Bleaching

[Baja Fly Fisher]

I've bought some natural white rooster neck hackles and need to bleach them white. I'm tying up some ACA Dry flies and they want a bright white hackle. I have 3lbs of white strung saddle hackle that has been cherry picked over for the non-webby hackles.
So now I'm going to try and bleach out this natural white to a bright white.
Any suggestions or formula's
Also, will Rit Yellow Dye work on these neck hackles

Thanks for any help

Jay

[cdccopp]

Way back in the days, we used to use some lady Clairol bleach. We were dying fur and feathers and using this before we dyed the product to intended color. Some of the dyes were either Rit or Viniard's.

Dennis

[Carl Blackledge]

JM,

I wash all my feathers and other materials in Dawn dish detergent using cold water, then I use a good acid dye. I get great results, especially with hot pink, chartreuse and purple. I don't know of any other fly tyers in the past 15-20 years that use Rit dye to create nice bright colors with any kind of good result. Carl Blackledge

[cdccopp]

JM,

I wash all my feathers and other materials in Dawn dish detergent using cold water, then I use a good acid dye. I get great results, especially with hot pink, chartreuse and purple. I don't know of any other fly tyers in the past 15-20 years that use Rit dye to create nice bright colors with any kind of good result. Carl Blackledge

It has been 30 to 40 years up here in Fall River. Helped Quigley on numerous dyeing projects. Mainly rabbit, muskrat and road kills. Dubbing for nymphs and drys before any of the new bright colors. Hardest was bleaching, then to black without the blue tint.

Dennis

[Baja Fly Fisher]

I remember back in my tying days in the 70's, I used some kind of blueing liquid. I can still vision the bottle in my mind but can't see the name. I remember if you leave it too long it would turn the hackles blue instead of lightening them up.
I found an that is working right now. It's purple shampoo. I use the stuff when my gray hair starts to turn yellow. I rubbed some on a few hackles and left it for 10 minutes and it took out the natural white dingy look and made the hackle bright white.
Remember purple shampoo

[Mr T]

Mrs Stuart's blueing?

[Baja Fly Fisher]

thanks, that's the name of the product.

[Idadon]

One question & one comment. Speaking in terms of volume, how big of a box does it take to hold 3 pounds of saddle hackle? I've only bought it in plastic ziplock bags, the idea of buying it in pound quantities is intriguing! Second, I tried the purple shampoo on a grizzly hackle just to see if it would come out with a higher contrast between the light & dark. Sad to report that after the hackle dried I couldn't tell a difference in contrast although the hackle was much cleaner.

[Carl Blackledge]

Idadon,

When I ever had any questions on dying feathers, I called Bob Borden the X owner of Hareline dubbing. He always said you must get all the grease and other crap off the feathers first, if you wanted a good job on dying. That makes perfect since to me, So I wash all my feathers in plain old Dawn. I have had outstanding results with Dawn and acid dyes to produce brilliant colors.

My 2 cents

Carl Blackledge

[Baja Fly Fisher]

Idadon
It's not going to make something that's already white, whiter. I have now washed almost a pound of natural saddle hackle with the purple shampoo and it's working. Not on all hackles but a good majority. First wash it in luke warm soapy water ( Dawn liquid clear) then let it set for 20 minutes, rinse it real good. Then I lay the wet hackles on my work bench, spread out the hackles squirt a bunch of purple shampoo over the hackles and then rub it in. Making sure all the hackles are covered. Let set for 10-12 minutes and rinse.
If you still see the natural white color, repeat the step. It does come out white. It beats using diluted clorox or peroxide.