dyeing feathers green

[JDHunterJR]

Someone a while back suggested green kool aid or hi c for dyeing these colors green. Well I tried green kool aid and it did nothing. So they either meant HI C or it just doesnt work?

[David Lee]

Good old RIT dye - you can find it at the supermarket .

Start w/ 5 parts yellow to 1 part green , don't forget to put into the pot about a cup of vinegar . Heat just to boiling , let cool a bit , then dump your stuff in ..... easy as pie .

David

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

You can also degrease your feathers or hair a little. Maybe warm water and soap? You should soak the material in water so it will take the die more evenly.

Rite die is very common.

[Bob Scheidt]

Wash whatever you're dying in warm water and liquid soap, I like Dawn soap. It cuts the grease. Heat a pot of water to about 130 degrees. I use a candy thermometer. add 4 oz of white vinegar. stir it up as you add the dye in. Once the dye is mixed, add you materials. Darker colors take more time, heat, dye, and vinegar. Don't add too much vinegar. it will burn the feathers. Green should be possible with this method. You cannot dye something lighter, makes sense. A brown won't dye to a yellow.
Hope that helps.
Bob Scheidt

[JDHunterJR]

Good old RIT dye - you can find it at the supermarket .

Start w/ 5 parts yellow to 1 part green , don't forget to put into the pot about a cup of vinegar . Heat just to boiling , let cool a bit , then dump your stuff in ..... easy as pie .

David

Ok, the only green I found was dark green. When you say 5 parts, is that 5 bottles? 5 cups? 5 tablespoons?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think David meant a "5 to 1" ratio.

You might just try a few feathers at first then take them out and use a blow dryer to see what color "green" they have become.

To get really bright colors you need material that is white. If you material is not white it will tone down the color.

[JDHunterJR]

I think David meant a "5 to 1" ratio.

You might just try a few feathers at first then take them out and use a blow dryer to see what color "green" they have become.

To get really bright colors you need material that is white. If you material is not white it will tone down the color.

Yes, he meant parts, but I have no idea how much to use? Should I use a cup, a tablespoon, or what. And do I have to add water to the rit?

[sculpin]

If you need to bleach your material before dying it I recently used a solution of 2 parts non sudzing ammonia and 1 part 20% hydrogen peroxide (get at beauty supply). I was able to turn brown bear hair white and it also can turn dyed feathers white.

Mark

[Darian]

JD,..... The volume of dye to use are your choice. These volumes are usually dictated by the volume of materials to be dyed or the size of containers available.

If you're dying an entire neck(s)/skin(s), the volume might fill a good sized bucket. If you're dying a small bunch of feathers, maybe a canning jar might by OK.... Set -up the proportions in accord with the size of the vessel used to contain the dye bath.

There are several books on Fly tying materials that have references to dying materials in them.... Try a "google" on the subject. I'll bet there's some dying instructins on-line, somewhere....

[Bob Scheidt]

I would start with half level teaspoons of the powder dye. 5 to 1. I would use half teaspoons as my standard.
Bob Scheidt