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
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.
Been there, done that, left a very disgusted clerk. Being enormously shy, I was emotionally scarred. (Alright right Miss Betty, quit giggling.)
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Uncle Jesse,
I’ve had the same thing happen with yellow and green. Has to some kind of chemical reaction from the pigments/chemicals in the CA.
I also like how it looks, though…
Buddy
In response to the comment about the CA turning white, it is usually because it has cured too fast. If you use an accelerator on CA, it always turns white. CA actually needs some moisture to cure. The easy way to speed up the curing time without an accelerator is to breath on it. But even this can turn it white. Maybe try a different brand of CA to get one that cures slower? Or stop breathing. When CA cures slowly, it is usually clear. CA also generates some heat when it cures (it will actually produce steam when using an accelerator), and the some people can develop allergic reactions to the fumes given off. Try not to expose yourself to those.
The history of CA is very interesting as well, developed during the Vietnam War to replace stitches in the field.
I had the same thing happen to me. I’d made up about two and a half dozen Crease Flies and beautifully colored half of them in baby bass tones and the other half with baby trout colors using Sharpie Markers. I then glued my adhesive eyes on with Zap-A-Gap. Within two or three minutes, they all had a bright, ruby-red circle around the eyes where the marker colors and the Zap-A-Gap mixed. My Crease Flies looked like they had been out drinking all night. 8T 
I wasn’t aware of that bit of history, but I do keep a tube in my first aid kit to close up small wounds. Major league baseball uses it on pitcher’s blisters I know.
Getting back to the bloodshot eye resulting from the chemical reaction with permanent Sharpies and CA I kind of figure the bass will know how easy hung over frogs are to catch and go after them first.
I hate to cross threads but I think everyone should know the reason why people started wearing hackle in their hair (well this generation of feather wearers) is because of Zap-A-Gap / Super Glue.
Don’t laugh because I am sure there isn’t one of us reading this that hasnt accidentally super glued something to person or object. I know this because long before I saw hackle in that rock stars hair I saw it in mine first. I just had the good taste to cut it out of my hair but I guess when you’re a rock star you need your long hair and you take the chance to start a new trend. It is not for me but the guy pulls it off.
So, the next time I used Zap-A-gap I was tying up some size 18 Adams. I had taken the finished fly out of the vise and replaced it with a bare hook when it occurred to me that I didn’t finish it with some Zap-A-Gap; so I pick up the fly and ever so carefully attempted to apply some Zap-A-Gap to my whip finish. Just as the glue rises up through the tube the phone rings and scares the hell out of me. I drop the glue and the fly flips out of my hand.
I was expecting an important phone call so abandon what I was doing and answered the phone by the second ring. As I was talking on the phone I righted the tube of Zap-A-Gap and scanned my desk for the fly, nothing. I continued my conversation on the phone and by the time I was finished I was on all fours looking for the fly under and around my desk; still no fly. So I hang up the phone and catch my reflection on my computer screen monitor; then I flush with horror. There stuck to my ear is a size 18 Adams. Never in the history of Zap-A-Gap has Zap-A-Gap worked so well.
Long story short, I was slapped no less than three times while in Walgreen’s looking for nail polish remover by do good ers trying to get the mosquito off my ear.
Then there was the time the cat knocked over the bottle of Super Glue and it spilled into my hook dispenser. In an effort to save my dispenser I tried to pick the hooks out before the glue dried. On every one of my fingers was stuck a hook. Again a long story short I almost died from an embarrassing itch.
Oh yea, so anyhow I don’t let Zap-A-Gap or Super Glue in my house; so chalk up another for Sally Hansen’s if your keeping score.
Respectfully,
Sean
One more cautionary tale, on another forum where the hobby uses CA quite a bit, I read the story of someone mistaking the bottle of CA for his eye drops. True story, some hours in emergency, but no permanent damage fortunately. Don’t keep similar bottles too close unless you can afford to deal with a mix up.
CA glue for all foam work.
Sally Hanson for head cement.
Loctite no longer makes the leaning brush bottle discussed above. Now makes a dark blue small bottle with brush.
I consider a brush bottle mandatory for CA.
As for medical glue, with a greater toxic potential, over-the-counter products are inappropriate for use in wound closure. (Quinn, J., & Kissack, J., “Tissue Adhesives for Laceration Repair During Sporting Events,” Clinical J. of Sports Med., Vol. 4 No. 4, 1994)
Medical grade products currently available contain either butyl, isobutyl or octyl esters. They are bacteriostatic and painless to apply when used as directed, produce minimal thermal reaction when applied to dry skin and break down harmlessly in tissue. They are essentially inert once dry. Butyl products are rigid when dry, but provide a strong bond. Available octyl products are more flexible when dry, but produce a weaker bond.
Thanks for the reminder CoachBob, medical grade CA is very different, being as you mentioned ethyl based products. Most of the commonly available CA’s that we use are methyl based versions, which while fine for general use, are unsuitable for medical use. The main problem being that when they break down in tissue, they break down to form formaldehyde and other compounds, which are toxic (duh). True medical grade CA’s break down harmlessly as mentioned. By the way, I believe that it was FFW that had a great little article recently on shop medical kits, and there was a great little tutorial of how to use CA for wound closures.
As a head cement Sally Hansen’s is the champion. The other material i use is Crazy Glue with the little brush tip.
It is good for a "quick drying " adhesive that you might want to use to bond a particular item to the fly while you are tying it.
As a side note: I’ve found that naptha is a good solvent for rubbery adhesives like Softex or Flexement with plain lacquer thinner for Sally Hansen’s
The UV light activated adhesives are goog for building-up big heads but leave a sticky surface that should be finally covered with Sally Hansen’s.
Half the fun is experimenting ---- enjoy the craft.
RE> CA glue as stitches
…it’s critically important to remember NOT to take a leak with still-sticky CA glue spattered fingers.