Cheap UV Resins

[SilverCreek 0]

For those who wonder what causes the tackiness of some resins, I explain the reason here.

[Stippled Popper 0]

Stippled, what about the light, maybe iridescent or incandescent exposure could do that or just time. I've had silver mylar tubing spoonflies develop a tinting over time but it was longer than a few years. Those were in a fly box in a fly bag so they weren't even exposed to artificial light. Who knows, maybe a chemist?

 

Incandescent lights with shades at my desk. The overhead light is generally off.

[jacobellis008 0]

Thanks for the responses everyone! My question is now what type of UV light to buy... I've heard they have to been in the 385-400 NM range....

[hector 0]

I usually use CCG. I am going to order some Solarez and give it a try.

[FlaFly 0]

Jason

I have read the several Solarez reviews including the one reviewing several different UV lights. I have two questions for you:

1. You found that the Ace Hardware light worked for Solarez resin... do any of these lights work on any UV-cure resins based on your experience?

2. What are the comparative prices of the various lights? A lot of the responders on these threads are professional tyers, and it is worth while for the to spend a few bucks extra if it helps increase their output. For a hobbyist like me, rushing to completion isn't the point... and spending lots of money when I could get by otherwise is also not attractive. Clear Creek in this thread said the same thing.

[kimjensen 0]

I made an experiment today with Loon UV clear fly finish Thick. I started the experiment a little late, so the sun was only shining directly at the window for half an hour. Yesterday I made a little copper fly and coated it with the resin, cured it for 30sec with the light.

 

It did not cure tack free after 30min in the sun with open window, so no UV was blocked, however it became less tacky. Got a little better result when I took some resin on a paper, cured it for 30sec with the light and then sat outside with my wife and daughter for about half an hour or a little more with the paper in the sun, but it still felt tacky.

Tomorrow I will buy the thin version of Loon and see if it gets better. If it does I will use that as a finishing top coat.

 

I'm Still going to see how long the thick version takes to cure fully tack free in direct sunlight.

[JohnP 0]

I use SilverCreek's resin. 10 seconds under one of his lights and it is tack-free. I also have the Loon products and I can't get them to dry tack free, which is why I asked for SilverCreek's products from my wife for Christmas.

[SilverCreek 0]

The video below shows how fast my resin cures. The video was made by a fly tier who bought a resin kit from me at the 2014 Badger Fly Fishers Spring Opener Conclave in Madison, Wisconsin. I was tying Harrison Steeves TransparAnts and the video show how he ties one.

 

The reason I post the video it that it shows how fast my resin cures. You will notice at about 4:25 into the video, that the resin cures so fast with the high power flashlight that there is a wisp of smoke. The fast cure also limits the possibility of any oxygen inhibition and a tacky surface.

 

My resin is designed to cure VERY fast so it saves time for the fly tier. But that wisp of smoke is overheating and can discolor the resin. Overheating depends on how thick the resin layer is and how close the light is to the resin.

 

If you are using the high power light and it smokes, back off initially so you have a less intense beam. The resin may smoke when you keep a UV laser on one spot too long. With the laser, turn the laser on away from the fly and then "paint" the resin by moving the laser over the resin surface to prevent overheating.

 

I opted for a fast cure and the fly tier can control the rate of cure depending on thick the resin coat is and how close the light is to the resin. It doesn't take much time to learn how to get the fastest cure possible without over heating the resin. If I can save you 20 seconds a fly on resin cure, that means more flies tied per hour.

 

Placing flies outside or next to an open window is not an option during winter in my part of the country.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK6P02Dc5pc

[kimjensen 0]

As long as you don't ship outside US, then I have to go with what I can get :-)

Deer Creek has got some good reviews however.

[JasonJones 0]

Jason

I have read the several Solarez reviews including the one reviewing several different UV lights. I have two questions for you:

1. You found that the Ace Hardware light worked for Solarez resin... do any of these lights work on any UV-cure resins based on your experience?

2. What are the comparative prices of the various lights? A lot of the responders on these threads are professional tyers, and it is worth while for the to spend a few bucks extra if it helps increase their output. For a hobbyist like me, rushing to completion isn't the point... and spending lots of money when I could get by otherwise is also not attractive. Clear Creek in this thread said the same thing.

Sorry for the late reply...

1) I haven't found a light or resin that wont work together yet. I've tried... CCG, Loon, Solarez, Bug Bond and Rio...

2) You can score the scorpion lights for $10 pretty easily and they work well. The Solarez light is $39 and I really like it. But $30 is a lot of other materials if you're looking to save some money.

[FlaFly 0]

Thanks Jason

You answered my questions precisely. It's so refreshing to get a direct answer to a question online. I'm asking all this stuff for future reference as I haven't had much opportunity to play with hot glue or straight epoxy. I need to know what that's like before I move on to UV.

Thanks again

[starsky 0]

Problem with cheap lights is they are not powerful enough. And you are better with one that has a single bulb for a concentrated light! My experience with the cheaper torches is that they dont cure the resin quickly, and the batteries can be expensive. It took a while before I bit the bullet and bought my Bug-Bond kit. Purely for the cost! But I wish I got it sooner. It's excellent, takes one double AA battery and cures quikly with no tackiness at all.

[SilverCreek 0]

The Bug Bond UV Light is $59.25. It is not the strongest UV light, and in my opinion, it is way overpriced. It uses an AA battery at 1.5V

 

http://www.bearsden.com/product11020.html

 

 

 

The Solarez UV light is $39.00 and the CCG Pro UV light is $60.00. They both use 2 CR123 Batteries which are 3 V each = 6 volts. I sell the same flashlight for $30.00.

 

http://www.solarez.com/productsnew/uv_flashlight.html

 

http://www.bearsden.com/product11566.html

 

 

 

 

 

I bought and tested the Bug Bond light against my $30 high power UV flashlight and my flashlight cures the resin much faster. My flashlight has the same LED and batteries as the Solarez and CCG Pro Plus light.

 

The video below will show you how fast it cures. Fast forward to 4 minutes 30 seconds to see the cure takes a few seconds with my flashlight.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK6P02Dc5pc

[starsky 0]

Yeah well I wish I was on this forum before i bought the kit lol. The light I had before was one with multiple bulbs! It was crap, I agree it is overpriced. I use my resin to coat buzzers, its the lite Bug-Bond I use and it takes seconds, Theres an adaptor available now that fits the torch and plugs straight into the mains, but I cant justify that. One thing silvercreek, how much to replace the batteries?

[SilverCreek 0]

I use CR123 2000mAh Li Ion rechargeable battery kit. 4 batteries and a smart charger.