A considerable choice of lacquers, cements, resins and varnishes are made today for fly tying.

Substances referred to as head cements are usually, though not always, relatively fast-drying lacquers that require a thinner supplied by the manufacturer. The best head cements have a plastic base. However, plastic products vary a great deal, and their durability depends entirely on the type and quality of the plastic used in making them. This also governs their water absorption qualities.

True head cements can be employed to finish completed heads, to cement the butts of hair wings and to add permanence to critical tying-in operations.

When applying head varnish or head cement to the fly head, for optimum results give it a thin coat first and a heavier coat when the first is dry. Allow 24-hours crying time for the slower-drying head finishes. A thin first coat soaks into the wax coated thread and cuts the wax, to some extent. Subsequent coats, over the dry, thinner first coat, will seal and fill the entire head giving you a really professional-looking job.

Relatively thick, fast-drying, cement is frequently the choice for cementing the butts of hair wings, cheeking, and eyeing materials. Some tiers merely let a container of head cement evaporate some, to thicken a little for this job. A word of caution. Do read label warnings and avoid prolonged, or repeated breathing of vapors.

Lacquers are sometimes used for covering the heads. If the lacquer is of real quality, it will work reasonably well. Real lacquer is produced from the sap of the LAC tree that is native to China. Several thin coats are best in order to obtain preferred results.

There's been a trend of using epoxy cements for finishing heads. A single coat of epoxy dries overnight; resulting in a glass-hard, smooth, shiny finish. The epoxy can be colored after mixing the equal parts of resin and hardener. Use the minimum amount to cover the head as it will flow slowly until it sets up. Curing can be accelerated by heating. By varying the normal ratio of 1:1 (adhesive to hardener) a rigid, or flexible set can be obtained. For a more flexible set, use less hardener with the resin. Bonding time will be increased.

Shellac and similar liquids are not practical for covering heads. Shellac cannot be kept stable, once it is mixed in a liquid form, for more than a year without losing most of it's qualities. When you purchase shellac you have no way of determining how old it is. Shellac also has limited resistance to weathering.

Liquid vinyl cement is a clear, flexible cement that is very tough and works better than "standard" head cements. Less is required to cover a head and it gives a smooth, glossy, tough head. Jungle Cock eye nails coated with vinyl cement stay flexible and resist splitting.

Acrylic spray is being used more and more as a fixative for feathers. Applied moderately, the feather's general color, shape and texture are not altered to any great extent; yet the barbs can hardly be pulled apart.

Another hard-setting, good-penetrating varnish is the polyurethane group. These cannot be thinned down once they start to harden. Pour out only the amount you need for immediate use and replace the lid on the container tightly.