UV Resins and Adhesives

UV adhesives are a popular product that can serve many purposes in fly tying. They can be used similarly to cement or epoxy, with their main advantage being the rapid curing time. UV coloured resins and adhesives can be used for coating the fly or adding details for a realistic and durable finish!

How to cure UV resins and adhesives

1. Apply the resin or adhesive to your fly.
2. Expose the resin or adhesive to a UV light source. This could be sunlight on a sunny day or a UV flashlight.
3. Finished! That’s it. UV resins and adhesives cure very quickly. But, they do require UV light, otherwise, they won’t cure and they’ll stay liquid.

Cement

Cement is best used once the fly is finished. Applying a thin coat of cement to the head of your fly is the perfect way to finish off your tie and add durability. It’s also great for adding strength to wingcases and securing eyes to the hook. Our selection includes both thin and thick viscosity cement depending on your needs. For hardening the head of your fly, our Hareline hard as hull head cement is exactly what you need!

Waxes

Wax is typically used during the fly tying process. Wax can be applied to the threads to make them tacky so that slippery threads stay in place, strengthening your tie and keeping your fly together. Unlike glue, wax adds traction, not adhesion. Its purpose is to aid you in the fly tying process, not to replace adhesives and cement.

Lacquers

Lacquers are not as commonly used, as fly tyers tend to prefer UV adhesives and resins instead. However, they can be used for painting on details such as eyes and coating your flies for a glossy finish.