PAPA VV 0 Report post Posted August 20, 2010 HI I am a newbie to the forum and to tying. I have a couple of questions about canadian goose wing feathers. I have a number of them provided by my hunting friends. Question One. Can they be bleached, and how do I go about it??? Question Two. Can they then be dyed, and how do I go about that????? Would appreciate any direct answers or sources of information, haven"t had too much luck searching the forum and googling Thanks in advance for your help. PAPA VV LIKE I SAID I AM A NEWBIE AND NOT COMPUTER AND FORUM SAVVY, DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF THIS SECOND POST SORRY FOR THE ERROR Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skidoosh 0 Report post Posted August 20, 2010 Probably the best book on the topic is Dyeing and Bleaching by A.K. Best. I have heard of guys bleaching with hair bleach that is painted on. The difficulty is if you have bulk feathers is matching a left and right to make them usable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldsmuggler 0 Report post Posted August 20, 2010 On my last trip to Canada I found a lot of these feathers... I thought were useless... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bad fish rising 0 Report post Posted August 20, 2010 they make great wingcases on nymphs just the way they are i use a little fixative spray on them to help hold their shape while tying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2010 heres an article on dyeing natural materials http://www.beaucatcher.com/Fly_Tying_Notes...Tying_Materials Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted August 30, 2010 Do not bleach them, that will burn the barbules and hooklets. You can try using peroxide, but I really don't think it will do much good. Slate gray feathers can only be dyed darker, black for sure and maybe a very dark blue or purple. Dying feathers is easy if you use acid dyes specifically made for fly tying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PAPA VV 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2010 Do not bleach them, that will burn the barbules and hooklets. You can try using peroxide, but I really don't think it will do much good. Slate gray feathers can only be dyed darker, black for sure and maybe a very dark blue or purple. Dying feathers is easy if you use acid dyes specifically made for fly tying. Thanks for the info guys, Your quote above kicks my idea in the but. Was hoping to bleach the canadian goose feathers and then dye various colors for married wings parts. At this point in time I am a long ways from that as I am a very brand new tiweer. Thanks again PAPA VV Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites