I was in Bass Pro Shop the other day and, among other things, picked up a little WAPSI Perfect Popper kit - hard foam popper bodies, hooks, and a little instruction sheet. The directions say to glue the body in place on the hook, but don’t list any specific products. Just super-glue or epoxy.
Sounds easy enough, but looking through the different glues available at both my local Wal-Mart and a local hobby shop showed that most “super glue” specifically says Not for use on foam. So, what should I use?
i use the original super glue, which seems to work fine on all materials. I have used it on foam even though i make basswood poppers. The glue most recommended for poppers though is probably zap a gap. Just make sue you don’t touch the glue that is on the popper. The super glue i use can be found at wally world and is in a red and yellow container. If your going to try this the glue is cheaper if you can find it at a dollar store or a place like Big Lots.
indeed i do use some dowels, shape them with a dremel tool, drill a small hole through them, paint them, and tie on feathers. it takes awhile but its fun
I get the dowels, glue, craft paint, and renegade aberdeen hooks all from wally world. guess i should call it the wally world popper. Its a very cheap tie and overall it looks pretty good
I use the soft foam popper bodies or work them out of foam cylinders. I use 5 minute epoxy. It gives you enough working time to make adjustments to the way the body sits on the hook. And once it sets up that popper body isn’t going to come loose. In the past I’ve had bodies attached with super glue come loose or twist on me.
I do it a littled differently. Most of the time I run a darning needle through the foam.
I have wrapped the shank with thread. I then put a little zap-a-gap on the thread near the eye and then push the foam onto the shank using the channel made by the darning needle.
For larger hooks, I use a 1/64 inch bit in a dremel tool to make the channel.
For softbodies (like foams) I use Loctite CA Superglue in the easy brush bottle (with no adverse affects on the foam) but for hardbodies (balsa, cork, etc.) I use Duco household cement or maybe Devcon 5 minute clear epoxy. I mostly use balsa for hardbodies. Best of luck.
I have been working on a batch of popppers myself using the Wapsi Popper bodies. Mine just came with the bodies so I had to buy hooks extra, no problem, they conveniently had packages of hooks to match on the next rack up.
Keep in mind this is the first time I have made these and the water is completely frozen over here in New Brunswick. I started by wrapping the hook with normal fly tying thread. Then I took the Dremel to route out the slot that was pre-cut in the foam body so it would fit. Then I took Crazy Glue (the original stuff like mentioned above), slapped it on the thread and positioned the body. After a few seconds it hardened. I let them cure what should have been over night but was about a month before work and family let me get back to them. At that point I mixed up a batch of 5 minute epoxy and filled in the gap. Yup, let that sit for a month or so :roll: and sanded it off a little to smooth it out. Then I got some Acrylic model paint, and painted them up with two coats of paint and one coat of clear coat so they shine. Now I am in the middle of “feathering” them.
Timeline is about 10 months to do 10 poppers, good thing that we are in winter and I cannot use them for another 3 months.
As soon as I figure out my new digital camera, I will post some pics.
These were really fun to make, something a little different I guess.
Just wish that I had more time, working 50+ hours a week with a wife who works shiftwork and 3 kids is killing my hobby. Oh well, the kids are starting to get a big interest in fly tying .
Philly, how do you get such nice paint jobs on your poppers? My artistic skills in painting poppers are running neck and neck with my 4-year old kid’s painting.
You have such nice, even and consistent patterns on the backs and as well as even spots. Do you have patterns for them? Are they airbrushed?
I am very new, doing well to get paint on them and some eyes.
One thing you can do for foam poppers is use permanent markers, like Sharpie or Bic Mark-its. Won’t look quite as pretty as Philly’s, but it doesn’t look any worse than some of the poppers you can buy in a store. Just remember to “paint” the body before gluing it in place - once it’s on the hook, it’s difficult to work the marker in around the eye.
NTB:
I use permanent markers to color them. You can buy marker that is a clear blender or use a piece of foam to blend colors. This works well with the soft foam poppers, but not on the hard ones. My only patterns are what I find interesting in the catalogs from Bass Pro and Cabelas.
Here’s a couple more.
Back to the hard foam poppers, one reason I quit using them is because they were a pain to get on the hook, especially if you were using a hook with a hump. Not to mention they don’t handle bouncing off rocks very well. With the soft foam ones either they have slits cut in them or a hole through the center to insert the hook.
I highly recommend Dental glue. Don’t need the spray to set. Sometimes they will recommend the spray for fast set but it leaves an odd smell on the fly. The glue will cure in less than 20 seconds most times without the spray. Usually comes in a 6 oz bottle for about 10 bucks. Similar to Zap a Gap but on a much larger scale and the bottle is configured in a way that doesnt allow it to dry up like most super glue bottles that become hard as a brick when the top is not secured.
