A local debate at the TU meeting has been whether to use head cement or not on flies. The argument against its use, as I understand it, is two-fold: First, some hypothesize that fish can smell it. Second, others claim that it is a cover-up for a poorly tied fly, where it is used in place of whip-finishes.
Let me add a third reason... head cement deadens the brightness of materials that respond to UV light, such as day-glo threads. Arguably the same reasoning applies when tying with bright tying threads. To my mind, a fly tied with a red head covered with tying cement is a different fly than one tied without head cement. When I tie with bright threads, at most I will put one small dab of cement right at the point where the tag end of the tying thread was cut off. Since I tie in an unventilated room during the winter, I avoid all solvent based head cements entirely. I have settled on a water-based cement that I have used for the last five years or so. The product is called: Delta Ceramacote Gloss Interior/Exterior Varnish. This is an odorless, fast-penetrating polyurethane product that I have been very pleased with as a head cement. The product can be found in the ceramic painting section of Michael's and other craft stores, and it has the advantages of being inexpensve and very durable. One bottle lasts for years, and the cement does not thicken or dry out in the bottle, and cement is easily cleaned off bodkins, tools and tying desks ;) There really are three basic tying cements used by fly tyers: 1. basic head cement used for the normal purposes 2. a flexament-type product for coating feather wingcases, for providing a base for hard-to-tie materials, and for anchoring barbell lead eyes, etc. 3. a thicker, glossier cement for providing "build" on tied heads - an example of this would be finger nail polish Since we are also talking tying tips, here's one of my favorite "tools". It's one of those foam medium grit sandpaper blocks. Get one that has the exposed foam on two ends. This all-purpose wonder stores hooks, stages of flies, and provides a place to stick your bodkin or needle. The sandpaper part can be used to clean head cement off your bodkin. Wes Wada Bend, Oregon
