16 replies to this topic

[Fred H.]

The new tuffleye material debuted at the GCC conclave this weekend with Bob Popovics on hand to demonstrate some of his new patterns using the new soft material. This material cures faster than the previous hard core material and remains clear and flexible. Being soft improved the fishabilitiy of his ultra hair shrimp. The soft head on the surf candy may help the fish hold that fly just a bit longer, allways a plus. I sat and talk with Bob and the Tuffleye owner about the many possible applications for this material and we concluded the only limit is the immagination of the tyer. I returned home , my mind spinning not able to focus on a single fly or application with out jumping to another. I'm just going to have to shut myself in my tying room and see what I can come up with.
Fred

[the saltydog]

Is that stuff the same as the Loon knot sense or wader repair?

[DoubleHaul]

Sounds like cool stuff!
Does it cure to a tacky finish like the regular?

[Fred H.]

Sounds like cool stuff!
Does it cure to a tacky finish like the regular?

Yes to a smaller degree. I wipe of alchohol and its gone. It's due in part to the curring process of the material. The inert properties in the material rise to the surface. When I used a similar material in my dental lab several years ago there were two ways to prevent this from happening. 1 was to place a clear plastic sheet against the material at curring .Or 2 use a liguid Air Barrrier Coating then rinse it off.
Salty dog it is a similar material in that they are all light cured acrylics that cure in a different light spectrum.

[whatfly]

The new tuffleye material...we concluded the only limit is the imagination of the tyer...

I beg to differ. A very major limitation of this material is its very high cost. Add to this the relatively short shelf life (1-1.5 years w/o refrigeration), and I really don't understand the attraction of Tuffleye, other than it is easy to manage. For the price, I can go through an awful lot of the more traditional materials. It is of course a really cool "toy" to play with...

[Fred H.]

The new tuffleye material...we concluded the only limit is the imagination of the tyer...

I beg to differ. A very major limitation of this material is its very high cost. Add to this the relatively short shelf life (1-1.5 years w/o refrigeration), and I really don't understand the attraction of Tuffleye, other than it is easy to manage. For the price, I can go through an awful lot of the more traditional materials. It is of course a really cool "toy" to play with...

The cost of the initlal kit is high but after that , the replacement material is quite affordable.
And I wont play the devil's advocate for Tuffleye just yet . I have not tried this material.
But they gave me a sizable ammount that I could try some things. So don't rush out and buy any just yet. At least not on my comments. But the flex material has different properties than any material on the market . It could lead to some very fish catching patterns. We will see.
Fred

[the saltydog]

the dry time on epoxy really turned me off from it, I have enjoyed using the Loon stuff. If this is better then the Loon, then I would like to hear about it and perhaps I'll grab the kit at the shows over the winter.

lets see what you make!

[DoubleHaul]

The high intial cost is the curing light. The resin is about $10 a tube.
I don't mind working with epoxy, but it bugs me that my flies turn yellow eventually.

[whatfly]

The high intial cost is the curing light. The resin is about $10 a tube.
I don't mind working with epoxy, but it bugs me that my flies turn yellow eventually.

That $10 for a tube of "core." You still need "finish" as well for another $4. BTW the tube's capcity are measured in cc's, not ounces. So for about what one would pay for 4 ounces of 30 minute epoxy, you get about a third of an ounce of Tuffleye. I do not tie enough saltwater patterns to make this a sensible expenditure, especially with the short shelf life of the product.

If all you need to do is avoid yellowing in the flies, just use a longer curing epoxy. A 30 minute epoxy should be fine in most cases and if you really want to go to town, use rod builder's epoxy.

While I really appreciate the "cool" factor and convenience of this product, it just doesn't sound practical to me but YMMV.

[TxEngr]

I'll jump in here since I had a chance to try the new material at the show. The new material does cure more quickly than the original material and is very flexible. Like the original, there is a tacky finish that is easily removed with an alcohol wipe to a finish like epoxy. As to cost, many of you have purchased a drying wheel to use for your epoxy flies and they often run about $50-60. The light costs about the same and you don't need a drying wheel anymore. I agree with others about the material cost - it's comparable to epoxy - at least the epoxy I was buying. The biggest difference is that you have to pay shipping on the material since it's not widely available (yet) and that jacks the cost up somewhat. I'll just buy more than I need and refigerate til needed.

As to shelf life - do you really expect your epoxy to last 2 years on the shelf? I have found that after about a year, the quality changes and it doesn't set properly anymore. And if it does set, it tends to yellow much quicker. So I make them both equal on this issue.

