Flex-cement

[coltranem]

I started fly tying last winter and picked up some Dave's Flexcement from Umqua to finish my heads off with. Now I have not tied anything since last February. The other night I went to tie some flies and the cement was the consistency of wax, It would not seep into the threads. Now I had the cement with the lid tight in my basement all summer. The container it came in had both a plastic cap and a rubber gasket that I assume was meant to be used with a bodkin.

What did I do wrong? Can I fix it? How do I stop it from happening again?

[Bugsy]

What did I do wrong?

Nothing necessarily. The plastic whatchamacallit for the bodkin may have prevented the lid from seating properly. Perhaps removing it will allow for a better seal.

Can I fix it?

Thin with toluene.

How do I stop it from happening again?

I've found Flexament does thicken more quickly than other "cements" I've tried. Buy a tube of Goop the next time you're getting low on Flexament. Thin the Goop with toluene to get your homemade Coltranem's Flexament. For the price of a couple bottles of Dave's Flexament, you can buy Goop and toluene and have the equivalent of many bottles of Flexament. Plus you'll have the means to mix it to the desired consistency and maintain it that way, too.

[ducksterman]

I use goop for lots of things and consequently some tubes start to thicken...I salvage them and thin with toluene and as those jars thicken I add toluene....so I have several jars of goop/toluene of various consistencies...usefull for many things ...some not even related to fly fishing/tying

[Bugsy]

Like ducksterman says...Goop/toluene is much more useful than costly Flexament.

Of course, if you don't think you'll have much use for such a supply of your own concoction, you can drop $3 on one of those tiny bottles of Dave's Secret Thinner and put your current bottle back to life.

[Saltamontes]

I used flex-cement until someone mentionned Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails, I tried the stuff, works fine, it is cheaper, does not harden, and to top it off, my nails never looked this good. Now I very seldom use the stuff, a good whip finish and voila.

[coltranem]

Thanks for the tips guys....Where do I get toluene...Is it marketed under a brnad name.

Mike

[ducksterman]

One is Toluol....go to paint stores and it will be obvious...maybe Wal-Mart even has it???

[Bugsy]

I doubt walmart has it. Definitely check out a paint store or possibly a good, old-fashioned, rapidly-disappearing hardware.

Watch those fumes!

[modocdan]

Hey there coltranem ! I was out of fly tying for 25 years, and a couple years back took it up again. I was amazed at the changes and advances. Dave's Flexament is certainly one of the high points. I've heard many complaints about the cost, but I think it's pretty reasonable if you can actually use all of it out of the little bottles. Thing is, you pretty much can't without spending hours every day tying, before it gets hard, like you see. The Goop/toulene mix is exacly the same thing, far as I can tell, and is much cheaper. Also you can keep adding thinner as you go and stay a jump ahead of the drying process. Back in the old days nail polish was it, and pretty much now I'd say it still is. I found out about Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails too, and it's the schizzle ! Just like saltamontes says, a little dab, a whip, and shazzam ! The flexament goop is very cool though, and I still keep a bottle of it going for lots of things, including line to leader knots. However, I have more than one little square bottle of hard flexament hangin' around.
Happy tyin'..........................ModocDan