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Best non-tacky resin??

15K views 47 replies 23 participants last post by  silvercreek 
#1 ·
I currently use two types of UV resin when tying flies. UV activated wader resin and clear goo. I like using them both in small amounts on my shell backs and when tying SRC pattern for the sound. But I always find that both even after curing are a little tacky... Does anyone have any suggestions on a resin that cures HARD with out being tacky? I am only asking cause I would like to tie some nymphs with a shelled back and soft hackle legs without them getting stuck to the resin..
 
#2 ·
Contact board member silvercreek.
He sells a UV cure that actually dries tack free. Something many brands promise but fail to deliver. I bought his high power light as well which makes curing fast and easy.
I've been using it all summer on my beach clousers and it stands up well to getting wacked on the beach.
I've used Loon and CCG but won't be any longer.

You can also coat the Loon or CCG with Hard as Nails which is what I did in the past.
SF
 
#5 ·
My resin is NOT the UV POLYESTER EPOXY resin refered to in the prior post. It is a UV ACRYLIC resin just like CCG, but it is resistant to oxygen inhibition which is the cause of the tackiness.

There are two types of UV resins.

Acrylic UV resins require a certain amount of UV at the correct wavelength to cure completely and the polymerization can be blocked by oxygen. Because the polymerization is driven by UV, you can determine how fast the resin will cure by turning off the UV. You can add, remove or modify the resin shape during polymerization. In this acrylic polymerization UV drives polymerization, much like heat drives baking a cake. Remove the heat, and the cake does not set up.

Epoxy UV resins are driven by UV as a CATALYST. Once UV starts the polymerization, it cannot be stopped. If you notice a mistake after you hit the UV epoxy with UV, you are scr*wed. That is why none of the UV resins for tying are UV epoxy.

If you read the Solarez product label in the earlier post, it is a UV epoxy.
 
#6 ·
cool,
Its confusing because they say "Cures by either UV-light or by addition of MEKP catalyst. Water-clear, UV-stable and cures with a bone dry surface."

On their website they claim that "un-cured resin can be re-used without waste." and "no catalyst no rush." claiming that this resin can be worked for a lengthy period of time until cured with UV light source.
There is also a polyester resin. I wonder how that works?

They have re-packaged their resin for the fly fishing market.
http://solarez.com/productsnew/zerovoc_pint.html

I thought there must be major difference between UV epoxy vs acrylic resins, and polyester resin, now I'm more confused. I need more clarification.
 
#7 ·
Polyester UV resins are less durable and cheaper than the acrylic UV resins used for fly tying. The difficulty for me was to find a resin cheap enough with the fast and complete cure that I could use for fly tying.

A tying resin needs to cure in a reasonable time with the lower power of a UV flashlight and has to cure tack free. This is not an easy thing to do since the major player in supplying fly tyers has failed to do what I have done. If you want to try, google "What do you need to make UV-curing resins?"
 
#13 ·
I might have to jump on the silvercreek bandwagon too. I really don't like that CCG tack free really isn't. More like "quite a bit less tacky but not quite there". Which is too bad because it's a good product with lots of support and a lot of selection. But even new batteries in the light can't make it truly tack free! I've done some research and apparently if your light is powerful enough any of it can be tack free. I have several CCG products and haven't come close to using it all, so that might be a better solution for me in the short term. Finding a new light though....
 
#21 ·
I currently use two types of UV resin when tying flies. UV activated wader resin and clear goo. I like using them both in small amounts on my shell backs and when tying SRC pattern for the sound. But I always find that both even after curing are a little tacky... Does anyone have any suggestions on a resin that cures HARD with out being tacky? I am only asking cause I would like to tie some nymphs with a shelled back and soft hackle legs without them getting stuck to the resin..
James,
There is a newer UV resin from the UK called Deer Creek Diamond UV resins. They have pictures posted with CCG's resins after being set by a UV flashlight,and their's after being set by their UV stylus or flashlight, They then laid CDC feathers on both cured resins and both the CCG resins were easily tacky enough for the CDC feathers to stick to them while the CDC feathers would not adhere to the Deer Creek Diamond resin. Caster's Online flyshop out of North Carolina sells the Deer Creek resins and have more info at: castersonlineflyshop.com I'm just another fly-tyer looking for some truly tack-free UV resins to use on my trout flies. Give it a look, but it looks like CCG is about to see some very serious competition.

