiver Reservation that partially swallowed one, just before it sucked up my Yellow Humpy. The fish survived the encounter, the rodent did not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2017 Nope ... flytire ties much better patterns than this; Even in a parachute version, it'd be upside down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flat Rock native 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2017 Nope ... flytire ties much better patterns than this; panfish attractor 2.jpg Even in a parachute version, it'd be upside down. :0 Still want one, if even if I must tie myself. Somebody just keeps beating me to the roadkill Coons on way to town Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrew.da.cook 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2017 Glue is always going to have a spot on my desk along with lacquer. Knowing when to use them is key. I never understood people putting lacquer while attaching lead eyes (maybe someone could explain the thought process here?) but a glue will bound, lacquer will protect. I have generally a thin and thick of glue and lacquer as they all have their certain purpose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites