Description
The Wapsi Plastic Applicator Bottle is a precision bench tool engineered to deliver exact micro-drops of head cement, thin lacquers, and water-based finishes directly onto your thread wraps. Built for production fly tyers and precision-focused anglers, this pliable squeeze bottle eliminates the mess and waste associated with standard brush-in-cap jars. By maintaining a tight internal seal, it prevents the rapid evaporation of volatile solvents, making it ideal for dry climates and extended tying sessions where traditional cements frequently thicken and ruin delicate hackle fibers.
How to Use It
Fill the Wapsi Plastic Applicator Bottle halfway with your preferred thin-viscosity head cement, leaving sufficient air space to allow the plastic body to flex and pressurize. Upon completing your whip finish, invert the bottle and apply gentle pressure to squeeze a single, controlled drop out of the fine metal needle directly onto the thread base. Store the bottle upright between sessions, and run a fine wire or spare dubbing needle through the metal tip to clear any dried cement blockages before your next tying session.
Why We Like It
We like this applicator bottle because it solves the persistent problem of crusty lids and rapidly degrading head cements. The fine metal tip provides unparalleled volume control, allowing you to deposit a fraction of a drop onto a tiny midge head without gluing the hook eye shut or matting nearby CDC feathers. Additionally, the airtight plastic body drastically reduces solvent evaporation, saving money by keeping your finishing liquids at the optimal tying consistency for months on end.
Example Flies
Zebra Midge: Applying finish to this minimalist pattern requires precision to avoid sealing the hook eye or adding bulk to the thread collar. The fine tip of the applicator bottle allows you to place a micro-drop of cement directly over the final thread wraps behind the tungsten bead, securing the wire ribbing firmly without creating a sloppy head.
Elk Hair Caddis: When tying off the head of a dry fly, stray cement can easily wick into the elk hair wing and completely ruin the fly's natural floatation. Using this applicator, you bypass the hair entirely and inject a controlled drop of thin cement straight into the base of the whip finish on the underside of the hook.
Wapsi Plastic Applicator Bottle vs Hareline Applicator Bottle
While both bottles utilize a pliable plastic body for controlled dispensing, the Wapsi Plastic Applicator Bottle features a permanently affixed, extremely fine metal needle optimized specifically for watery, solvent-based cements. The Hareline Applicator Bottle comes with varying interchangeable plastic tips, making it adaptable for thicker resins, water-based glues, and UV epoxies. Tyers using thick, heavy-build acrylics lean toward the Hareline system, while those needing pinpoint application of penetrating, thin-viscosity liquids favor the Wapsi design.