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help =(

Hello. Im just starting dying with procion mx dyes. The problem is I keep getting these whiter areas in the fabric. Im using light yellow ( im doing it by putting less dye powder and more water so its not such a bright colour) , I love the colour but I can get it to be solid colour in all the fabric, is this because im not using enough dye , putting a lot of water or maibe not using enough soda ash? I've tried dying with brighter colours, and putting more dye and soda ash, but I still get there whiter areas...please help =(

By natillas18 at 2012-05-28 07:32 | Low Water Immersion | login or register to post comments | previous forum topic | next forum topic

white areas in the fabric

Is this for tie-dyeing? You need to apply plenty of your dissolved dye mixture, and poke the nozzle of the bottle down in between the folds, and use your gloved fibers to check to see whether the dye is getting close enough to the rubber bands.

If you're using another method of dye application, the white areas must be due to another reason. For example, in low water immersion dyeing, white areas can be caused by air bubbles in the fabric, or by cramming the fabric into too tight of a container. In high-water-ratio immersion dyeing, for solid colors, white areas can be caused by not stirring sufficiently, or by not wetting out the fabric thoroughly before dyeing; a tiny drop of a surfactant, such as Synthrapol or a hand dishwashing detergent, can help dye to penetrate. They can also be cause by invisible stains on the fabric, possibly caused by careless use of fabric sizings during manufacture; PFD fabrics are more reliable. Are you prewashing your fabric in very hot water with detergent and extra soda ash? (The soda ash in the prewashing step is separate from that used for setting the dye, and serves only for extra cleaning power.)

-Paula

By pburch at Mon, 2012-05-28 10:04 | login or register to post comments

no its not tie dyeing, I just

no its not tie dyeing, I just want a plain colour in a cotton fabric. ok, i'm trying the tips you told me , im prewashing my fabric with hot water , about 3 grams of soda ash and synthrapol,I think im going to let it for about an hour or so
Im also going to try to use hotter water and stir in the step where the colours have to blend together with the fabric, before I add soda ash ( were you said in your recipe , when you add the soda ash, and its "reaction time" you must not stir).
Im going to try redying the fabric that has the white spots, using soda ash, synthrapol and hot water...but I dont know how much time im I supposed to leave this mixture before redying it? is an hour enough?
Thank you so much for the help, this forum is so great =)

By natillas18 at Wed, 2012-05-30 11:42 | login or register to post comments

immersion dyeing

How much water are you using? For high-water-ratio immersion dyeing, that is, plain solid color dyeing, you do need to use lots of water, so that you will get even coverage, all the same color. For one pound of fabric, use three gallons (twelve liters) of water.

I'm afraid that you are using a recipe for a different sort of dyeing, maybe tie-dyeing or dye-painting or low-water immersion. Those are great recipes when they're what you want, but they're not designed for smooth solid coverage.

Here, look at Dharma Trading Company's page on tub dyeing. It's very different from dyeing multiple colors and shades of color. It requires lots of water and lots of stirring. You have to stir constantly. It's the same method as dyeing in a top-loading washing machine.

-Paula

By pburch at Wed, 2012-05-30 13:27 | login or register to post comments

what about if I use this reci

what about if I use this recipe:
http://www.georgeweil.com/fact_file/procion_mx_dyes.aspx
I bought my procion mx dyes in the georgeweil's online store, so maibe this recipe is good enough?
thanks!
Natalia

By natillas18 at Wed, 2012-05-30 16:06 | login or register to post comments

thirteen liters per pound

It works out to be the same. For every one gram of fiber, they say, use 30 ml of water. For one pound of fiber, or 454 grams, you would therefore need to use thirteen liters, which is very close to the twelve liters in the Dharma recipe. Scale up or down according to how much fabric you have.

Since the Procion MX dye is the same, whether you buy it from George Weil or Dharma, it requires the same recipe, but that IS essentially the same recipe. They don't emphasize stirring as much, but if you're having trouble with white spots, you need to be careful to do more stirring.

How big is your piece of fabric? How much does it weigh? How much water did you use?

-Paula

By pburch at Wed, 2012-05-30 16:19 | login or register to post comments

Water volume doesn't matter

The equation that matters is how much dye powder you have to the weight of your fabric. The water volume isn't important to the depth of shade you'll get- you can get full depth of shade from a tiny cup of print paste (very little water) AND full depth of shade in a ten gallon bucket of water (what you'd do for full immersion solid colors.)

Judi Hurwitt
Approachable Art
http://approachable-art.blogspot.com

By Judi Hurwitt at Mon, 2012-05-28 09:18 | login or register to post comments

thank you for the info!

thank you for the info!

By natillas18 at Wed, 2012-05-30 11:43 | login or register to post comments

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