The bottle of resin I bought was meant for making jewelry, not fly-tying. The light they sell is a desk top unit, that plugs into the wall and has a slot in the side where you slide the item into it and let it set. Same idea, but a very different application. I did use the resin successfully, but had to take my poppers outside on the deck rail to set up. I think the total setting time was about 15 minutes, but I never measured it.Originally Posted by SMClark
Clint
in far west Kentucky
Perhaps someone who knows more about the details can chime in, but it is my understanding that UV flashlights shine at specific wavelengths whereas sunlight covers a much broader spectrum (sic.), hence why you get different results. This is true for a lot of the UV curable acrylics, not just the product you tested. The length of the curing time can vary as well, depending on the product, and this one is one of the slowest I've heard of yet. Your hand-held UV flashlight probably did not have the proper range to cure the product. If you look around, you can find UV lights with broader ranges, some even like using UV 'laser pointers' which are supposedly more powerful (and don't make a difference as far as my experiments indicate), but probably easier just to find a different product.
As far as Solarez, really wish they had not learned so quickly how easy it is to gouge fly tiers. What they want to for a 1/2 oz. is ridiculous when you realize how cheap their other products are by the pint or quart. They have a thin UV lacquer substitute that looks very interesting and might serve as well as "Bone Dry" and it costs around $35 per PINT. At that price, it does not have to be identical, just close enough. YMMV.
Duplicate post deleted
Last edited by whatfly; 01-03-2019 at 05:53 PM.
Matt Grober videos show cure time within seconds. That too is my experience
5 - 10 minutes!!! Mine tuff, either Bondic or Loon sets in about 30 - 45 seconds. The Bondic can be found, at least around here, at the local do it all drugstore.
Mike
I have the bottles from Silver Creek. With the flashlight I got from him it takes about 12 to 15 seconds for the cure. No tackiness.
Rick
So here is what I got:
SolarEZ.jpg
The instructions on the side says it hardens in 3 minutes in the sunshine (emphasis mine).
I coated an in-process popper and using my Ebay UV light it went from wet to tacky in about 20 to 30 seconds for a thick bodkin applied coat.
Since poppers are the original purpose for which I wanted a UV Cured Resin, I believe this will work just fine. If I had, and may soon have. a better UV source such as the "UV Laser" (a UV Flashlight with a focusing lens) the dry time should be somewhat reduced.
Given the cost difference between the small bottle sold to fly-tiers and this 4 oz. bottle I think it will work just fine.
Perhaps the smaller faster setting bottle would be OK for fly heads since so little is used for that application.
But to get an equivalent amount of the small jar would cost $130 and I spent less than $18.
Clint
in far west Kentucky
Me, too, Rick. I think it's great.
resin from smaller bottles cure the same as the resin in larger bottles
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote