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bucks n beaks

Homemade Bunny Dubbing

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I've been searching the site for answers to my question, but have not found what I am looking for as of yet. My little girl has a pet bunny rabbit (it has snow white fur all over) and we try to groom him whenever we think about it. He's an inside bunny so he stays clean as a whistle, no bugs, dirt, tangles, etc. He's got the finest fur I've ever seen.

 

Question(s): After grooming with the grooming brush, do I need to wash or treat the fur before using as dubbing? What treatment, if any, is recommended? Is there an idiot-proof method for dyeing custom colors?

 

Thanks for the anticipated assistance guys/gals.

 

Kyle M.

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I would think it would be very difficult to dye loose rabbit hair like that. I'm not sure how you'd even do that. Rabbit fur (and other furs) are typically dyed on the hide--obviously not an option for you and your little girl! :)

 

I wouldn't think you'd necessarily need to wash it before dubbing with it, especially with it being an inside bunny and all. If you were going to try to dye it, then you'd need to wash it, I think, because of the natural oils, etc. that all animal hair has on it.

 

If it was me, I'd just use it for white flies, or you could try coloring it with markers once the fly is tied if you want different colors.

 

I'm sure you'll get other answers, more expert than mine, but that's my $0.02. :)

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You can use a mason jar or something similar to wash it and dye it. Little bit of soap and water in the jar, shake, rinse, repeat. Get some kind of fine strainer to drain the water, I use one of those metal reusable coffee filters. I can't recommend a treatment but I would wash the fur just to be safe and in my experience some materials take the dye better when washed in warm water with a little dish soap.

 

The most idiot proof method for dying is to try the dye on just a little bit of it until you get the color you want. Write down exactly what you did for mixing colors, ex.- 1/4 teaspoon of brown to 1/2 teaspoon green with 4 cups water= dark olive.

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I did some of my dogs hair. I did it in the wife's measuring cup in the microwave I made 15 different colors . With food coloring and some vinegar .

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When you get to the blender stage, chop some fine contrasting reflective material with flash -- antron works nicely -- into short pieces and judiciously ad it to the mix for some eye popping fish appeal.

 

Rocco

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If you are feeling ambitious, look up some older work by Caucci and Nastasi. They worked out recipes for most of the major US mayfly colors using mixtures of red, yellow, blue and white rabbit fur. They sold it for some years but I don't know if it is still available. They used to have the recipe on the packet, at least the few that I have in my dubbing drawer.

 

Steve

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Being that it's all loose, get a knee high stocking from the wife or get a cheap pair at the store. Put the fur inside the stocking and wash with dawn dish soap, you have to get the natural oils out if you want to dye it.

 

Make sure when you go to dye it that you have REAL Ball or Mason Jars!!!!!!!!!! with the raised letters!!! Ball makes a craft jar and if it wasn't for the old baking tray, newspaper and paper towel on it the wifes counter would have looked like purple kool aid!!!!!! Buy your own strainer!!!!

 

I use 4 packets of kool aid - pour them in the jar and I heat water on the stove and have a thermometer to check temp. When it hits 140 degrees pour the water into the canning jar and mix the kool-aid and water, add 2 tablespoons of white vinagar put your material in the jar and stir it up and let it sit, and stir occasionally. When it starts to cool off put some Saran wrap over the top poke a few holes and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes.

 

Use oven mits to take it out, pull the saran wrap and stir it up again - check your color, if it's what your looking for pour it into a strainer and rinse in cold water till the water runs clear. Loose bunny hair I put in a knee high stocking, leave some room for it to expand and put it in the clothes dryer for 5 mins on low heat, then straight air till dry. Turn the stocking inside out on newspaper and if you want to cut it up even more put it through an old coffee grinder.

 

Makes nice dubbing. You can also use Hawaiian Punch drink mix. a really good site is Dye your yarn http://www.dyeyouryarn.com/Kool-Aid-dyeing.html

 

I've learned alot about dyeing from folks here and other boards. If you need help give a yell and I'll help you out.

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