Softex

You can find more info here;
http://www.sashco.com/home_improveme...l_brochure.pdf

And a google search will turn up plenty of suppliers. Just type in "LEXEL
clear acrylic caulking"

TL
MC

Sorry about all the posts, but there is one last important point. Whatever
brand of acrylic you decide to use, it must be solvent based, as you will
otherwise have trouble thinning it properly. Normally, the recommended
solvents will be printed on the tube, cartridge whatever.

Also, the "standard" size of caulking tubes and cartridges may be different
in the USA.

TL
MC

Oh well! Forgot some other points as well, which might be of general
interest. You can colour this stuff with normal acrylic paints, including
the translucent types. You can mix in "glitter" and other stuff quite
easily. You can also paint it afterwards.

You can "embed" eyes, or weights and such in it. ( Small steel washers,
sequins, etc make perfect "eyes" for baitfish), and still put a protective
layer over everything as it bonds perfectly to itself, and remains clear.

As we are only using small amounts at a time here, and relatively small
cross-sections, it dries very quickly. ( although this of course depends on
the solvent, and how much you thinned it down).It can be easily cut with a
sharp knife even when set. ( Important for cleaning out hook eyes etc) It is
much tougher than silicone, and it will withstand sal****er for a very long
time.

I am at present experimenting with thinning it down as much as possible, for
use as a "permanent" waterproofing agent for some dry flies. It works on
beetles and one or two other things, but I have not yet found out how to
shake the excess material off hackles and the like. They clog of course when
dipped.

If anybody else is experimenting along these lines, or commences to do so, I
would be most grateful for any feedback.

TL
MC

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 05:40:31 GMT, "Hooked" wrote:

Anybody have any ideas to make this a little easier?

I use Softex for 'epoxy' baitfish, and I just dip the fly in the
Softex and then clean off the hook eye with a razor blade after it
dries. You could do the same thing on a Mickey Finn before you add the
wing. It helps, too, if you have some way of rotating the fly as it
dries, I use a piece of styrofoam in a rod turner to stick the fly on.
--
Charlie...

Sierra fisher wrote:
Alcohol may thin softex, but the preferred thinner in toluene. Becasue of
liabilties, Icon Prod will not tell you this; they just say "read the
bottle", and it gives you a warning about the presence of toluene.


I gave bad informatiom - wrong product. The stuff I use is Clear Hard
Head by Loon. It is an alcohol based product. It dries hard like epoxy
but is much easier to work with.

Willi

"Mike Connor" wrote in message
...


Toluene will thin Softex as well, ( probably better than alcohol, but
alcohol does work),but be very careful with it, it is dangerous stuff.
See
here;

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/pr...0/icsc0078.htm

Do the same as for the alcohol, just mix a few drops at a time until you
achieve the desired consistency.



After checking out the page you posted the URL to, I think I'll try the
alcohol. I don't need any more chemicals laying around the house. At least
not something as bad as that stuff.

And thanks for all the follow up tips too.

"Willi" wrote in message
...


I gave bad informatiom - wrong product. The stuff I use is Clear Hard
Head by Loon. It is an alcohol based product. It dries hard like epoxy
but is much easier to work with.


I started tying a bass/pike sized (size 2) Mickey Finn this morning. I
coated that with Loons Hard Head. After heating the bottle cap to get it
off, and thinning it with alcohol anyway.

I wonder how Dave's Flexament might work?

"Charlie Choc" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 05:40:31 GMT, "Hooked" wrote:

I use Softex for 'epoxy' baitfish, and I just dip the fly in the
Softex and then clean off the hook eye with a razor blade after it
dries. You could do the same thing on a Mickey Finn before you add the
wing. It helps, too, if you have some way of rotating the fly as it
dries, I use a piece of styrofoam in a rod turner to stick the fly on.
--


I've been putting it on with a toothpick. Dab a bunch on and then rotate the
vice while holding the toothpick parallel to the fly body to make it flow
around the hook shank and try to even it out a bit. I think if I thin it
out, I'll get better results. I guess I could tie off the tread and dip
them, but that sounds like too much work. Then I have to tie on again...

I looked up isopropyl-alcohol on the same web page and it reads almost
verbatim to toluene. Not much to choose from. Unless you're going to use
some of you drinking alcohol (ethyl-alcohol)

for isopropyl-alcohol, go here

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/pr...5/icsc0554.htm



"Hooked" wrote in message
...
"Mike Connor" wrote in message
...


Toluene will thin Softex as well, ( probably better than alcohol, but
alcohol does work),but be very careful with it, it is dangerous stuff.
See
here;


http://www.ilo.org/public/english/pr...0/icsc0078.htm

Do the same as for the alcohol, just mix a few drops at a time until you
achieve the desired consistency.



After checking out the page you posted the URL to, I think I'll try the
alcohol. I don't need any more chemicals laying around the house. At least
not something as bad as that stuff.

And thanks for all the follow up tips too.




---
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"Sierra fisher" wrote in message
...
I looked up isopropyl-alcohol on the same web page and it reads almost
verbatim to toluene. Not much to choose from. Unless you're going to use
some of you drinking alcohol (ethyl-alcohol)

for isopropyl-alcohol, go here


http://www.ilo.org/public/english/pr...5/icsc0554.htm



So the toluene is not much worse than the isopropyl-alcohol. Hmmmm...

But I can get the alcohol just about anywhere, and the toluene is only
available at the hardware store.

Well, if I have a can of mineral spirits sitting on a shelf in the dining
room closet, a bottle of alcohol on my tying desk, I guess I could get the
toluene (the stuff that is used for thinning Softex) and keep that in the
medicine cabinet.

Actually I think I'll get the toluene, use it and put that and the mineral
spirits out in the garage where they belong. Right next to the gas can and
all the other flammable/explosive chemicals I have out there. :-)