epoxy alternative

Dustin Carlson Tuesday, December 27, 2011 While epoxy is a well known fly tying material, it has been scarcely used because it was a real pain in the you-know-what. It was like trying to juggle within a time limit. You have to mix it, hope you got the proportions right, then hurry and get it in place all the while keeping the fly spinning so that gravity didn't mess up the application. Even if all that went right, often times the epoxy would yellow. No wonder we avoided it. Enter Clear Cure Goo (CCG). It is hard to sit down at the vice and not use some form of it over the course of a tying session, whether it is filling gaps in a head, making a fly more durable or simply finishing a fly to have a nice clean look. This product is everything that you love about epoxy without everything that you hate about epoxy. There is no time limit, simply apply the product and get it into place, then when you are ready…hit it with the UV light and you are done. The epoxy is cured within seconds and you are free to keep tying! Here is a quick rundown of all the CCG products: Clear Cure Goo Thick – One of the original CCG products, the Thick is awesome for building up heads, filling in gaps or any other time you need the epoxy to take up space. While it is thick, it will still lay down nicely to create very clean finishes. The original CCG Thick will have a slight tack to it, even after it is cured making it great for applying eyes, etc. Once the fly is done, a quick coat of Hard as Nails will make it complete. Clear Cure Goo Thin – The perfect complement to CCG Thick, the Thin flows and spreads better than Thick. It is great for coverage (like big saltwater heads, poppers, etc.). I personally have used the thick to fill a gap on a big bucktail streamer head and then used the thin to complete the entire head. CCG can take a bad head and make it look great. Clear Cure Goo Brushable – Similar in consistency to the Thin, the Brushable applicator brush makes it great for coverage situations, like Crease flies and other big poppers. It is also amazingly useful for epoxy back nymphs, etc. Clear Cure Goo Flex – This is something that epoxy could never do! Apply CCG Flex anywhere you want, cure it and you now have a flexible shape that wants to return back to its original cured shape. Think about all the soft plastic applications with this one. Another amazing use I have found for it is making a foul guard on long materials. Simply apply CCG flex to the material from the bend of the hook to about and inch beyond and it will still move without fouling when cast. Clear Cure Goo Curing Light – The piece that brings it all together. Simply work your CCG material of choice into place, then BAM, hit it with the light for a few seconds and you are done. The material will not move and you can go on with your life not stressing about your epoxy curing. Clear Cure Goo Tips – Seems like such a minor thing, but these tips make a major difference. They help with finer applications and can also be used to move and smooth the epoxy into place. The tips are sold in sets with 2 straight, 2 standard curved and 2 fine curved. Clear Cure Goo Kit – A great starting place for anyone looking to start using CCG. The kit includes the Curing Light, 2 Tips and Covers, 1 tube of Thick and 1 tube of Thin. Clear Cure Goo Thin Squeeze - The great feature of CCG Thin in a hand squeeze applicator bottle. Clear Cure Goo Tack Free Thin – All the same great features as the CCG Thin, but cures tack free! Clear Cure Goo Tack Free Brush – Brushable CCG that lays down and cures tack free. Clear Cure Goo Tack Free Flex – Flexible and tack free. Clear Cure Goo Tack Free Hydro – Hydro has the same consistency of head cement, so it is a great material for securing the base of a large clump of materials (bucktail, etc.) or for giving your perfect head a nice clean coat for durability and presentation. Clear Cure Goo Fleck – Now we are talking…want to give your flies a little more flash and sparkle? CCG Fleck has flecks of gold, silver, green and blue pearlescent glitter. All that and all the features of CCG. Awesome. Clear Cure Eyes – The newest product. These look awesome and will likely cause a few more fish to fall prey to our streamers. Available very, very soon.