Making Fly Materials Stronger

[Raff]

I have a streamer fly that I started to tie a little while ago, but I'm finding that strands of the silver garland I use tend to break after extended use (for reference, the fly http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc302/FFRaff/FrankenFly007.jpg Sorry for the crappy picture). I haven't been able to find a stronger replacement for the garland, so I guess my question is if you guys or gals know of a hardening agent or spray-on enamel that will make the materials stronger and more durable without affecting it's underwater qualities too much? Thanks all.

[jonescort]

I was running into this problem with alaskan flies. I found if I dipped them in hard as nails they hold up more but you loose the movement. I use flashaboo strands instead, I don't know if they are more durable than garland but they are cheap enough you can loose a few and its not a huge loss.

[Curtis Fry]

Flies that break down or fall apart after having caught a few fish are retired to the dash in my truck where they can rest and prove their resiliance in fighting off the effects of the sun (a good way to see how well materials keep colors and rubber breaks down). I tie more if needed.

Moral of the story: Rather than mess with a fly's mojo to make it last longer, just tie more flies.