Good luck,
Russ
 
#23 ·
CCG Hydro locks in my thread bump egg patterns, after I've formed them with the CCG Brushable... they are tack free with a fresh bottle and batteries in my light....I then put them on foam, place on my car dash, and drive around with them in the sun. But after about 5-6 months the Hydro acts like the Brushable; at which time, I just apply a thin coat of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails
 
#24 ·
I use devcon 5 minute epoxy. It's the plain apply the two epoxies and mix them. I tie Mercers Beaded Biot Golden Stone, and if you don't cool the epoxy in the fridge for around 8 minutes, it's runny, and runnyness is a problem since the legs on the fly are soft hackle. Cool the epoxy, mix them, and apply. Hope this helps
 
#25 ·
I have a possible cure for those tacky resins.

I was PMd a question about my resin on another BB. I compared my resin to CCG thin packaged in the black syringe. My resin is thinner.

While comparing the consistency of the resins, a thought occurred to me and I decided to do an experiment.

Although I don't know what is exactly in the CCG Thin resin, I suspected that both were similar free radical acrylic polymers and would be compatible chemically. I also suspected that the free radical oxygen inhibitor chemical that is my resin would allow the CCG Thin to cure completely without tack.

So I mixed about 60% my resin with 40% CCG thin, and put a UV light to the mixture. It cured completely. The surface has a softer feel but it stays shiny and is not tacky when rubbed. I find that interesting and it shows that the two resins are chemically compatible and that the oxygen inhibitor in my resin is also compatible with the CCG resin.

So those of you that have other resins that cure with tack and have bought my resin, you might want to try to mix my resin with the other resin and see if the additive in my resin will allow the mixture to completely cure without any tack.
 
#29 ·
I used Silvercreek's product a lot on my beach flies last summer. Regardless of how careful you are while casting you are going to ding your flies on the beach during your backcast.
It held up much better and was more durable then the epoxy I've used in the past.
SF
 
#30 ·
I used Silvercreek's product a lot on my beach flies last summer. Regardless of how careful you are while casting you are going to ding your flies on the beach during your backcast.

It held up much better and was more durable then the epoxy I've used in the past.
SF
This is why my resin is so strong.

Oxygen competes with the resin polymer for the free radical bond. If oxygen is at the bonding site, it blocks the polymerization process. The oxygen to free radical bond is not a strong covalent bond so it is not permanent. While the oxygen occupies the bonding site, polymerization cannot occur and the polymers that are formed are shorter chained. What is needed is are chemicals than removes oxygen allowing the bond to form WITHOUT resorting to sunlight or AC bulbs. Then you get long chained and a stronger polymer.

Tacky cure resins do not have chemicals that prevent oxygen from binding with the free radicals.

The reason that CCG tells you to put their resin out in the sun is that sunlight contains the entire spectrum of UVA and UVB radiation. When the weak oxygen to free radical bond breaks, the polymerization can continue BUT the polymer chains are shorter and the polymer is weaker.

As long as the resin does not have chemicals to PREVENT oxygen from bonding with the free radical polymers during the polymerization process, you will end up with a weaker polymer coating.

See:

"INCREASED POLYMER CHAIN LENGTH: oxygen consumption is made prior to polymerization removing unwanted free radical centers that may quench the reaction"

Photochemical Method to Eliminate Oxygen Inhibition of Free Radical Polymerizations
 
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