I’m not sure if I can say anything that hasn’t been said about Clear Cure Goo. What I thought I would do is explain my own experiences with the product and what I truly feel about it.
I never wanted to mess with epoxy, so I haven’t. As soon as I heard I would have to turn my fly continuously for longer than several seconds just to get the epoxy to dry evenly, I refused to try it. When I learned that I could accomplish the same with Clear Cure Goo without the trouble, I was excited to try it.
I’ve used the Brushable and the Tack Free Clear Cure Goo extensively and I’m convinced the stuff works and I’m completely happy with it. Here are a couple of things to remember when using Clear Cure Goo. When using the Tack Free it is better to use a thin coat if possible. It dries quicker and much more easily. Make sure when using your UV light you get as close as possible to the material. If you are holding your light about three inches away, your light is not able to function at its full capacity. Move it closer and it will do its job. I have not been able to achieve a completely tack free finish.
I have not had the chance to try Clear Cure Goo’s new Hydro yet, but I’m hearing nothing but great feedback about it. I’m hearing this from tyers that I trust know what they’re talking about. Hydro is a very thin material. If you watch the Clear Cure Goo video about it below, you can see just how thin it is.
It is also made to be flexible after it dries. I recommend watching the videos from Clear Cure Goo about the products you’re interested in. They are very informative and tell you a lot about the product. You can find them on their website.
One of the company’s strengths is they have 13 different flavors of CCG. This helps you use exactly what you want for a specific application. For example, I use the Brushable on my fly bodies for bonding purposes and I like that it seeps through the cracks. I use Tack Free on my thread behind the eye of the hook for a shiny good looking head.
I wanted to quickly mention the new eyes CCG came out with this year. I’ve used the stick-ons and the dumbbell eyes and love them both. The eyes on the Grandpa’s Chickenhawk fly pattern on my previous post below are Smoke Dumbbell Eyes and I love the look!
I have tried all of the CCG products, and while I think they are innovative and have a use in fly tying, I have found them to be not so good for my style of fly tying larger Musky flies. The material goes on smoothly enough, but it is not very durable and quickly comes loose or falls apart after just a few hits from the toothy monsters I chase. For me it is just not as strong as Epoxy, even if it does take another couple of minutes to dry, that is not a huge factor since it takes about 30 minutes to build a fly anyway. Strength and durability are my pet peeves when constructing flies for Musky, I am not a fan of the “one fish fly”.
Good and interesting to know.
I appreciate the comment.
Paul