community of dyers

This forum is for all sorts of hand-dyers to post links to pictures of their work and discuss dyeing with other dyers. Please jump right in and post. We'd like to see your work!

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Hi,

The books I've read all say to hold acid dyes at temperature (usually 185 degrees or so) for 45 minutes or so when immersion dyeing. I've found that with Lanaset/Sabraset dyes, the dye usually strikes within a few minutes of reaching 185 degrees, and at that point, the water is clear. The rinse water is clear as well. Do I still need to keep the temperature at 185 for 45 minutes, and if so why? Does it make the yarn more lightfast/washfast? I have never noticed running with Sabraset dyes, even when I pull it from the dyebath "early".

Been wondering about this for several years now, would love to know what is really going on during the lengthy dyeing period.

Hi,

I'm looking for a systematic way to figure out what colors to mix up to get a specific shade. I read about the Munsell system of color in Karren Brito's Shibori book, and am intrigued with the method she suggests. However, I don't know whether I need a copy of the Munsell Book of Colors to use this method successfully. Since the Book of Colors currently retails for nearly $800, this is not a direction I want to go unless it is going to be really valuable to my dyeing.

I've already done quite a few dye triangles with Sabraset (and also with Sabracron F, which I sometimes use on silk using the fiber-reactive dye method), so I can select colors from the palette - but I'd like to be able to mix up colors that aren't on that specific palette.

I'm having trouble with my acid dyes exhausting. When I rinse, it seems that I'm loosing color - but there are too many factors for me to figure it out - maybe you all can help.

I typically use 1c citric acid to 1gallon water - but I have increased this to 3c/gallon lately. I can get the color fixed if I use a TON of citric acid (about 1c of the stroger mix/9oz of yarn) and microwave this for 30 minutes. This seems like a lot to me.

Does anybody know the ph required for acid dyeing? I ahve tried using my strips and found that sometimes I can have a pH of 1-2 before I cook the yarn and that I'm back up to 4 after. None of my colors will stay put unless I get them at LEAST below 3. Can anyone explain the science here so I can make sense of what is going on? I suspect pH is the issue because when I rinse in soap after cooking and cooling the color will start bleeding into the rinse water which won't happen if I use a plain tap water rinse. Do I need to use special soap to wash with? (although I have it, I haven't tried the synthrapol to see if it fixes the problem - does it have a different pH than dishsoap?)

I've had a few requests lately to do tie-dye parties. This is nice because it appeals to the teacher in me, plus it's nice getting a nice chunk of change all at once (as opposed to the odd Etsy sale). So far it's just been friends, no worries, but I figure as word gets out and I get invited to new places, I'm going to need to get my ducks in a row and write up a contract and so on: how much per participant, difference between them supplying garments and my supplying them, how to handle stuff like possible messes (as in I'd rather not pay to have someone's carpets cleaned because dyeing stuff outside in wind and rain isn't practical either), stuff like that.

A student at our school has recently had her silk disintegrate after having printed with Procion MX dyes (alginate base - made with chemical water - urea, calgon, ludigol, 2tsp dye per cup and 1 tsp baking soda) then steaming.

It started to fall apart in the washing out process.

I've never seen this happen before and wondered if anyone has any thoughts. Obviously, baking soda (alkali) isn't great for silk (acid) but I've never seen it actually reduce the materials strength so much that it would rip with a gentle pull. And we use soda ash (much stronger alkali) in immersion dyeing on silk all the time.

Hello!
I'm currently working on getting all the supplies for my very first dye project, however where I'm currently living I am renting and I do know some dyes can discolor the washing machine. What are some other options for immersion dying? (I'm working with a pair of white Denim shorts that are 100% cotton. I do not know the exact weight.) I'm specifically looking at using yellow MX-8G, and turquoise MX-G)
(I'm looking at dying up three pairs for this project, one pair yellow, one pair turquoise, and another of a color mixing recipe for Lime Green, using both dyes.) I have also read from other Dyers that some of you find it difficult to paste up your dyes with Urea (I think this was specifically directed towards red- MX 8B.) Does this apply to either of the dyes I've listed?

I've just created a new page about the use of Sodium silicate as a fixative for dyeing, for the auxiliary chemicals section of the FAQ on this website.

As always, any criticism will be gratefully received.

Sodium silicate is really interesting stuff. It's apparently made by reacting soda ash with molten sand. If you drip it onto glass and don't clean it up, it will become a permanent part of the glass. If you let it dry on your work surface or in your fabric, it turns into glass, impossible to remove. If you add acid, it turns into silica gel (which is a solid, in spite of its name). But, as a dye fixative, it makes a good substitute for soda ash, particularly suitable for fixing a dye painting after the dye has dried.

