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C LeBo

Dyeing Materials?

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I've done a lot of dyeing & agree with what's been posted, by all! I've used RIT & have not gotten as consistent or bright colors as I have with acid dyes. However, and this may be why AK Best has used the RIT, it's much more widely available than most acid dyes. I can get RIT at a number of local stores, where I have to order acid dyes.

 

Since AK is primarily tying trout flies, RIT will provide some good earthtone colors. Another plus for RIT, is it's relatively inexpensive to purchase a few colors, although comparably not the greatest value compared to acid dyes, as more RIT is usually needed to get the same color result, particularly with some colors.

 

For anyone who needs to dye a small quantity of fur or feathers, RIT is certainly a good choice. When you get into dyeing larger quantities, that's when using acid dyes really makes better sense both from a results standpoint and financially.

 

BTW, seems I read somewhere that the owner or someone involved with Jacquard is a fly tier & that's why it's been a recommended brand for dyeing tying materials. I don't recall who, but some writer was an acquaintance, and like so many other products, Jacquard has been recommended in articles. There are other brands of acid dye that will work as well. The key is that it is an acid dye, which is as Ephemerella has stated a dye for protein based substrates. :)

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One thing I actually like about the nature of RIT dye is that I've been able to get some really nice bluish and greenish grays that accurately represent the subtle colors on the backs of saltwater baitfish. I suppose it's because only the acid part of the dye is taken up by the material - whatever the reason, it works for me. :)

 

Hey, here's a link to another fly tying dye manufacturer. They've got a heck of a selection of nice colors. It ain't cheap, but you get a full ounce for your money. I just might order a bottle or two and check it out.

 

http://www.organicdye.com/flydyes.asp

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The Veniard dyes were, and I presume still are, made and sold by a very old English purveyor of flytying materials. In fact, John Veniard has written at least seven books on flytying. The dyes they sold (sell?) are the same that they used (use?) to dye their own materials with.

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PJ, the last I knew, they were still being produced, although U.S. sources appear to have dried up. You'd probably have to order them from the U.K. if they're still out there. They do show up on eBay occasionally.

 

Edit:

 

I just checked eBay, and there are plenty of colors available from a U.S. dealer at $15 per bottle.

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The difficulty of finding sources in the U.S. is why I shifted to RIT decades ago. As I still have a very limited supply of the colors I primarily use, and have almost completely quit dying, I have not pursued finding a current source. Unfortunately, as one becomes 'more mature', one finds that there is less and less time for the 'fun' things in life.

 

Thanks for the tip anyway.

 

Frank

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My girlfriend works as a dye specialist in a hair salon. Whenever a customer requires an unusual color, she dyes a small patch of deer hair, rabbit skin and feathers for me. Yes, she keeps the materials in her locker :). The best colors so far have come from dye left over from punk Mohawks; orange-and-red sunburst being my all-time favorite.

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Most of what has been said is true. A.K. Has a good book that takes you through basic dying using one of the most readily available dies in the US at the time it was first published. It is where I started. Kook-Aid works and so does the tablest you get in Easter Egg Dye Kits. Ritt works because because it is a union dye as stated before and you are basically only using one of the multiple types of dye it includes. One bonus using Ritt is that it already has salt in it to help get a level color. Kool-Aid is basically a bunch of chemicals and sweetners plus an Acid Dye for the color. If you get into dying you will find out that most dyes are manufactured by only a few companies that then sell them to other companies. So most of the dyes sold as "fly tying dye" are just being repackaged. Why is this important? Some companies will mix dyes to get a specific color and can also be mixing brands and sometimes types of dye . If you get black dye from different companies some will be more purpleish and another more red for an example. Ask an artist to mix a specific color of paint and you will get many different combinations of paint to get the same color. Look at the color wheel and you will learn a lot. Why is this important to dyers? Different colors get absorbed at different rates into a material. So if you look at a dye bath it may start off one color then turn another color and so on.One more thing about dying that I have read and learned is water temp, hardness and PH will affect your end result. You will notice that the brighter colors will typically require higher temps. The use of salt, like Glubber Saly, will help get more even color. Synthrapol is a must in your dye bath and cleaning your materials. Some dyes will be taken up faster than others. You can also varry the shade by using different types of acid. Lastly more dye in the dye bath does not always result in darker colors.

Brad.

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I just had to throw in my little bit of knowledge (and I mean "little bit"). If you get tired or confused of all the readily available dyes and you just want to dye something a very nice shade of yellow and have some fun doing it, try turmeric. Your wife may already have some in her spices in the kitchen or you can get it at any grocery store. Just some boiling water, a splash of white vinegar and a teaspoon or two of turmeric and you will have a very bright yellow. You still need to wash and degrease the saddle or cape or bucktail and soak it for a while, usually a half hour to a couple hours except water fowl needs to soak much longer..maybe all day or overnight. The end result is a vivid yellow, but keep what you have dyed out of direct sun light because it fades quite a bit. Turmeric is what makes the mustard on your hot dog yellow. I would tell where I heard of this, but I really can't remember except that it was some type of outdoors or country living publication that I read years ago. Also, Eric Leiser's books have a wealth of knowledge between their covers, and he was dying stuff when most of us were still playing with hot wheels and matchbox cars....

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I have read the link above and it is one that anyone who is going to dye more that a few things should read. A lot of good information if you read it and re-read it.

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Interesting thread. I suppose my first post can be a response to this topic. I had been doing some research on dying material. I bought some Fly Dye from www.organicdye.com and gave it a try. It is very simple and relatively inexpensive. One small container of dye cost $7.20. I bought some flo orange and flo yellow. My first goal was to dye some material flo orange. The second goal was to dye some Sunburst. Below is my first try at dying. Sorry for the poor image quality. Cell phone and lighting make a big difference. The process only took a few minutes. I will say that feathers take the dye faster than fur, and arctic fox takes the dye faster than buck tail.

 

Here is some arctic fox tail and buck tail dyed flo orange.

IMAG0053.jpg

 

Arctic fox & strung hackles dyed sunburst.

IMAG0052.jpg

 

Flies tied with dyed materials.

IMAG0060.jpg

IMAG0051.jpg

IMAG0059.jpg

 

I couldn't have been happier with the outcome of the material and the process.

 

~Aaron

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