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Dyeing



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 28th, 2007, 05:26 PM posted to rec.outdoors.fishing.fly
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Default Dyeing

There are numerous ways of dyeing and staining feathers, and it is a
fascinating subject in its own right. Indeed, I have spent many a
pleasurable hour poring over old books, and then trying out arcane
recipes, most of which actually worked! It can be quite fascinating
and enjoyable trying to find out what things like "Copperas", or
"Fustic" equate to in modern terms.

This however is only really for fanatics. It is a terrible mess on
really, and there are much easier ways of obtaining satisfactory
results. You only need to stick to a few basic rules, to obtain
practically whatever results you desire.

The first absolutely iron rule for obtaining pure bright solid colours
is to use perfectly pure white material to start with. The material
must be thoroughly degreased, free from soap or other substances, and
completely and thoroughly wet when it goes into the previously
prepared dye bath. Preferably it should also have been rinsed in very
hot water, so that it is close to the temperature of the dye bath,
prior to immersion.

I have used many dyes over the years, even, as I already wrote, some
complicated and exotic recipes from older books on fly dressing, and
various other arcane tomes . However, except for certain very specific
purposes, I very rarely dye pure white materials a single primary
colour, although of course this is required occasionally.

As you will see, if you look at a hare skin, there is a very large
range of shades on such a natural skin, and the skins also vary a lot
from animal to animal. One may obtain a lot of pure white fur from the
belly, and the tail, and this dyes up beautifully. A single hare skin
will supply the fur, when properly prepared, for a very large number
of extremely varied and very useful flies. If you have a range of
skins, or part skins, dyed in various colours, then you can tie up
practically anything you wish.

I have used lots of dyes, including a variety of the modern "cold"
dyes. dyeing results are heavily dependent on the material beiny dyed,
and the dye being used. For dyeing most things one may conveniently
use Veniards special fly dressing dyes. One may obtain a large range
of colours and shades with relatively little expenditure of time,
effort, and money. Results are invariably quite excellent, and may be
reproduced at will, if a little discipline and method is adhered to
when dyeing. These dyes are for hot dyeing in a water bath using a
mild acid to "fix" the dye. Dyeing is a vast subject, and I am only
going to cover the basics here.

There are other methods of dyeing but these are sometimes quite
complicated and expensive, photo dyeing is an excellent way of dyeing
expensive capes as they are less likely to be damaged than by hot
dyeing. In this process the material to be dyed is soaked through with
photographic solution, and then developed just like a film. This
process is complicated and the chemicals used are very poisonous.
Mainly silver salts. It seems to have fallen into disuse anyway, and
so I wont go into it here.

There are a number of modern dyes which also work very well for
specific materials, like Polar bear or Arctic fox, and give better
results, but that would be the subject of another article.

Alcohol dyeing also works quite well, but I am not completely au fait
with all the ramifications, having only tried it a few times, and it
is sometimes difficult to obtain several litres of pure alcohol, quite
apart from the cost involved. Water is cheap enough, and freely
available.

While we are on the subject, you might find it better to use distilled
water for your dye baths. Some of the stuff in piped "Town" water will
also affect the results adversely. If you live in certain places,
especially some major cities, of which I have also had the dubious
pleasure, where the surface of your tea is always covered in nasty
looking bits and "scum" from the tap water, then using distilled water
for your dye baths is definitely a very good idea. Indeed, it's
probably a good idea to use it for your tea as well!

By the way, if you are paying thirty or forty pounds, or even more,
for a cape or saddle, then I would suggest you buy the colour you
require to start with. It is not worth taking any major risks with
such materials, they are far too expensive to start with. Once you
have a bit of knowledge and experience, you can have a go if you wish,
but don't start with such stuff.

As far as washing goes, I usually wash my material in the bath, and
then rinse it thoroughly under clean running water. A solution of
ordinary washing up liquid like "fairy" etc, works perfectly. The
material, especially feathers on the skin, and bushy fur or hair,
should be soaked for a while, ten minutes is usually enough, in the
warm solution, and then gently swayed back and forth to ensure
complete penetration of the soapy water. Avoid bending or squeezing
capes and other feathers, it may cause feathers to fall out or be
otherwise damaged. Do not leave any materials in water too long, the
hair or fur will start to fall out (known as "slip").

Heavily soiled or extremely oily raw material such as bucktail, or
similar hair and fur, (cat fur on the skin is terrible for this!), may
need degreasing with something a bit stronger than washing up liquid.
For this, I use a solution of so-called "biological" detergent as used
in a household washing machine for soiled clothing. One may also use
things like ammonia and similar, but I have never found the need.

I have also never found the need to use anything else, although some
special products are offered for this purpose, notably Veniards
"Venpol". Indeed, it is considered so pure, that Mr Veniard says it
does not even need rinsing off. I prefer to give a thorough rinse off
here. It costs nothing, and why take a chance?

Tanned skins just need a quick but thorough wash in a light solution
of washing up liquid, and then thorough rinsing, mainly to wet them
thoroughly, before placing them in the dye bath. DO NOT USE POWDER
DETERGENTS THAT WASH "WHITER THAN WHITE" they contain varying amounts
of fluorescent dye, (which is what makes "white" shirts glow blue
under "black" disco lights etc), and the results may affect your
experiments adversely.

Of course, if you fancy some "fluorescent" hare fur, just soak some
white fur in a very hot solution of this powder, add a bit of vinegar,
and "Bob's your ferkin!". This stuff will fluoresce like a firework
display under the right light. I am not sure whether it impresses the
fish much, but some shrimps I tied using a blend of it seemed to be a
lot more effective than those without. Might just be coincidence
though.

At the risk of repeating myself, do not start your dyeing experiments
using very expensive capes. In fact it is better to start dyeing fur
and cheap hen capes etc, until you get the hang of it. It really is
very simple indeed and the results can be magnificent. One can achieve
remarkable effects with even very cheap materials, some very rare
combination dun colours can be achieved, using certain necks as a
base, and insect colours matched very closely indeed.

One may also dye an excellent range of furs for various purposes using
these dyes, which may also be mixed in turn, giving a vast range of
possibilities.

Anybody wishing further info on the matter may find it here;

http://www.sexyloops.co.uk/cgi-bin/t...=ST;f=7;t=5403

TL
MC

  #2  
Old June 30th, 2011, 01:08 AM
mackdesoz mackdesoz is offline
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Posts: 4
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If you are new plant growth in indoor light gardening can be a bit overwhelming topic. However, there are a few basic techniques, you can remember when you look at numerous growth to provide this light, so you buy the appropriate equipment for your specific gardening applications.
 




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