I was wondering how everyone does there tail hooks?
I am looking for a better way to finish other than head
cement. I was thinking of epoxy but I have never done it

Just use the head cement like normal, then mix up a batch of epoxy and do a bunch of them at once...you don't need much.

-spence

Bob,

Mix up some two part epoxy with your bodkin on a flashcard, mix if for about 2 mins then apply to the wraps with your bodkin. Turn your piece on as you apply to get a nice round head on your vice. If you are going to one at a time this way it will take some time. Get yourself a low rpm motor from a science store like 4 bux and a piece of foam. Do up all your flies then just hit them with the epoxy and place on the foam piece and turnit on and go grab yourself a hot chocolate or something. :kewl:

Cool thanks guys

Bob after you put the bucktail on the hook and cut it back-before you start wrapping the hair forward put a drop of Hard as Hull on there and let it impregnate the inside of the hair...then wrap forward and put another coating on the finished head...rotate it if you can. This locks everything together.
I'll send you a bottle to play with this week.

I have been tying for well over 40 years and learned about super glue about 20 years ago. After tying on the feathers/hair/flash etc., but before any head cement, put on a drop or 2 of super glue (saturate the head) and let it dry. After that you can apply any type of epoxy or high build head cemant. The super glue will hold every thing together and the head cement will make it look pretty. Generally the feathers/hair breaks off rather than pulls out when you use superglue.

FBW superglue is no good in water though, water breaks down the bond.

http://www.stripersonline.com/ubb547/ultimatebb.php/topic/11/5340.html

Bob after you put the bucktail on the hook and cut it back-before you start wrapping the hair forward put a drop of Hard as Hull on there and let it impregnate the inside of the hair...then wrap forward and put another coating on the finished head...rotate it if you can. This locks everything together.
I'll send you a bottle to play with this week.

Scott, hold off I need to place an order, I need some swash hooks 4/0 and 5/0

will do Bob I got something sitting here for you too.

Super glue and it's variants are definately highly water resistant and used widely in saltwater fly tying. Cyanoacrylate glues are sold in virtually every fly shop I've been in and I've been in a lot. If you read the instructions on how to get superglue off of you, there is little mention of using water, usually acetone. Only if you get it on your eyes or mouth do they recommend water and then they state that it will take from 1-4 days to soak it off! Very few things are truly water proof. In spite of #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&'s quick reply to the contrary, myself and tens of thousands of other fly tyers use cyanoacrylate glues without having our flies/jigs/lures break down in water. Cheap, easily obtainable and makes bulletproof flies, at least as bulletproof as the teeth of some of those saltwater critters allow. Lately I've been using it on Cod flies which stay soaked by the hour. I've had the fish chew the bucktail off, but I haven't had any ripped out, even by Dogfish.

My tail hooks look like this:

Nice! But I don't think it will last. In the short time it does it will catch fishermen.

Super glue and it's variants are definately highly water resistant and used widely in saltwater fly tying. Cyanoacrylate glues are sold in virtually every fly shop I've been in and I've been in a lot. If you read the instructions on how to get superglue off of you, there is little mention of using water, usually acetone. Only if you get it on your eyes or mouth do they recommend water and then they state that it will take from 1-4 days to soak it off! Very few things are truly water proof. In spite of #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&'s quick reply to the contrary, myself and tens of thousands of other fly tyers use cyanoacrylate glues without having our flies/jigs/lures break down in water. Cheap, easily obtainable and makes bulletproof flies, at least as bulletproof as the teeth of some of those saltwater critters allow. Lately I've been using it on Cod flies which stay soaked by the hour. I've had the fish chew the bucktail off, but I haven't had any ripped out, even by Dogfish.

I agree.

I tie em up; supergule em and then if I feel like it I dip the eye of the hook and the wraps in spar uerethane (which I use to finish all non-white plugs...
makes em tough. let it hang dry and good to go...