Iamscubasteve Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 My large order from Barlows showed up today . In that order I now have a few molds with recessed locations for eyes and of course a bunch of different eyes among several other things. What do all of you use for adhesive for eyes? I am not making jigs for profit, just for me and a couple of friends, so keeping costs down is not required, but the highest quality is preferred. For bow hunting I fletch my own arrows. I have tried all of the best fletching adhesives, but found a line of adhesive from the Loctite company that is outstanding. I'm not sure with it being in water if it is good for this application though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toadfrog Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 Generally I use a clear coat over the eye . Two part epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 The eyes you got from Barlows are most likely from WTP which uses a good adhesive. All you need to do is stick the eys on and they will hold for a little bit. That said, they should be sealed, you can coat the entire jig head and over top of the eyes with Devcon 2-ton epoxy or you can use Sally Hansen's "Hard as Nails" clear and go over them. When you buy cheap eyes from ebay or other sources the adhesive is really bad and you will need a drop of super glue on the eye socket of the jig before putting the eye in place but the eyes you bought won't need that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 I do the same as most guys here as well. I also buy WTP eyes (Witch Tape Products). I have found that their 2d and 3d eyes have the best adhesive, to keep the eye in place before the final step, which in my case is Devcon 2 Ton (D2T) or Envirotex Lite (E-tex). Both are two part mix epoxies. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 I've found that eyes which fit into recesses will do fine with just a top coat over them to hold them in place, even if they just barely hold with the adhesive they come with. For surface mounted eyes I use a drop of super glue, and then top coat them once the glue has set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamscubasteve Posted February 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 (edited) Sealing them makes sense. I will get some devcon 2 coming. Do you seal the whole jig head or just around the eyes? Edit: i read smalljaws post again closer and answered my question. Thank you all for the help. Edited February 28, 2017 by Iamscubasteve Realized i missed info from a previous post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLT Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 Minwax polycrylic. Been using it for 8 years now to cover the eyes, and some times paint the whole jig with 2 thin coats. Hasn't yellowed or cracked over time, either. I also use it to coat my threads for my hair jigs, and hair teasers on my flounder hooks. never had threads come undone other than from a toothy Bluefish ripping them apart. Price wise, it's a bargain, and no hassle of mixing the epoxy. Will admit if you are going for pretty, the Devcon 30 minute epoxy looks better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr B Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 I do a top coat of Envirotex lite. You don't need to do the whole head, just coat out beyond the eyes about a 1/2". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 whether it has sockets or not I always use Duco Cement it works great and I've ever lost an eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Ok, now there is a lot of different answers so I'll try to make this much more simple. When it comes to sealing the eyes, you don't have to do the entire head but it helps if you do because if the eye sockets aren't deep or the eye is large enough to take up the entire socket you'll end up with edge of top coat on the head which can cause it to lift and peel. BLT made a point, if you want to make it look nice do the entire head and Devcon is probably the easiest to use if you don't have experience with clear coats because it works with 1 coat and is self leveling and gets thick fast enough you don't need a drying wheel, simply coat and hang to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamscubasteve Posted March 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 I've been doing a little research on the epoxies. White is one of my favorite colors to use for crappie jigs, which wouldn't most likely have any eyes on them, but also walleye jigs, which would. Yellowing is a little bit of a concern. I suppose I will just have to try it out and see what the results are, but in your experience is the yellowing a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apdriver Posted March 2, 2017 Report Share Posted March 2, 2017 is the yellowing a problem? It is if you use Devcon 5 minute. You have to use the 30 minute stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munkin Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 If just securing the eyes use Sally Hansens "Hard as Nails" fingernail polish as it drys in 5 minutes and I have never lost an eye using it. Allen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
