community of dyers

Urea is used to keep the dye and fiber wet longer, so that more of the dye-fiber reaction can take place. (See "What is urea for? Is it necessary?", at http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/urea.shtml.) This is obviously just as important for Drimarene K as for Procion MX, possibly more important since the reaction tends to take longer since Drimarene K is a slower-reacting dye. Instead of using urea, you can wrap your items in plastic wrap to keep them moist. How important this is depends on the local weather. If you live in a very dry place, it's much more important than if you live in a very humid place. There is no need for urea or plastic wrap if you are immersion dyeing, so that the fabric stays covered with water.

Powdered Kelp can be used as a thickener for the dye. (See "Sodium alginate, Superclear, and other dye thickeners", at http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/alginate.shtml.) Most of us prefer to use sodium alginate, which is more purified. (Kraftkolour sells sodium alginate under the name Manutex.) When you buy powdered kelp, you have no idea how concentrated the thickening action will be. Whether you want a thickener or not depends on your style. If you want a watercolor effect with dyes running together, you do not want a thickener. If you want crisp designs with neat white markings, you do need a thickener. Try it either way, as the desire strikes you. Try it without thickener first so you don't have to wait for the thickener to arrive!

Using rainwater does mean you don't have to worry about water softening. You need sodium hexametaphosphate only for hard water. (See "Dyeing with hard water: water softeners, distilled water, and spring water", at http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/water.shtml.

Soda ash, or another high-pH chemical such as trisodium phosphate (TSP), must be present at the same time as the dye and the fiber for the dye-fiber reaction to occur. There are minor differences in the effects you get if your soda ash is still wet, or if you let it dry in the fabric, or if you are doing low water immersion dyeing and add the soda ash last in order to allow for smoother gradations of colors. Sometimes if you soak your fabric to be tie-dyed in soda ash, then let it dry, you may be able to get more intense colors or crisper designs. It's a small thing, though. Just try it sometime each way, and see how you like it.

The big difference between Procion MX and Drimarene K dyes is that Drimarene K dyes are less reactive. This means they last better in water (as long as the pH is neutral and you have not added any soda ash), but it also means it takes a warmer temperature for them to react fully with the fabric, and/or it takes longer. Warmer temperatures, up to a point, mean faster dye reactions and better yield of color per gram of dye. Procion MX has an ideal reaction temperature around 30°C (around 96°F) and works well if left to react overnight at a temperature above 21°C (70°F); Drimarene K has an ideal reaction temperature that is ten degrees C higher (18 degrees F), around 40°C (104°F), so probably you'd better make sure to give it a room temperature no lower than 30°C, if you're leaving it to react overnight. Warmer temperatures still are better and help to promote brighter colors for a given amount of dye. For ideas on how to warm your tie-dyes while the dye reacts, see "What is the effect of temperature on fiber reactive dyes?", at http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/temperature.shtml, and scroll down to "Ways to increase your reaction temperature".

Which colors did you choose to use as your mixing primaries? Where did you buy them from?

-Paula