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dye types and final colors

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A quick note about dyeing materials.... Yes, any tyer can dye their own materials.... but.... The reason I quit dyeing my own and went with pre-dyed materials (feathers, bucktail, kiptail, maribou....) is that I was never able to successfully reproduce the exact color as the first batch... Being able to reproduce the exact same shade batch after batch -that's the part I was never able to do... and more than one supplier I've used struggled as well (these days it's mostly Wapsi for me).

 

This may not be a problem for most since they're not using materials in bulk or trying to satisfy anyone other than themselves. I simply was never able to be certain that if I was asked to do a second order where I needed to dye up an additional color batch that I would be able to come near what the first batch showed...

 

To this day I still have master patterns that I've saved from years before so that I could exactly match an order... the color part was a challenge, always.

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If the pictures do any justice, your colors are really nice.

That amount of feathers would last me a lifetime too.

 

Captain,

What would you say is the main cause of inconsistent results? I would imagine there is a recipe with measurements that is created after the first color batch is good. Is it inconsistency in the dye, the materials, ...?

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I have dyed my own materials in the past. I used Kool-Aid in my first attempt. I had mixed results. The rabbit strips were, well, laughable. I can still cut the hair and use it for dubbing. Feathers came out pretty well. But the colors were not what I was hoping for but still serve a purpose.

 

Once I was looking for a purple saddle. Could not find one and I was needing it rather quickly. Since my wife was heaving in basket weaving at the time and dyed her own reed I asked if she needed some purple. So long story short. I went to the local fly shop and bought a white saddle they had. We dyed some reed for baskets and then my saddle hackle. We used Rit dye and I am still using that saddle quite a few years later. And no problems with color running.

 

Almost forgot, what you dyed looks great.

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"too many variables" You need the exact same initial cleaning process (with all that's involved before the actual dyeing process...) heat, time in the dye bath, amount of dye as well as other components of your dye bath, how the materials are handled after dyeing (rinsing, time between dye bath and rinsing, drying method, air temperature....). I'm probably missing a few critical items as well... My hat's off to the few wholesalers who consistently produce quality products (and colors) over the years...

 

Here's a mention of an outfit that's no longer around - Hobb's Feather Company out of Iowa or Idaho... Their colors were so consistent that they'd actually sell you a color book with samples of every dyed color they did... You could look up a color in that folder and get the exact same color (imagine how many shades there are of each color we use...) time after time.... Hobb's has been gone for years now. Old Darwin was right in more ways than one about survival of the fittest in business as well as in nature...

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Fatman those are some real nice feathers.

 

Do you remove remaining dye residue? Rinse in cold water till water is clear then wash with soap and water.

 

I have dyed a few tails and used this process.

 

I remember purchasing some dyed tails and feathers and had dye residue come off flies tied with them when they were wet. I ended up washing them with soap and water and letting dry.

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Wonderful job Fats. What Capt. Bob said has been my experience too. I have been playing around with dyeing my own materials for almost 30 years. I have 4 different kinds of dye, so you know I'm a little passionate about it. Rit, Veniard, Jacquard, and Fly dye.

 

That is alot of flank you got there, what are you tying to use so many colors of flank feathers?? sounds cool. You did a great job, I know there is alot of time involved. Great photos and post!!

Thanks alot amigo!

Bob

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fshng2 - Haven't had any problems with residue on any of the feathers I've done

 

Bob Sc - use a lot when tying panfish jigs and have traded with a couple others for jigheads they have that I don't

 

rstaight - I was given some instructions for a cold dye and while the hide wasn't as soft as I wanted it, it still came out well enough to cut zonker strips

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Nice work Fatman, I never get the results that I was looking for, my hats off to anyone that can get the their desired results consistently. I have had the pleasure of watching and helping some that can and their work and time is worth my money for their material. Not to mention the cleanup and disposal afterward. I like that fiery brown and may try again.

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Thanks it's been fun learning. When I finally got the nerve to try it I found out it wasn't so bad and I found some good and some not so good kool-aids, easter egg dyes!!LOL The RIT liquid isn't bad but for the cost the Fly Dye is cheaper and will do more batchs.

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I'm with Capt. Bob, consistency is the biggest problem. I learned a lot about that during the years I (we) spent at Whiting Farms. Without giving away trade secrets two things are important - well-cleaned materials (washing) AND a good acid dye. The good acid stuff comes in pound + containers with names like Lowenstein on the side. If you are using Rit or equivalent then you may find variance from one batch to the next. Take care & ...

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Hey Fatman - I found this in the joke of the day - it might be something to watch for:

 

A computer programmer, bored with his job, decided to start his own business. Wanting to do something totally different from his current occupation, he bought a mating pair of rheas and a large tract of land.

 

His rhea farm was soon doing a booming business as there appeared to be a great demand for the birds. Not being satisfied with just selling the birds, the rhea farmer started researching how the birds were being used. He found that all parts of the birds were being utilized, except

the feathers. Nobody wanted the plainly colored rhea feathers.

 

The ex-programmer, now rhea farmer, purchased some equipment, technical people, and chemicals, and was soon selling fancy, colored rhea feathers. The resulting sales were amazing and made the new feather merchant very happy.

 

There was one small problem. The workers making the colored feathers were becoming quite ill.

 

The concerned young man called in a number of doctors to determine the nature of the illness.

 

It was discovered that without exception, the workers had developed a severe case of "dye a rhea."

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