Why not thinned shoe goo?

[SilverCreek 0]

Does it ever "seep" up between the stripped herl or biot so it is visible?

Do you also cover the biots to protect it - kind of a belt and suspenders process?

[chugbug27 0]

If you use too much it seeps and makes a mess. As with other glues, and even worse. Only, with zap a gap it's easy to apply tiny amounts, and they stick. That's what sent me back home to mama, so to speak.

I don't like to cover but you could. 

[petelangevin 0]

I used thinned goop,  cant remember what i thinned it with.  But i still have the tube somewhere.  It was the coating i covered my yarn crabs with to give that realistic crunch.   

[cphubert 0]

Thinn with Xylene, Toluene is better but not as safe ? as if either are safe in a enclosed area. I use it for making home mixed flex cement with shoe goo.

[chugbug27 0]

27 minutes ago, cphubert said:

Thinn with Xylene

Tried it but it didn't mix thoroughly and was milky... Any secret?

[cphubert 0]

All I do is squeeze the shoe goo into a metal container (like a small paint can with a brush) then fill it with thinner shake and let it sit.  I might remember having the  same issue but it cleared off after the goo dissolved into it.  All I have done for the last couple of years is add Xylene to get the consistency I want. 

[chugbug27 0]

Maybe I used too much goo. 

[cphubert 0]

 

Don't remember the ratio but I think it is on the forum also make sure your goop does not contain styrene as a base (more than one goop formula ? ) or it will turn to a white glob. my notes reflect I found this info on the forum search flexcement. I started with 60% thinner by volume and have added more over time and maybe more when I started mixing notes are not that good for my ratio.

 

[chugbug27 0]

Well, @cphubert, I have the white glob shoe goo syndrome, for sure. I checked for ingredients... It's original formula shoe goo, which according to Wikipedia means it's a styrene-butadiene copolymer. My thinner (goof-off) is a mixture of acetone and xylene.

🙄🤯

Time for me to back out of the chemistry lab. Hazards of an English degree. Just because I can read and think does not mean I can thin glue.

🙃

[cphubert 0]

That's why I like this forum I learn new things all the time from a lot of sources.

[Fish Finder 0]

I used to make my adhesive by using a George Harvey formula.  It was three parts toluene to one part Shoe Goo.  But one of my chats with Chris Helm before he died ended that practice.  Chris got excited I used this knock-off of Flexament, because he said it was too toxic.  Later, I learned from a commercial tier that toluene is a Class 2 carcinogenic.   He suggested I use Fly Tite, which is plant-based and denatured alcohol.  I do use Sally Hansen Hard As Nails but as a coat to remove tackiness from UV epoxy.  Sometimes I use Hard As Hull.  Besides the high gloss adhesive, it also has a penetrator adhesive.   

[cphubert 0]

I haven't heard that name in a while, remember Chris Helm from the fly tying symposiums. Nice guy, generous with his time and materials. Was happy to see Whitetail Fly Tieing continue after his passing.

[Fish Finder 0]

cphubert, Nancy and Mike Richardson purchased Whitetail Flytieing (sic) Supplies from Chris and moved the shop from Toledo to Geneva, IL.  I was one of their first customers.  Nancy will move heaven and earth to find fly tying materials for fly tiers.  Chris was very generous with his time.  Every time I called him, we would spend quite a long time on the phone.  He would not only answer my original question but launch into several other tips that I found valuable to know.  Chris was one of the leading experts on hair, esp. deer hair.  His bucktail was the best I've ever seen.  Fortunately, the Richardsons have kept up his standard.  They sell a premium bucktail that is the same quality as Chris sold.  

[DrLogik 0]

Remember Flexament?  It's been mentioned previously.  You can make your own by using a 50/50 mix of Shoo Goo and Toluene (used to be called toluol).  Pour some Toluene into an old bottle 1 oz. glass bottle then squirt the same amount of Shoo Goo, cap and shake.  I use it for Jungle Cock eyes as it remains flexible and doesn't tend to peel off.  For head cement, it works just as well as the old Flexament but I like a harder head cement and don't use it much for that.

[Gene L 0]

I said earlier I used Shoe Goo, but I was mistaken.  What I used is "Goop".  It's clear and toluene (dry cleaning fluid?) will thin it out.  I've got a tube of it, unopened, and I don't plan to open it ever.  Got enough stuff on my desk already.  Apparently, it's no longer made.