cellulose enamel

[flytire]

heres one for the older tyers on the forum

i was reading one of herters books and some fly patterns referenced using "cellulose enamel" (or "celluloid enamel") on the back of some flies

i did a research on the internet before posting the question here but all i could find was that it was a paint? of some kind. very little info available

so does anybody know what it was or still have an old bottle laying around?

what would be a substitute?

 

[Rip Tide]

In one of my old tying books, Making and Using the Fly and Leader (Paul Young c1933) he talks about making flattened nymphs by soaking them in "Duco" and then sqeezing them with pliers.

According to the ad,

DUCO Cement is a multi-purpose, fast-drying, nitro-cellulose household cement that dries clear and tough
Tensile Strength: 200 psi (glass to glass); 1200 psi (wood to wood); 700 psi (metal to metal)
DUCO Cement is extremely flammable in cured and uncured state
Water Resistant, Handling Time: 5-10 Minutes
Set Time: 1 Hour, Cure Time: 16 hours

 

[flytire]

thats interesting as that is the subject i was reading about "flattened nymphs"

i found this photo

 

[Rip Tide]

From my 1977 Herter's catalogue (looks to be like Testors model paint)

HERTER'S CELLULOID ENAMEL

Has a very high glass-like gloss.
Covers in one coat and is extremely durable.
Brush or spray on.
In painting wooded plugs first use 2 coats of Herter's Wood Whitebase
If Celluloid Enamel is to be used over lead or medal based materials such as saltwater jig head, for best results use a coat of Clear Celluloid as a primer coat.
Colors: Water clear, white, yellow orange, red, black, green, blue, and purple

Enamel 2oz. $.74,... pint. $1.49
Thinner 2oz. $.35.... pint. $1.04

 

[kentuckysteve]

This enamel is also known as nitrocellulose enamel introduced in the 1920's by Dupont as Duco paint and was one of the first commercial paints for general motors automotive paint.Also known as modern lacquers.Made from Nitrocellulose also known as gun cotton.A mild explosive used in propellants and also used to waterproof firework fuses.This same cellulose enamel was used for the finish on Fender guitars and many other guitars in the 50's and 60's.It has a very durable hard waterproof finish that could be sanded when dry but also was somewhat flexible.It was also used on model cars like we use the Testors enamels today.The ingredients contain several highly flammable materials.Probably why it is not in common use today.I have never seen it in these small bottles but i have seen it on the older guitars when it would crack and chip and the chips were almost impossible to break in half.Very thick and strong stuff.This paint replaced the shellac from the old days and has since been replaced by today's acrylic enamels.

 

[flytire]

this might work

 

[kentuckysteve]

I have seen the Loon Hard Head i the local store and thought about trying it.I wonder if it would stick to lead and work for painting jig heads?

 

[bigjim5589]

Norm, I still have a few bottles, but as to the question cannot say anymore about what it is than what’s already been posted here. It always looked like a high gloss finger nail polish to me. I also used some of those lacquers, but it’s been many years since I’ve had any of them. Wapsi used to carry it, but I think some of that, with very volatile solvents in it was discontinued due to mail restrictions.

 

[flytire]

thanks guys

i guess i'll tie up some nymphs and experiment with different colors of fingernail polish