I had tried the Tuffleye product earlier and wasn't completely sold. I found that I wasn't curing it properly because I was holding the light too far from the fly. You hold the light about 1/4" from the fly and move it slowly so that any given area gets about 15 seconds of exposure. Done properly, the material cures very quickly. I've now purchased a kit for myself and plan to use it for a number of things.

Steve Flannagen of Shertz, TX was tying a spoon fly made with the product and I hope to have a video up soon showing his technique.

TxEngr

[JSzymczyk]

Hopefully the new stuff cures clear. The Tuffleye I bought last year cured with a yellow tint and that was unacceptable. For me, it was a waste of money. I started using Loon Knot Sense every place I would have used epoxy, and wanted to use Tuffleye, and I have been 100 percent satisfied. It cures in a somewhat flexible state also.

[Kimo]

Hopefully the new stuff cures clear. The Tuffleye I bought last year cured with a yellow tint and that was unacceptable. For me, it was a waste of money. I started using Loon Knot Sense every place I would have used epoxy, and wanted to use Tuffleye, and I have been 100 percent satisfied. It cures in a somewhat flexible state also.

You might try curing your Loon Knot Sense with a Dental Curing light. I got one from my dentist that he was throwing out.(He went to cordless.)
I also was able to purchase a used one from Craigslist for $30. Kerr-Demetron is one of the best (400, 401 or 501). Stay away from Dentsply Caulk - "The Max".
The curing light hardens the UV Knot Sense in 10 seconds, for a light coating, such as a wingcase. Or 30 seconds for a heavy coating such as on a
Latex Scud.
It hardens to a crystal clear finish and does not yellow, with no "filmy" residue.

Also, be sure to use the shield that comes with the unit because you are using an intense UV Light and is bad for your eyes.

I also have used the Tufflye and went back to the UV Knot Sense. It also comes in a larger tube.

Or just stick it in the sunlight. I tie in my basement, hense the need for the curing light.

Kimo

[Fred H.]

I'll jump in here since I had a chance to try the new material at the show. The new material does cure more quickly than the original material and is very flexible. Like the original, there is a tacky finish that is easily removed with an alcohol wipe to a finish like epoxy. As to cost, many of you have purchased a drying wheel to use for your epoxy flies and they often run about $50-60. The light costs about the same and you don't need a drying wheel anymore. I agree with others about the material cost - it's comparable to epoxy - at least the epoxy I was buying. The biggest difference is that you have to pay shipping on the material since it's not widely available (yet) and that jacks the cost up somewhat. I'll just buy more than I need and refigerate til needed.

As to shelf life - do you really expect your epoxy to last 2 years on the shelf? I have found that after about a year, the quality changes and it doesn't set properly anymore. And if it does set, it tends to yellow much quicker. So I make them both equal on this issue.

I had tried the Tuffleye product earlier and wasn't completely sold. I found that I wasn't curing it properly because I was holding the light too far from the fly. You hold the light about 1/4" from the fly and move it slowly so that any given area gets about 15 seconds of exposure. Done properly, the material cures very quickly. I've now purchased a kit for myself and plan to use it for a number of things.

Steve Flannagen of Shertz, TX was tying a spoon fly made with the product and I hope to have a video up soon showing his technique.

TxEngr

I just mailed Steve some molds for his spoons and a crab body for the flex material. If the molds work as well as we expect, after his experimenting we may offer them to the public.The molds are made of a clear rigid but somewhat flexible material we use in the lab to make mouth guards and should allow the tuffleye to be cured from all angles and the fly to be easily removed thus speeding production with repeatable exacting results.The use of the clear mold will also create and air barrior which will allow the material to cure hard and smooth with no residue.This will remove a step and also speed production.
Fred

[Harold Ray]

after his experimenting we may offer them to the public

I will want a set of those, Fred.

Ray

[TxEngr]

The first of the videos are posted with Bob Popovics tying his Surf Candy fly. It's a good demonstration of using the Tuffleye material. You can watch it at http://www.youtube.c...re=channel_page . I've been using the material for several weeks now, and the more I use it, the better I like it. The Ultra Shrimp are easy and I've got some ideas for a crawfish fly using similar techniques.

Fred, it sounds like you're doing what I plan to do - get some actual bait crabs and make molds. I plan on using silicone since I don't have access to the dentist stuff. Let me know how it all works and post some pics. Steves video is in edit now and I hope to post it sometime next week.

Buddy