Zap A Gap, Super Glue, or Gorilla Glue

[Bob S]

I put a drop of zap a gap behind the bead when I'm tying a beadhead bugger or nymph, when tying in the crystal chenille on a bugger or dubbing a beadhead nymph, the material dives into the bead, superglue area, Just use a small amount. You can't spin the bead when the fly is done. I like the stuff.
Bob

[ducksterman]

This is what I use ...Mostly the one in the middle...and also Sally Hanson's....I wouldn't be above trying Denny's suggestions.

[EdD]

You got to use Sally Hansen's. It's a rite of passage for male fly fishers to have to go to Walgreen's to buy women's nail polish.
While you're there, pick us some nice tweezers.

Been there, done that, left a very disgusted clerk. Being enormously shy, I was emotionally scarred. (Alright right Miss Betty, quit giggling.)

[Longs for Cutts]

This is somewhat off topic, but the last time I bought Sally Hansen's, the clerk told me that she used to work at an auto glass shop, and that's the stuff they used to seal rock chips.

I use super glue most of the time. Nowadays it's color change Krazy Glue because that's what Wal-Mart has. The whitish residue one poster mentioned is due to a problem in the drying process. Basically, if the fly itself gets wet too soon OR if it's very humid, the glue reacts with the moisture to dry wrong. When glue won't work, either because it's wet out or because I'm afraid of melting legs, I use Sally Hansen's.

I have a story in the winter issue of Fly Fishing & Tying Journal on specific uses of glue in fly tying. Two things I ALWAYS use it for are securing wing butts on foam flies and as reinforcement for peacock bodies. You can wrap peacock over a reasonable amount of glue to make it indestructible, and as long as you don't grab the body, the glue won't mat down the herl fibers.

[FishnDave]

This is what I use ...Mostly the one in the middle...and also Sally Hanson's....I wouldn't be above trying Denny's suggestions.

Yeah, ducksterman! That's the stuff! The one with the blue cap is the one I've been using most lately for attaching 3D eyes.

[maodiver]

I like the gorilla super glue, it is supposed to be flexible...don't know if that matters, but it sounds cool. It takes longer to dry.

Why do I like it and use it?? It was on clearance at Target, and I am a cheapSOB.

[James Smith]

LIke many of the others here, I use head cement, Sally Hansen's "Hard as Nails" and super glue (Loc-tite), but I don't necessarily use them as substitutes for each other or for the same reasons. Super glue is great for making a fly almost indestructable. When tying down a chenille body, I will tie in the chenille and lay down a layer of base thread as I bring the thread to the eye of the hook. Then if I'm adding dumb bell eyes, I tie them in and add a drop of super glue to hold the eyes in place. Now I put a thin strip of superglue along the thread body and wrap the chenille up the shank. The only way to get this chenille off of the hook is with a razor blade or burn it off. The bottom line is that they are all very useful at the bench and each has its own "best" application. I even use Gorilla Glue, but that is to make floating bodies like ants etc not at adhesive.

Good question that started a very interesting thread.

Jim Smith

[lastchance]

I use Loctite mostly with Sally Hansen a close second. I found that a whip finish on small, straight-eye hooks tends to slip over the eye during usage. For that I take a small pin an add a drop of Loctite.

[Buddy Sanders]

If any of you are interested, and have access to a model shop, stop by and look at the various CA glues they have to offer.

The one I go to here has a 'list' with over twenty different types of CA glues. While they may use the same chemicals, each will be formulated a bit differently. This allows the manufacturer to bring out certain characteristics in the different mixes to meet the needs of the consumers. Some of these model guys are about as picky as most fly tyers, so they love the niche application stuff.

I use several 'types' of CA glues. One I found at the dollar store that's intended for artificial finger nails. It dries to a hard clear shine. It's also good for gap filling between bead body flies. From Hobby Lobby, I get bigger bottles of CA in thin, medium, and thick consistencies. The thin I use for sticking stuff to the hook shank, finishing heads when the appearence of the head isn't critical, and reinforcing stuff while tying (this bottle is always open on the bench right next to the clear lacquer I use as head cement). The medium is great with foam and for filing gaps in a thread head before finishing with a color coat. The thick fills big gaps and holds more porous materials. I still have a few bottles of Zap around, but I get the impression that the bulk stuff I get from Hobby Lobby is the same thing, or at least close enough that I can't tell them apart.

As was mentined earlier, 'cheap' is something I appreciate...which is why I tend to 'shop around' for this stuff.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[Uncle Jesse]

Since this is a pretty wide open discussion of adhesives, let me ask a question. I use a little of all of the above, except Gorilla glue, one of the warm water flies I make with some success is a foam bodied frog. My daughter gave me some 2" thick flip flops that were not longer in vogue that make great frogs and poppers. They are white and I color them with permanent markers. I use CA to glue on eyes and have noticed where the CA touches a marker colored surface it turns red, usually from yellow or green marker. It's not a problem it makes the eyes look pretty good sometimes but I'm a curious Sweet Ole Boy, like Mao is a cheap one.