Applying head cement

[RHenn]

When you apply head cement to a small fly, what do you use to apply it with? Bodkin? Toothpick? Just want to keep the cement out of the eye and off the feathers. Or maybe I am over thinking it.LOL

[sagefisher]

RHenn,

I use two different methods. I will either use the tip of the bodkin, very lightly dipped in the head cement. That way you can cover all the thread with a thin layer. Or, far more often now, I simply apply a bit of cement on a very short strip of the thread before I finish the head and the cement simply goes on more internal in the head tan external. Then again, I have been using a whip finish more and more and don't often use head cement on many of my flies.

Do what you want to. You are the one tying the fly.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Joe Billingsley]

I, also, apply the cement or super glue to the thread before whip finishing. I do it that way more for keeping the cement off the feathers than out of the eye. I can always clean out the eye.

Joe

[herefishy]

Is there such a thing as "slow" superglue? I have tried applying it to the thread, but can't make my final whip before the glue hardens.

[ScottP]

I trim out most of the bristles on the Sally Hansen brush and use that for application; any cement that gets into the hook eye I remove while it's still wet with the tip of a feather. Seems to work okay.

Regards,
Scott

[John Rhoades]

I trim out most of the bristles on the Sally Hansen brush and use that for application; any cement that gets into the hook eye I remove while it's still wet with the tip of a feather. Seems to work okay.

Regards,
Scott

Scott -

Do you dry the brush before trimming it? If so, how?

Thanks, John

[johnstoeckel]

I use Sally Hansen's as well. But I dump it into an old head cement bottle with the bodkin top and use that to apply it to the fly.

I don't use cement on smaller dry flies. It can be messy to apply and too easy to mess up hackles or eyes , at least for me.

The butt end of a hackle stem makes a great eye cleaner. Take the butt end of a hackle that you were going to throw away -- a soft hackle with a thicker and more tapered stem works best, strip off the remaining fibers and clip the stem at an angle.

[Joe Billingsley]

John,
I'm sure Scott has a better way, but when I trim the bristles I'll soak the brush in polish remover for a while, let it dry and then trim it.

Joe

[ScottP]

Do you dry the brush before trimming it? If so, how?

John,

No; I just cut the fibers at their base. Didn't really need, or want, to have the brush dry out.

Regards,
Scott

[Don_P]

Ordinarily I'll touch the super glue or SHHN to the thread before whip finishing. Depending on the type and size of the fly I'll also use a bodkin to touch a drop to the head and let it soak in. I'm also a big dubbing wax user and during the "construction" process I'll touch the dubbing wax to the eye of the hook filling the eye with wax. Helps keep out unwanted glue or lacquer and the wax is very easy to remove.

Is there such a thing as "slow" superglue? I have tried applying it to the thread, but can't make my final whip before the glue hardens.

I'm using Zap / Wapsi "Z-ment" and haven't had any premature hardening issues.