dying fur and feathers

[mutzinbaugh]

i would like to try my luck at dying and am curious as to what dye you guys are using. any special recipes that you have figured out and wouldn't mind sharing with the group would be appreciated. thank you.

 

[lv2nymph]

I have only done a little but I used rit dye when I did. I followed the instructions in Ak Best's Dying and bleaching natural fly-tying materials, My results were very good. This is a very good reference if you plan on playing with it, if you're going to put the time and effort into it might as well get the book to guide you along.

 

[beadhead2]

Mutzinbaugh
I have a copy of A K Best Dying and Bleaching book for sale ,autographed .
PM me for price if you are interested

 

[wgreene]

I have tried A K Best Dying and Bleaching technique before and i must agree that they produce great quality and they are perfectly safe for you and your catch as they really use natural methods to avoid or lessen chemical contents in the finished products. i do suggest that you give it a try

 

[lv2nymph]

A good place to get most of your pans and such for the baths is goodwill, find it there on the cheap.

 

[troutbert]

Does anyone know of a good dye for the chartreuse color?

I've heard that Rit no longer makes Neon Green. Is there a good alternative? Also, Rit was not all that color fast. It gave you a nice strong neon green chartreuse color, but it faded pretty quickly.

 

[dryflyguy]

On their website - ritdye.com - they give recipes for mixing several of their dyes to get just about any shade you want.

I remember a post several years ago - the guy was from mexico I believe - talking about using kool-aid to dye feathers.
Never tried it - but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Probably wouldn't last very long though

 

[Volksnurse]

dryflyguy wrote:
I remember a post several years ago - the guy was from mexico I believe - talking about using kool-aid to dye feathers.
Never tried it - but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Probably wouldn't last very long though

Probably wouldn't last long on feathers...but lasts a long time on my 4 year old.

 

[flytyingfred]

when you use kool aid to dye the colors will last but you have to add vinegar to set the dye. Also the kool aid dying method is not quite as strong or bright a color as rit or veniard dyes but it does work.

 

[ebroesicke]

i've used the kool-aid method and it works well. you mix it with vinegar as stated above and it sets the color, kinda like easter egg dye. And yes it lasts. I have used it for trout and saltwater stuff. Preparing the material is almost as important as what dye you use. some feathers have oils on them that make them hard to dye. If you google : Dyeing natural fibers with kool-aid, you will find a site that gives a nice run down on the process, and it shows what colors you can make and how they look on wool yarn. Hard to beat the price when kool-aid is on sale for like 10packets/$1. No doubt the acid dyes give a deeper color though.

 

[dryflyguy]

Could certainly save some money dying with kool-aid
Just wonder what flavor you'd use to get gray - or brown - though?

 

[troutbert]

And you could "drink the Kool-Aid" afterward. It might have subtle, complex flavors after being used for dyeing dead animal parts.

 

[ebroesicke]

brown or grey could be difficult. mix a bunch together and you might get brown.

here's the color chart:

 

[sandfly]

browns and greys are better with rit dye. I like kool aid on white it is very bright. could go full tilt and get these;
http://www.veniard.com/product1787/section138/dye-tubes

 

[shakey]

red+green=brown,yellow+purple=brown,orange+blue=brown.

orange+yellow+red+purple+green+blue=brown.

i have colored feathers and fur with rit with good results.it requires a lot of rinsing or your material will bleed onto the other material,which could be a good or bad thing.

i am considering using professional hair color on fly tying material.that would be pretty long lasting!

 

[plombardo]

Dharma trade company has all brands of acid dyes. AK book is also good investment. Fly dye is also another option. I just dipped some hackle the other night with dharma acid dye. Make sure to test with a white duck feather. This way you to see if it is correct shade/color. ( or sample of fur or feather you are dying