I use nothing but the highest quality clear glossy lacquer,
which I buy by the quart and store in pint containers.
Many people are trying to reinvent head lacquer: They
say their brand penetrates deeper, last longer on the
fly, or is more impervious to water of all kinds. My
comment on this is to give you can example of the
lacquerware wooden salad bowl set I bought while in
the service in Japan more than forty years ago. We
still use it on a weekly basis. It hasn't cracked,
chipped, or peeled in all that time. The materials
on most flies won't last that long. The point is, how
can you improve on something that's as perfect as
good lacquer? If you want penetration, thin it.
If you want glassy heads, use two or three coats.
There is no sense in paying $3 or $4 for a couple
of ounces of lacquer and $1.50 or so for an ounce
or two of thinner at the fly shop when you can go to
your hardware or paint store and buy a quart of
lacquer and a pint of tinner for less than $10. A
quart of lacquer will do somewhere between five
thousand and ten thousand dozen flies, depending on
how much you spill. ~ AK Best
Credits: This tying tip is from
Production Fly Flying, Second
Edition by A.K. Best, published by Pruett
Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado. We
appreciate use permission.
Please check out the Fly Tying Section, on the Bulletin Board, here at FAOL too.
If you have any questions, tips, or techniques; send them to
publisher@flyanglersonline.com
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