Tutorials
Provided by Andy Snedden
The following tutorials are designed to provide an overview
of the use of our TuffleyeTM
resin system. These are not meant to be an absolute
‘How To” as the methods described are only
examples and not the only way. You are limited only by your
imagination and the methods presented here may differ from
those employed by many experienced tiers. Moreover, the
patterns presented were chosen to illustrate different
application techniques. You may not find the patterns
applicable to the type of fishing you do, or flies you tie,
but the techniques will carry over to your favorite
patterns. We have included the pattern recipes, in case you
like the patterns and wish to try them.
First Principles:
The Core and Finish resins differ in their viscosity; the
Core is quite thick (similar to cold honey), while the
Finish is much thinner (similar to thick head cement). The
cured Core is also very hard, while the cured Finish is
(very) slightly flexible. You can use either resin alone or
in any combination (i.e Finish over cured Core or, Core
over cured Finish). TuffleyeTM
Core is a high quality acrylic resin. In it’s cured
form it is very bio-compatable and safe. However, like most
chemicals, care and caution need to be exercised when
using. Do not allow uncured TuffleyeTM
resins to come in contact with your eyes, mouth, open cuts,
etc. Soap and warm water is recommended to wash it off if
this happens. Keep TuffleyeTM
resins from bright lights and store in cool dark areas when
not using.
Once
cured, there is a residual slippery layer on the surface of
the hard resin. This is a bonding layer that allows
subsequent layers to fully bond to the layer below. If you
are applying a second layer (of either resin) you
don’t remove this slippery layer – just apply
your second (or more) coat(s) and cure with the
TuffleyeTM
curing light. When you are finished with the fly, the
slippery bonding layer is best removed with a paper towel
and alcohol (denatured alcohol from the hardware store
paint section is the least expensive but any alcohol will
do). Once you clean off the bonding layer you will notice
that the resin surface has lost some shine. If you place
the fly in water it will appear clear and shiny so you
don’t need to do anything at this point, except go
fishing. Nonetheless, most of us like nice shiny flies in
our fly boxes so we apply a coat of Hard as Nails (or Hard
as Hull) to the TuffleyeTM
surface of the finished fly.
It is important to use the TuffleyeTM
curing light correctly, to fully cure our resins. Hold the
light as close as possible to the
TuffleyeTM
and hold it steady. Don’t wave the light around like
a ‘magic wand’ trying to cover the entire
surface with blue light. Hold the light steady in one spot
for 15- 20 seconds. For larger flies you can cure both
sides of the fly by holding the light steady on the
opposite side for another 15 – 20 seconds. The curing
area of the TuffleyeTM
light is about 1/2 inch or 15 mm. We suggest you try curing
a small drop of resin on a piece of paper (the back of a
business card is perfect) in order to practice getting a
proper cure. If TuffleyeTM
is cured correctly it will be very hard (and clear) such
that you can not dent it with your fingernail (make sure to
remove the slippery bonding layer when finished).
Our resins come out of the syringes with a slight yellow
tint. Once properly cured, they will become noticeably
clearer. The resins will continue to clear for a couple of
days. You can facilitate this by placing the flies in a
lighted area such as a window. Unlike two-part epoxies,
when properly cured TuffleyeTM
resins will remain clear.
It is important to produce a solid head (or body) and not
just an ‘egg shell-like’ coating. This can be
difficult when using ‘pillowy’ fibers such as
Poly-Bear, Polar-Aire, etc. The TuffleyeTM
core doesn’t flow into these fibers very well. To
ensure you have a solid head, many tiers find it best to
start with Finish and build up the head by injecting the
resin into the fibers. Once this layer is cured you can add
successive layers of core or finish until you have the
effect you want.