Best Clear Epoxy for Saltwater Fly Heads

[seanski 0]

I'm looking for the best epoxy to coat my saltwater fly heads. I've used Devcon 5 minute epoxy in the past, and it works fine initially, but the heads turn yellow in 6 months or so. I'm looking for an epoxy that wont yellow and has a relatively low viscosity. Fast curing is good, but not critical. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Guest]

I use the Decon 2-ton stuff for things I don't want to yellow as fast...says it cures in 30 minutes, but overnight is better.

 

Mark Delaney

[Swe-Classics 0]

I use Loon Soft head for every fly for saltwater, it dries quite fast and it´s non toxic. There is a hard head as well i use one layer over the finished head after building it with the soft. I recommend non poisonous material epoxy is very bad for you.

[sandflyx 0]

I use E-Zshape sparkle body, aka frabric paint

[sulfernut 0]

I like Z-Poxy....ALL epoxy seems to yellow over time tho' I have some surf candies I tied up about 7 years ago,using Z-poxy,and when i looked at them the other day,they were still gin-clear!!

[seanski 0]

Thanks for the responses. I had heard that the slower kicking epoxies are better than the fast, and had also heard about the Z-Poxy but haven't used it, so I'll give them a try. To those of you who recommended something other than an epoxy, does your head dressing help to keep your flies together when fishing? Last year I used one fly for literally a couple weeks, and probably caught over 20 stripers on it before a bluefish grabbed it and that was that. My feeling was that epoxy helps to keep the material together and on the hook, but maybe there are other types of dressing that do too. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

[sandflyx 0]

i"ve had blues and sharks on the ez shape with no problems, whats nice is you dont need a wheel.

[Swe-Classics 0]

i tye with kevlar thread so that´s not a problem

[seanski 0]

Thanks everyone. Lots of new ideas to try out, including the Kevlar thread. You have a favorite brand, Swe-Classics?

 

[jschmidt63 0]

In the past I used cheaper 5 minute epoxy that is showing yellowing for patterns about a year old or more. I switched over to zpoxy and it seems to be holding up better. Yes I heard too the 20 minute or longer epoxy keeps the clear color for longer but I never tested this out.

[Swe-Classics 0]

any will do but i use lagartun or veniard. Happy tying EZ shape body is great as well.

[saltydancindave 0]

Have 3 different types of epoxies on the fly tying desk & haven't even opened them in some 9 years ! The EZ shape sparkle in white or sand works well with a few coats as does Sof-Tex, just put on a finish coat or 2 of Sally Hansens' clear Hard as Nails after the initial applications have dried. Darker colors of EZ shape obviously don't leave a clear fly head, but have their purposes for all one color flys !

[Buzzby 0]

Since you're looking for the "best", try Tuffleye. Never yellows, doesn't crack. Bob Popvics endorsed the product, says he'll never go back to epoxy. Right now available only online at Tuffleye.com. Make sure you add the .com . this will put you into shop.wetahook.net where you can buy direct. Some tyers consider it pricey but if you're serious about your tying, it's might be worth looking into

[flycaster1953 0]

I'm looking for the best epoxy to coat my saltwater fly heads. I've used Devcon 5 minute epoxy in the past, and it works fine initially, but the heads turn yellow in 6 months or so. I'm looking for an epoxy that wont yellow and has a relatively low viscosity. Fast curing is good, but not critical. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Flex Coat Rod Builders Epoxy Glue.

It's waterproof where Devcon is not but takes much longer on the dryer.

Crystal clear after several years.

[Peterjay 0]

I've had pretty good luck with Flex-Coat, but I prefer Devcon 2-ton. Just about any epoxy will yellow if you keep it long enough, but you can delay it for a long time by making sure your flies are stored away from any light source. I have flies I tied with 2-ton that are at least 5 or 6 years old, and they're still nice and bright from being kept in the dark. The stuff I coated with 5-minute epoxy looks like amber after a year or two. A neat trick is to color your epoxy with the EZ Shape Sparkle Body stuff Dave was talking about. Just add a small amount of EZ Shape when you're mixing the epoxy and you can get some nice translucent colors with built-in glitter. Slap on some eyes and give it a clear coat over all. Just be careful not to use too much EZ Shape, or the epoxy won't cure.