First Timer

[rcfillingham]

Tied my first jigs this evening. Looked like crap but BIG fun. The 5th one finally looked somewhat respectable for a rookie. Spent all weekend building a new jig tying table to put in den so wifey didnt have fit about kitchen table. Is there such thing as jig plagairism. I have been looking for ideas in the pics on this site. Dont want anyone POed at me but i have not one artistic bone in my body. Also got three bottles of gunk in tying kit. flex seal, zapacap, and fly head cement. Which is the proper seal for thread. Have heard some use clear nail polish, ( know where to filch some a dat). Thanks for helping a newby.
RCFillingham

[ifish]

I use Loctite Superglue for head cement . I don't know where you get your supplies but there are several crappiedotcom members that are great to work with. Here is a pretty good site for flies. Fly Anglers OnLine, Your Complete Internet Flyfishing Resource.

[OKSTATEjiggy]

Welcome to jig tying, RC! If anyone's worried about "jig plagiarism," they shouldn't post jigs here. Don't worry about that, that why we post pics. Ya might give credit where credit is due if need be. Any one of those will work for sealing the thread wraps, but I've never used zapagap. I started using nail polish, and it works fine.

Show us some pics!

[Len]

You can also make your own head cement.


YouTube - New Fly Tying Video - HOME MADE VYNAL HEAD CEMENT

[LedHed]

RCF
Like OKSj said “If anyone's worried about "jig plagiarism," they shouldn't post jigs here”. Very true - nothing is sacred on the web.

“Which is the proper seal for thread?” Depends on what you are doing, finishing flies- use the cement. Flex seal makes some awesome saltwater fly bodies – for flies it can be used to toughen up turkey quills. Think fingernail polish is cheaper than zap a gap. I vote for fingernail polish for covering threads and finishing flies. Watch out though – there is a lot of different types of clear FP and overcoats.

This is a really good web site;
Classroom

[Fatman]

first of all welcome aboard from Vermont!!!!!!!!!!! Second this iste is all about helping each other out and sharing patterns, in a jig swap you'd get all kinds of patterns you could copy so it isn't that big a problem here. Enjoy and if you have problems ask we're all here to help.

Fatman

[skiptomylu]

As good as any just buy some clear lacquer and some thinner like MEK (not something to use without had and eye protection) and make your own. That is what I use, very thin Lacquer thinned with MEK.

Personally I don't like using straight nail polish or superglue of any kind that I know. I like not feeling any signs of glue where I use it. No hard spots or stuff like that.

Skip

[Pup]

I'm with LedHed with regard to the use of clear nail polish for thread sealing.

My favorite is Rimmel 60 Seconds. It's very thin and easy to apply with a brush over thread-wound jig collars. When it eventually thickens up, I simply thin it out with 100% acetone/denatorium benzoate nail polish remover.

A thin nail polish seems to penetrate and lock polyester threads well for me. I like it particularly for round thread applications. It makes for a very nice glossy finish that compliments glossy jig heads.

Here's one of my examples.



Sometimes, I bury knots beneath yarn. In this instance, I use extremely thin nail polish applied with a tool that is similar to a dubbing needle.

[JUNGLEJIMJIGS]

Welcome to this forum.We are all here to learn from others and make jigs that will catch fish. Practice is the key,ask questions and you'll see improvements in your jigs.

[AtticaFish]

Welcome to the tying world from N. Ohio. Yes it is fun!

As far as the cement of choice, the other posts pretty much covered your options, I personaly use flexement on most stuff and nail polish on thread bodies. Don't think anyone here would be mad about copying their design..... as long as you post some of your stuff so we can copy yours!!! :D