Don't Drink The Dye!

[Peterjay 0]

I’ve been tying a lot of wool flies this winter - great action and I like the way it puffs up in the water, giving the appearance of bulk. But what’s been driving me nuts is that the choice of colors is so limited. It only seems to come in a dozen or so colors, and half the time, I can’t even find those. Plus the quality is all over the place. I finally decided that the only way out was to get ahold of some sheepskin and start dyeing my own. I dug around until I found a listing for pure white sheepskin pieces on Etsy that was the equivalent of a large sheepskin with 2.5 to 4 inch wool. Even with shipping from England, it only set me back $50, and it’s really beautiful stuff. I don’t know anything about dyeing, so I did some research and discovered that Kool-Aid, of all things contains some really nice dyes that are colorfast and non-toxic. I figured this would be a good way to get a little experience before moving on to “real” dyes and poisoning everybody in the house. Anyway, I bought some unsweetened Kool-Aid in a few flavors and a cheapo stainless steel pan. My first attempts came out even better than I expected. The ice blue raspberry lemonade yielded a nice vibrant kingfisher blue, and the pink lemonade is like a salmon pink. The watermelon/cherry is a deeper red-orange. I’ve never seen ram’s wool in any of these colors in a shop. From what I’ve read, Kool-Aid works equally well on feathers, so I’ll probably try that next. Apparently, dyeing with Kool-Aid is a pretty well-known method, but I thought I’d share this in case one of you is as nuts and ill-informed as I am. Two things for sure - I won't be running out of sheepskin in the near future, and I’ll probably forego the pleasure of drinking Kool-Aid from here on in.

[Woodinfliezz 0]

awesome post man thanks for the info i got a bunch of feathers laying around that are pure white

[Peterjay 0]

If you get Kool-Aid, just make sure you get the unsweetened kind - the sugary stuff doesn't work. All you need besides that is some white vinegar and a stainless steel pan. If you decide to do this, give me a holler, and I'll be happy to walk you through the process. It's so easy it's scary. BTW - Davie McPhail has a nice video on youtube that shows you how to dye feathers. He uses regular dye, but the process is the same.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

You are trouble Peter! Those patches look great! Maybe one day, I'll drink the kool-aid but I really have to force myself to not go that path just yet. I've got to many irons in the fire already.

 

Thanks for sharing and offering your experience.

 

Kirk

[nyFLYguy05 0]

Ive been dying my bucktails the kool aid way - TOTALLY agree, the results shocked me too! Cheap way to get good color. Also, dont be afraid to mix and match, you can come up with some cool shades and so on....kool aid idea is great!

[Peterjay 0]

Kirk, I know exactly what you mean. New projects are exciting, but finding the time isn't always easy. It seems that every time something new comes along, it opens up five more possibilities. I'm just lucky I have a supportive wife.

 

Joe, thanks for the tip about color mixing - I'm definitely gonna try that. I found some Rit fabric dye on sale, but I'm still going to keep plenty of Kool-Aid on hand. For small batches, you can't beat it, especially at 4/$1. Too bad they don't make licorice and coffee flavors. (LOL)