Favorite UV Resin for Perdigons?
- Thread starter mcswny
- Start date
Following because I’m curious about what else is out there.
Solarez Bone Dry is my favorite. Glass finish and hard, done in 10 seconds.
Loon…not so much.
Solarez Bone Dry is my favorite. Glass finish and hard, done in 10 seconds.
Loon…not so much.
I've heard this from a few people.
Thanks Jake, yeah, I had the Loon before and was always so confused why I couldn't ever get it completely hard (get your mind outta the gutter).
Divad
Whitefish
I think it’s a trade off, hard as glass ≠ flexibility. I’ve never had the Loon stuff chip and I bounce it off a lot. Whereas I’ve had another UV cure become rock hard but would chip easier.
Granted I’ve only tried two types so I’m curious what others say as well.
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Good point
Save yourself some $$ and get craft jewelry UV resin from Amazon. There are dozens of brands and options out there. Here’s just one.
Did that for a while, and it worked really well for everything, until I tried Solarez bone dry again and found it flowed much better for perditions, etc.—I’d forgotten how much better.
But maybe there are better kinds than I’ve tried. How viscous is the resin you linked?
RaidZap
I use it for all manner of tying situations—bodies, heads, parachute posts, shellbacks, etc. I keep my tying room at about 70 degrees so I’ve never experienced flow that was too viscous to use. For very small applications I just transfer resin into a small applicator bottle. Works great.
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Dave Boyle
Life of the Party
Solarez also does it to me, Loon and Gulff do not. Annoying as I really liked bone dry.
Dave
The first UV-curing resin I tried was Loon's. The cured surface was always a bit tacky, so I emailed Loon for help. Here's what they told me:
"The tack that you're experiencing is the result of "oxygen inhibition", which is a fancy way of saying that oxygen does not allow the outermost layer of applications of UV-curing resins to fully set up. In other words, the application should be cured all the way through, save that outermost layer that still feels tacky. The benefit of this is that it allows for stronger bonds between multiple layers of resin, but the drawback is that it remains tacky.
There are a few variables that can affect this tackiness, and you're right on with the intensity of the light. A cure with a higher powered UV light or from the sun will produce a less tacky surface than from a smaller UV light. Also, windows can inhibit the amount of UV light allowed to pass through. If possible, you might have better results by stepping outside."
I then went through a few lights, and a couple of other brands of resin (which all advertised a tack-free finish), like Clear Cure Goo, and several types of Solarez resins. The only one that cured without tackiness was Solarez Bone Dry. I also tried a few different UV lights. Then I noticed quite a few reports about adverse health reactions to Solarez and other brands, like skin rashes and respiratory issues. After spending all that money, I wasn't about to try yet another brand. I cut my losses, and to preserve my health, I stopped using UV resins. Head cement works just fine, and doesn't have new-fangled "iffy" chemicals. Never have been a fan of instant gratification. But then, I grew up when life wasn't all about speed.
If I wanted a thick, clear protective layer on some patterns, I suppose adding a final coat of head cement on top of Loon resin might deal with the tackiness, but I threw out my Loon resins long ago. And I have more than enough flies, since I don't fish much anymore.
"The tack that you're experiencing is the result of "oxygen inhibition", which is a fancy way of saying that oxygen does not allow the outermost layer of applications of UV-curing resins to fully set up. In other words, the application should be cured all the way through, save that outermost layer that still feels tacky. The benefit of this is that it allows for stronger bonds between multiple layers of resin, but the drawback is that it remains tacky.
There are a few variables that can affect this tackiness, and you're right on with the intensity of the light. A cure with a higher powered UV light or from the sun will produce a less tacky surface than from a smaller UV light. Also, windows can inhibit the amount of UV light allowed to pass through. If possible, you might have better results by stepping outside."
I then went through a few lights, and a couple of other brands of resin (which all advertised a tack-free finish), like Clear Cure Goo, and several types of Solarez resins. The only one that cured without tackiness was Solarez Bone Dry. I also tried a few different UV lights. Then I noticed quite a few reports about adverse health reactions to Solarez and other brands, like skin rashes and respiratory issues. After spending all that money, I wasn't about to try yet another brand. I cut my losses, and to preserve my health, I stopped using UV resins. Head cement works just fine, and doesn't have new-fangled "iffy" chemicals. Never have been a fan of instant gratification. But then, I grew up when life wasn't all about speed.
If I wanted a thick, clear protective layer on some patterns, I suppose adding a final coat of head cement on top of Loon resin might deal with the tackiness, but I threw out my Loon resins long ago. And I have more than enough flies, since I don't fish much anymore.
