Dyeing feathers..

[Danl]

I need to dye some mallard flank feathers an olive color for a pattern
called a Loeberg Streamer.I've never dyed feathers before. Any favorite dyes
that you use for feathers such as this. Any other tips are welcome.

Thanks,
Danl

[jackk]

Dying with Rit dyes, the ones you can get in any supermarket, is relatively
easy. However getting the right color is hard. They are made in 200 or 300
colors but only about 20 or so are stocked in your local store. If you
write Rit, they will send you a color chart.
I boil water on a camp stove out in my garage, add the dye, some salt and a
little vinegar. I don't know why, just read it somewhere. A teaspoon of
dye to a quart of water gives good color. Turn off the heat and let it cool
a minute. Then soak the feathers until the water is luke warm. Then rinse
and rinse and rinse. I am sure there are better dyes, but this works
reasonably well, As long as you are satisfied with a few hours of fishing
before it looses its color, you're OK. I hope to get broken off before then

"Danl" > wrote in message
...
> I need to dye some mallard flank feathers an olive color for a pattern
> called a Loeberg Streamer.I've never dyed feathers before. Any favorite
dyes
> that you use for feathers such as this. Any other tips are welcome.
>
> Thanks,
> Danl
>
>

[flytyer]

Danl,
The purpose of the vinegar is to "set" the dye, so that it doesn't wash out.
Maybe "a little vinegar" is not quite enough. I would use at least 1/4 cup
of white vinegar to 1 qt. of dye bath. I have never added salt to any of my
dye baths, except that in the dye powder.
Best-


"If I have been able to see over the horizon,
it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants,"
Sir Isaac Newton

<snip>
>some salt and a
> little vinegar. I don't know why, just read it somewhere.

[Scott Seidman]

"flytyer" > wrote in
:

> Danl,
> The purpose of the vinegar is to "set" the dye, so that it doesn't
> wash out. Maybe "a little vinegar" is not quite enough. I would use
> at least 1/4 cup of white vinegar to 1 qt. of dye bath. I have never
> added salt to any of my dye baths, except that in the dye powder.
> Best-
>
>
> "If I have been able to see over the horizon,
> it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants,"
> Sir Isaac Newton
>
> <snip>
>>some salt and a
>> little vinegar. I don't know why, just read it somewhere.
>

It's called a "mordant", because it gives the feather some chemical tooth.
I don't know much about dying, but I do know that different types of dyes
use different mordants.

Scott

[Jack Schmitt]

I wash the feathers first in my wife's shampoo to remove the oil which IMHO
will allow the dye to set better. AK Best has a very fine book out on dying
fly tying materials.


"Danl" > wrote in message
...
>I need to dye some mallard flank feathers an olive color for a pattern
> called a Loeberg Streamer.I've never dyed feathers before. Any favorite
> dyes
> that you use for feathers such as this. Any other tips are welcome.
>
> Thanks,
> Danl
>
>

[DaveMohnsen]

"Danl" > wrote in message
...
> I need to dye some mallard flank feathers an olive color for a pattern
> called a Loeberg Streamer.I've never dyed feathers before. Any favorite
dyes
> that you use for feathers such as this. Any other tips are welcome.
>
> Thanks,
> Danl
>
Hi Danl,
Just gave you a long reply and my computer decided to take some time off . .
.. must be a union thing.
Short response now. In your part of the world, Kaufmanns Streamborn has
Veniard dyes. They are in Oregon and Washington State. Phone is (800)
442-4359 in one of my older catalogs.
AK Best's book is a good start as JackS indicated.
I googled the pattern, a minute or so, but didn't get a pic . . . just lazy.
If you can give me a location of a pic, I may get you kinda close to a
color. I've used about 5 different dyes for olive. (tuff color when you
are trying to match) Need to see the pattern. Heck I use at least a half
dozen different colored olive patterns just here, depending on my wandering.
BestWishes,
DaveMohnsen
Denver
(email me with a pic, or location of one)

[Frank Reid]

"Danl" > wrote in message
...
>I need to dye some mallard flank feathers an olive color for a pattern
> called a Loeberg Streamer.I've never dyed feathers before. Any favorite
> dyes
> that you use for feathers such as this. Any other tips are welcome.

One, you should degrease the feathers, this is especially critical for dying
waterfowl:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/tyingtips/part281.html

And then go here:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/dyingmaterial/index.html

As mentioned in other places, see if you can get A.K. Best's book on the
subject. Will save a lot of wasted material.


--
Frank Reid
Euthenize to respond

[Danl]

"DaveMohnsen" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Hi Danl,
> Just gave you a long reply and my computer decided to take some time off .
> .
> . must be a union thing.
> Short response now. In your part of the world, Kaufmanns Streamborn has
> Veniard dyes. They are in Oregon and Washington State. Phone is (800)
> 442-4359 in one of my older catalogs.
> AK Best's book is a good start as JackS indicated.
> I googled the pattern, a minute or so, but didn't get a pic . . . just
> lazy.
> If you can give me a location of a pic, I may get you kinda close to a
> color. I've used about 5 different dyes for olive. (tuff color when you
> are trying to match) Need to see the pattern. Heck I use at least a half
> dozen different colored olive patterns just here, depending on my
> wandering.
> BestWishes,
> DaveMohnsen
> Denver
> (email me with a pic, or location of one)

Thanks to all for the responses. Good stuff as usual. I have a bag-o-mallard
flank feathers and will experiment on them as soon as SWMBO is out of the
house for a suitably long period of time to allow for a reasonable kitchen
repair effort, post dyeing. There might be some dying upon her return, but
Gawd hates a coward. Onward we go!

Dave, as best as I can tell a Loeberg is a Hornberg, modified (by someone
named "Loe", I suppose) slightly as follows,

Add a backswept single "antenna" of about a size 22 grizzly hackle over the
top, extending the length of the fly.
All the ones I've seen (both of them) had the mallard flank body feathers
dyed a medium olive.
Underbody of tinsel only, no hair or dubbing.
Cheeks are of mylar, not jungle cock or starling or ????

This is a popular fly in the eastern Sierras and I'm going to tie a few to
try in other locales. Western Nawth Cackalack, for one. I'll try to scan one
and post to ABPF.

Danl

[Salmo]

I've dyed feathers ( no big deal of course :O) but it was my understanding
that the vinegar is only added to fix the color AFTER the desired color is
reached. i.e Once the vinegar fixes it the color can't be changed - or
at least that's the way I understood it. Works for me.

Keith P