Wayne - Have you seen Charlie Craven's new book ("Charlies Fly Box")? He has a whole range of flies that are tyed with various colors of Superhair, which is then coated with epoxy. Pretty cool looking nymphs. I was thinking of using the Hydro resin to form some similar flies. The thing I like about the light cured resins is the speed. I can coat the fly, zap it with the light for 10 to 20 seconds, and then proceed with the fly. With other coatings, you generally need to wait to the end to coat the fly, or risk smearing stuff all over the fly. Otherwise, I tend to do the coatings after the fly is finished. I don't know if these coatings any difference to the fish, but they can make the tying process easier, while giving nice results.
I am looking forward to testing this stuff on Thunder Creek minnow heads. The heads tend to require a lot of fussing around, and require multiple coating/drying steps. I think the UV cured resin could speed up the process. We'll see...
William - The resin penetrates the silk, causing it to darken, the same way water does. Your question has given me an idea. I wonder if Elmers glue could be used over the silk. It tends to brush on white, but dries clear. It may behave in the same way that color preserver fluid works for rod building. Worth a try anyway.
. I like seeing this stuff show up tied well by others.
