Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Sorting out & through my boxes of materials today i noticed a Whiting silver soft hackle with chickabou grizzly dyed pink cape had what looks like oil stains on the big card that comes with it in the zip lock bag, the feathers also seem waxy! Wasn't like that before! Is this something i should be worried about? I seperated it from everything else already just incase! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 The skin of most commercial capes will give up oil over time. That's why they often come on those little "meat diaper" pads. As long as the feathers have not been affected all you need to do is replace (or if absent- add) a fresh absorbent pad. I find a folded paper towel works fine. If the feathers have become very oily you may want to wash the cape. You know, I don't think I have ever seen this on a dyed cape. I would have thought they would remove the oils before dying.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Thankyou rockworm! There is no absorbant pad with this cape! The stains on the card look like oil stains but only feel waxy! The feathers & the back of the skin only feel waxy not oily! I just wraped the info card with hand paper & also the cape with hand paper & put them back in the zip bag! Maybe i should start to save any absorbant pads i find, like from new shows, incase!?! If i were to wash the cape? Should it be warm or cold water? Soapy warm or cold water? What kind of drying? Thankyou to Everyone here! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Make friends with your local butcher and he may give you a handful of meat diapers. They are perfect for the job. But paper towelling works fine too. Washing a cape is easy. Since you are trying to get rid of fats/oils you should use a mild detergent (like Sunlight, Dawn...) and hot water. If your hands can tolerate the heat- so can the feathers. Massage the feathers gently as if you were shampooing your hair. Rinse well and blot out most of the moisture with paper towels. Lay the cape on bed of dry paper towels, take a comb and comb the feathers straight. Place more PT on top of the cape and place a book (or similar weight) on top of this. Check every few hours and replace the PT when it gets wet. The one problem with washing and dying capes is the skin tends to shrink and become hard. That's why you need to press it flat. Before the feathers are completely dry I like to use a hair dryer on them. Blow with low heat for 5 minutes or so to fluff them up. Then comb the feathers straight and flat and leave overnight between PT with a good weight on top. IMPORTANT: Make sure your cape is bone-dry before sealing it up in a baggie. Or you will be the proud owner of the rare fuzzy-green stinky hackle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gene L 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Unless the feather barbels are sticking together here's no way I'd wash it. Of course, I don't know how "waxy" they are, but a little oil probably would be good for waterproofing the feathers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 They are not sticking togeather, but feel waxy! The thing that worried me the most was the stains that looked like oil stains on the card, then when i checked the cape it felt waxy but not sticking togeather! Thankyou rockworm & Gene L! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crackaig 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 The idea of tapping the local butcher is great. I'll be down there Monday. Cheers, C. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Thinking the same thing Al. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilverCreek 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Sorting out & through my boxes of materials today i noticed a Whiting silver soft hackle with chickabou grizzly dyed pink cape had what looks like oil stains on the big card that comes with it in the zip lock bag, the feathers also seem waxy! Wasn't like that before! Is this something i should be worried about? I seperated it from everything else already just incase! I assume the flies you will tying with that soft hackle are wet flies so the chcken fat that is on the feathers will repel water and act as floatant. I would wash the cape in Dawn dishwashing liquid by intermittent swishing and then letting it soak in the soapy warm water. Rinse well and place skin side down on newspapers to soak up the excess water. Then press genlty between white paper towels before allowing to air dry. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 Thankyou SilverCreek! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henrik Thomsen (DK) 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2015 It is normally always recommended to wash non-synthetic materials. Especially the dyed ones. That will remowe excess dye, and show you the color that is truely in the material. i've had some marabou feathers, highland green, after washing, they were white with a green hue. Better this happens before the featheres are tied on... Also, non dyed materials can be dirty, animals like to mud/dust bath... After washing with normal hair shampoo, I normally rinse well with water, and dependend on what the material is using conditioner (mostly for hairs). Hang to dry, e.g. on the normal clothe hanger. /Henrik Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 19, 2015 Thanx Henrik! Now that you mention it, i've noticed before the red dye from arctic fox fur stain into yellow died arctic fox fur! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted April 19, 2015 Having washed and dryed a few capes over the years (particularly dyed ones..) I'd strongly recommend that you never, repeat never, use hot water when washing a dyed cape since the cape will lose some of its color as a result... I use Dawn detergent as noted with barely lukewarm water -then rinse thoroughly with cold water until I can feel no detergent (or grease) at all. I shake out the neck or saddle, lay flat skin side down on paper towel that is on top of several layers of newspaper to aid in drying... When the drying process is almost done I'll occasionally clip necks or saddle patches to the chain link fencing next to my garage for some air drying to complete the process (this really fluffs up the feathers and brings them to their best..). Hope this helps. I've found that particularly hot colors (reds, oranges, etc.) will bleed out badly if you use hot water.... Those same colors will actually stain my hands when I'm tying with them -which happens even after washing when I'm doing quite a bit of production tying wtih them (so will black....). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 19, 2015 Thankyou Capt Bob LeMay! I'm very thankfull for everyone giving me the infomation that i don't know but need! The cape & card is still wraped in multable handpapers inside the zip bag! I will wash it in this next week hoping the weather will be nice outside! Looking forward to the misses having a big winge about it! :-) Thankyou everybody! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted April 19, 2015 Yes, another one that the wife just loves. Goat fur especially I've noticed improves after a wash and condition. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