I have a cream colored, cotton eyelet dress (made in India) which I would like to make white. Right now I am planning to use Rit Color Remover to try to make the fabric white, and then reinforce it with Rit Whitener & Brightener. Does anyone have a better or alternative route for making this cream colored dress white? Thanks!

Hi! I've been dyeing nylon rope various colors using Jacquard Acid Dye. The one color I've had trouble with is turquoise; using the Jacquard Turquoise, I end up with a shade that looks pretty much the same as Sky Blue or Sapphire Blue, with a slight purple tint rather than a slight green tint, as you should be able to see on the right of the attached file.

What I'm looking for is a turquoise in the cyan color range, as shown here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_cyan

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Is anyone doing snow-dying?
I've been going crazy with it, and snow makes a fantastic, though uncontrollable resist. Lots of fun!
I do have to wonder about why this works at all, given the extremely low temperature. Any ideas?

cheers,
Gisela

My "big job" of dyeing for the local dance troupe is becoming a nightmare.

The artistic director dragged her feet about getting me the check and the specs for the work, so I'm only going to have about three weeks to turn around 60 yards of silk. (I already have a full time job, so that's really short.) I explained there would be a rush charge. No problem, they thought, so I confirmed the order and sent off for the supplies.

Last night I got an email from the artistic director. She has changed her mind about the colors, hopes that won't be a problem, and suggests I just use RIT dye.

I've been intensively tie dying for a couple years now (I actually tie dyed more shirts last year than there are days in the year), and I like where I'm at, and what I'm doing. Of course, I'm always looking to stretch and expand upon my technique.

Can anyone point me at some pictures of tie dyes that used thickeners to achieve whatever desirable effect they do? I'm not really looking for a "how to" or advice (I like to figure some of that on my own), just some examples of what it does, and maybe something that would compare the end result of with and without.

Thanks.

My question if about the proper rinsing steps when doing direct application and then immersion dyeing.

I am making some batik cotton shirts using the Dharma batik wax. I have been presoaking in soda ash and letting them dry then drawing on my pattern in wax. Then I hand paint part of the design (say the inside of a heart) red, let it dry completely then overwax the heart and immersion dye the shirt (maybe orange). I'm using procion dye concentrates made up with urea water and don't add soda ash since its in the shirt already. I then overwax the colored design and immerse in a lighter color I often get bleeding around the edges of (the heart) if I dye a lighter color.

Does anyone know if there are any new Tie dye Dvds out there? I pretty much have what I think is out there. Tom and Martine 3 set. Brad garrets, etc. Thanks.

Is this possible?

I've been hired by a local dance group to dye some silk for them... in total about 60 yards of silk habotai! The silk will be divided into three batches for three different color schemes.

If I were doing my usual low water immersion method, I would not be at all worried by the size of this job, but because they want particular patterns, I plan to use direct application of fiber reactive dye, pre-activated with soda ash. Basically, tie dye without actual tied resists. (I find batching silk about 4 hours in a warm room usually sets the color nicely.)

But here's the thing: I usually only do 1 piece of fabric at a time in this method. I use a plastic tub (about 16 x 24 inches) for one three-yard piece, with the silk mostly squished together at one long side, and the whole thing tilted up so that the excess dye can drip away. For this big job -- well,

just thought i'd introduce myself:
my name is justine, i live in oakland, CA, but i'm originally from new zealand (i've been in the US for just over 18 months).

i work for a local clothing company: we make cotton, rayon, cotton-polyester, and linen garments for our three local stores. i originally worked in the stores, but took over from the previous dyer/stock manager. i have no previous experience with dyeing AT ALL, so this has been quite a strange thing. i was basically walked through the process twice, left a written set of instructions, and that's it! i started the job mid-season, so i was just going off recipes that the previous person had created, but with the advent of summer i've had to be solely responsible for coming up with about 10 new colours for the spring/summer season. someone else brings me fabric colour samples, and then i've had to recreate them... it's been interesting, but i've discovered i seem to have a fairly natural knack for it.

I have 3 SDA videos (VHS tapes) for sale from the New Tools series:

1. Mechanical and Chemical Resists
2. Cloque
3. Vat Dye Discharge

All videos are by Jason Pollen and Joy Boutrop and are accompanied by a booklet.

Price for all three is $60 + $5 to ship (the current SDA price for all three is $120).

I don't take PayPal but will accept your check (or cash). Please email me or call if interested. Thank you!

Ann Katzen
katzenhanddyed@msn.com
505 466 9472

I have been using Procion MX dyes for 5 or 6 years for children's tie dye workshops. I am happy with the intensity of the colors when the projects are completed and have watched the kids wear their shirts and eventually grow out of them. My question is regarding the factors contributing to fading of the these dyes over the course of, perhaps, one year.Maybe these kids really are wearing their shirts every week, but it appears to me that the garments are fading more than they should. Any input?
Wendy Rosen
Kailua, Hi.