Solarez UV Resin Quick Picks
- Best All-Around: Solarez Thin Hard UV Cure Resin - About the viscosity of 30-weight motor oil, so it flows into thread and dries to a thin, shellac-like clear coat. A non-yellowing aliphatic urethane that cures in seconds, in a 5-gram tube.
- Best for Perdigons and Small Flies: Solarez Clear Bone Dry UV-Cure Fly Tying Resin - An ultra-thin resin that cures crystal clear with no tacky surface to wipe off. The low viscosity coats a whole perdigon body or a wing case without buildup.
- Best for Heads and Bodies: Solarez Thick Hard UV Cure Resin - High viscosity for building streamer heads, bug bodies, and eyes that hold their shape until you hit them with the light. Glossy, tack-free, and non-yellowing.
- Best for Flexible Parts: Solarez Flex Formula UV Cure Resin - Cures to a flexible finish for swimming flies, hinge points, and coating knots for strength. It also doubles as a field wader repair.
- Best Starter Kit: Solarez UV-Cure Fly-Tie Resin Roadie Kit - One-ounce bottles of Thin Hard, Thick Hard, and Flex, eight applicator styles, and a high-output UV flashlight. The light takes two CR123 or one 18650 battery, not included.
How to Choose Solarez UV Resin
Match the viscosity to the job
Action: Pick the thinnest resin that will do what you need. Thin resin penetrates thread and lays flat; thick resin builds shape. Most trout tiers end up with Bone Dry or Thin Hard for nymphs and heads and Thick Hard for anything with bulk.
Best for: Bodies that need deep gloss without the mess of a thick resin, Solarez Medium UV Cure Resin, which sits between Thin and Thick and is the easy one to control on a rotary vise. To try all three formulas first, the Solarez UV Cure Resin 3-Pack has a 5-gram tube each of Thin Hard, Thick Hard, and Flex.
Color, black, and glow
Solarez colored resins come in three families: fluorescent colors that are translucent and bright for hot spots, opaque earth tones plus black and white, and interference pigments, the pearlescents and metallics that shift with the light and show best over a dark base.
Best for: Hot spots and collars, the Solarez Colored UV Cure Resin in 5-gram bottles with a fine brush, or the Solarez Bone Dry Colored UV-Cure Fly Tying Resin in eight colors with the same ultra-low viscosity as clear Bone Dry, which makes it the perdigon tier's color.
Tip: Black Bone Dry cures to a deep, hard black in under ten seconds and comes in a half-ounce bottle with a brush, so it replaces black head cement on streamers and wets. Thick Hard Glow builds glow-in-the-dark heads and eyes; charge it with your UV light for a couple of seconds and it glows for several minutes.
Lights, kits, and the cure technique that matters
Best for: Full-size bottles and the light in one box, the Solarez Pro Roadie Kit: half-ounce bottles of Thin Hard, Thick Hard, and Flex with cone-cap tips plus the high-output UV flashlight. As with the standard Roadie Kit, batteries are not included.
Action: Follow the Solarez burst method. Apply in the shade, flash for one second, wait 15 seconds, flash again, wait, then finish with 30 seconds of continuous light. The pauses cut the heat and shrinkage that cause cloudy or cracked finishes. Bone Dry needs only about ten seconds total.
Why Trident Carries Solarez
Solarez came to fly tying from surfboard repair, where UV resin has to be tough, clear, and consistent, and it shows. The fly-tie formulas are aliphatic urethanes that do not yellow, they cure tack-free with the Solarez light, and the Bone Dry line has become the standard for perdigon bodies.
Materials & Durability
- Store between 40 and 85 degrees: Solarez recommends that range and says head space in the bottle matters, so keep bottles upright and capped. Not in a hot truck, not in a freezing garage.
- Let the bottle breathe monthly: Solarez says opening the lid once a month to let fresh air in preserves the inhibitor that keeps resin liquid on the shelf.
- Keep it out of daylight: Sunlight and window light cure these resins. Work in the shade, cap immediately, and store in a drawer.
- Do not add surfacing agent: Solarez notes that surfacing additives throw off the photoinitiator ratio and make the cure tacky, softer, and more yellow.
Complete Your Setup
Related Gear
- Fly Tying Cements, Epoxies & Glues - UV lights, head cements, and the other adhesives on the bench.
- Jig Hooks - The hooks under most perdigon and Euro nymph bodies.
- Fly Tying Beads, Cones & Eyes - Tungsten beads and eyes to set in resin heads.
- Fly Tying Thread, Tinsel & Wire - Thread and tinsel bodies that resin turns into a hard, bright shell.
Related Guides
- How to Tie a Perdigon Nymph
- How To Tie The Mil Spec Perdigon
- How To Tie The Sulphur Perdigon
- How to Tie Bob Popovics' Bulkhead Deceiver Fly
Solarez UV Resin FAQs
Q: What is the difference between Solarez Bone Dry and Thin Hard?
A: Both cure hard and clear. Bone Dry is thinner, comes in a bottle with a brush or needle applicator, and is built for the thinnest possible coat on perdigons and small nymph bodies.
Q: Why is my Solarez resin tacky after curing?
A: It has not had enough UV. Solarez formulas cure tack-free with the Solarez light, so give it more time in bursts, or set the fly in direct sunlight to finish.
Q: Does Solarez UV resin yellow over time?
A: Solarez says its fly-tie resins are designed not to yellow with age. There can be a light yellow cast right after curing that photo-bleaches away within a day or two, leaving a clear finish.
Q: Do I need a Solarez light, or will any UV flashlight work?
A: Solarez guarantees a tack-free cure with its own lights, and its FAQ says wavelength matters more than wattage, with 385 nanometer LED lights working well. Sunlight also cures every Solarez resin.
Q: Which Solarez resin is best for perdigon nymphs?
A: Clear Bone Dry for the body and Bone Dry Colored for hot spots and collars. Both are ultra-thin and cure hard and glossy in seconds, which is what gives a perdigon its slick, fast-sinking shell.
Q: Can I use Solarez Flex to repair waders?
A: Solarez lists wader repair as one use for Flex because it cures to a flexible finish. Clean and dry the area, apply a thin layer, and cure with your UV light or in the sun using the longer Flex cure cycle.
Solarez Warranty & Resources
UV resin is a consumable, and Solarez does not publish a product warranty the way rod and reel makers do; its site references a satisfaction guarantee but not formal terms. If a bottle arrives damaged, has cured in the bottle, or will not cure properly, contact Trident and we will make it right or point you to Solarez directly.
Learn More from Solarez
- Solarez UV Resin FAQ - Tackiness, yellowing, cure technique, lights, and storage, answered by the manufacturer.
- Solarez Fly Tying Resins - The full fly-tie formula lineup.
- Solarez Fishing Products - Resins, lights, and rod-building supplies.