finishing fly heads

[troutnabout 0]

I'm having difficulty geting a nice clear finnish on my fly heads using regular head cement. Ends up cloudy. What am I doing wrong? :dunno:

[Guest]

I don't know it may be the brand. I usually use flex-loc and apply two or three coats on fly's I want to have a glossy head. Sally Hansons has always dried clear for me as well.

[troutnabout 0]

I don't know it may be the brand. I usually use flex-loc and apply two or three coats on fly's I want to have a glossy head. Sally Hansons has always dried clear for me as well.

 

thanks sc,I'll give it a try

 

[Guest]

A whip finnish and call it good. No need for a glued head on a fishable.I the fish gets it before the rocks I'm happy.

Brent

[robow7 0]

I've used Loon head cement for years but over time, I find myself using clear Sally Hansens Hard as Nails for just about everything now, it has a nice sheen to it and it works.

[Crotalus 0]

For nymphs i usually use Loon water based which is very thin and soaks into the wraps quickly.

 

For glossy heads i use Sally Hansen or Loon Hardhead

 

I just bought some epoxy to try for the first time on flies like clousers.

[troutnabout 0]

Loon : waterbase cement is what's clouding up. Maybe it was too old when I bought it .temperature too extreme?

[Blues Brother 0]

I'm with wickedcarpenter. I whip finish twice and that's it.

 

 

 

~Bryce

[mtn 0]

I usually just put abit of clear nail varnish on, after about a 6 whip finish.

[flyline64 0]

For something that soaks in (as opposed to a glossy head) you might try brush-on super glue. Loctite made the original (its called "Quik Tite"),

 

 

but Krazy Glue now has their own version (some versions are purple, but dry clear).

 

You need to be careful not to glue hackles or dubbing, so don't use the brush when using it as head cement. Best way is to dab on with a bodkin (or even a pin for small flies). Just use the smallest possible drop. It dries very quickly and holds like iron. Its also great for cementing parachute posts, thread wraps over lead, etc. (the brush works fine on these larger surfaces).

 

(When I first learned to tie, I was told not to use super glue for head cement because it wouldn't soak into the thread. That may have been true of original glue formulas, but the brush on stuff soaks in readily.)

 

 

[Joe Hard 0]

I'm having difficulty geting a nice clear finnish on my fly heads using regular head cement. Ends up cloudy. What am I doing wrong? :dunno:

 

Might be that you are not allowing enough time for each coat to dry before putting on another coat.

[Hywel 0]

Veniard's 'Cellire' - No. 1 Clear

 

3-4 thin coats allowing 24 hours between coats.

 

Hywel

[troutnabout 0]

Thanks for all the suggestions!. Joe I think you hit it right with the drying time. :yahoo:

[Flysmith 0]

I've never used super glue. I don't know if it is a fact, but I've been told or read somewhere that super glues are not waterproof. I use Softex for everything except eggs and jigs. On those patterns, I use Sally's Hard as Nails.

[flyfishingtaz 0]

I add just a touch of thinner to mine when I first open it. It goes on like water, but it holds well, and you dont even know its been applied.