Solvents??

[lou t]

What are the generic solvents for commonly used fly tying chemicals such as Fleximent, yellow vinyl cement, Sally Hansons, Shoe Goo, Gloss cement, Soft Gel, Griff's cement, Flex Coat, etc.?

[DianeID]

I like Loon products. They make several types.

[ducksterman]

Fleximent/Shoo-Goo/Goop=tolulene

Flex Coat = Xylol[think that's xylene]

Nail polish /Sally Hansen's =acetone

[Paddy80701]

What the Duck said, but one universal solvent that will work for all three is good old fashioned lacquer thinner. A pint costs $2.50 or so and will last you a life time! Buy it at the paint or hardware store or even Wally world and you are in business.

------- Paddy------------------<(*)))><{

[bowfin47]

Toluene and Xylene are the primary solvents for making your own cements from Goop or E6000.

BE careful inhaling these items, 'cuz both are know to cause cancer in California....

[ducksterman]

Toluene and Xylene are the primary solvents for making your own cements from Goop or E6000.

BE careful inhaling these items, 'cuz both are know to cause cancer in California....

Bowfin,
I always when I see this...and I have to ask...since I spend my winters in Calif. and the rest in Oregon is it OK if I use them durig the time in Oregon

Don't take this wrong..I agree with you....

[bowfin47]

California has its own EPA, and they make their own determination on things. Therefore, you will see warnings about things causing Cancer, in California...

Actually, I use both toluene and xylenes, but I try to limit my exposure... i,e don't use a lot in unventilated rooms, 'cuz it cannot be good for your health to breath any organic solvent.

Just think about the "term" - "Organic Solvent!"

[dmdmd]

scott sanchez likes goop--try looking in his book on introduction to saltwater flies

[Gandolf]

Hi Lou,

The solvent for Fleximent is tricholoroethane, at least it was when I analyzed some a few years ago.

Another chemist and member of another fly tying bulletin board had analyzed some as tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or "perc", which is used by dry cleaners. (Dry cleaners have a surfacant (read as sort of "soap") added to the perc.) Thus, I believe that more than one solvent was used for Fleximent.

Toluene will cut Goop and make a Fleximent, I have used it.

Head cement is Lacquer, just like you buy at the paint store or lumber yard. It can be solvated with lacquer thinner, but better results are had with methylethylkeytone, commonly know as "MEK." MEK can be had at a paint store of lumber yard. It is far superior to the lacquer thinner that I have used.

Finger nail polish is often also lacquer. The solvents vary a great deal, and are often mixtures of several different chemical compounds. At least 20 or so are used. These often contain varous small famlies of compounds including: keytones, esters, alcohols, etc. MEK would work fine, but might offend the ladies nose, and it and/or acetone would rapidly go after PVC plumbing pipe if a concentrated shot went into the down the drain.

Lacquer thinner, mentioned above, might be a "universal solvent" for some of the different products listed. However, I don't believe it would work real well for Fleximent, or Goop. Toluene would work better. MEK would work better for Lacquer.

With regard to the other fly tying cements, I have no experience with them, as I only use Head Cement and Fleximent. I do suspect, however, that all of the various things used typically for these cements will boil down into a very few...maybe as many as 4, or as small as 2, types of actual products. Various manufactures put the same stuff in bottles under their own name and then each call the stuff under their own trade name. Thus it appears that there are many more products than in fact exist. These guys don't make the basic products, they only mix what they can buy and put it in bottles.

I have made a fleximent type product from Goop and Toluene, and have used it to treat feathers for wings. However, it is nasty enough that I treat the feathers outdoors or in the garage. Only when they are quite dry do I bring them into the house.
Thus, I agree with the advise to aviod breathing the vapors from toluene or xylenes.

Regards,

Gandolf