Head cement

[Opie610]

I just started tying flies recently and have a question about head cement. I have been watching countless videos on tying midges and caddis nymphs. I noticed some use head cement while other never even mention it. Is there a reason for this or is it just personal preference?

As always thanks for your responses.

Opoie

 

[afishinado]

Some tyers use head cement to "finish" their flies, while others do not. I rarely use head cement on trout flies, usually only to coat a built up head on certain flies. I whip finish twice and rarely have any flies unravel at the head.

If you do use head cement, be sure to clear the eye of cement. I generally run a small feather through the eye to keep it clear. Nothing, to me anyway, is more annoying than to be on stream and have the eyes of my flies gunked up with head cement, and have to struggle to clear it out to run the tippet through.

 

[redrockgrizzly]

personal preference. go to walmart or target and get a couple of bottles of hard as nails. works just a good as head cement. Plus its cheaper.

 

[Dale49]

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails nail polish - get the clear type.

I only use the cement when tying midge pupa patterns as found in the book, Midge Magic. Everything else - whip finish.

As per Afish, I run small diameter wire thru the eye to keep it clear.

Dale

 

[MKern]

I use it occasionally. Plus there are a few patterns I use it on to secure body materials.

But hard as nails is the way I go too.

 

[jeremymcon]

I use the water based stuff on most of my flies. It's an easy last step, doesn't stink or dry out ike the solvent based stuff, and it gives me just a little bit of extra confidence in my whip finishes. I also use Sallie Hansen's when I want a shiny or hard finish on a fly - most often thread heads and thread bodied trout flies like zebra midges.

 

[FGSIII]

I prefer cellire for fishing fllies or show flies over sally hansens HAN.

Frank