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Post by NickConwall on Jan 3, 2010 21:43:16 GMT -5
Hi all,
I have a few large swan wing flight feathers as well as some smaller body feathers which are completely white that I got from one that flew into some power lines last winter & was wondering, if possible, the best way to permanently dye them (and if so where I can get this dye) so that they retain their shape & usefulness as tying material.
Thanks.......
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Post by Nick Pionessa on Jan 4, 2010 15:36:47 GMT -5
rit dye works well and as long as you keep the temp of the water to below 120 deg it will not damage them. wash them good first in some dawn dish soap and use about 2 tsp of dry dye to a quart of water for a few feathers. start with a white chicken feather or something cheap to make sure the color is right. kool-ade works well too but the colors are a bit more mysterious since they are flavors. if you search online someone did a chart with flavors to colors. also add a couple of teaspoons of white vinegar to it to it is supposed to make it take better.
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Post by NickConwall on Jan 6, 2010 13:25:52 GMT -5
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Post by Troy Standish on Jan 8, 2010 21:25:39 GMT -5
I have had really good luck with Veniard dyes. They produce vibrant colors, especially yellows, greens and anything florescent. It is also the only brand I have used that can dye black very well. Rit works well if you want muted colors. I use it for olives and browns. One thing that makes a big difference is how you prep the feather. Make sure that the feathers are clean prior to putting them into the dye bath. I use Woollite, but any mild detergent will do the trick. If you are looking for a light or bright color, the feather may need to be bleached. You can use hair bleach from the drug store. But bleaching can be tricky and it is easy to damage the material if you don't pay attention. If this all seems like a pain in the ass, that's because it is. But so is tying and at one point I thought it would be cool to build some hooks, dye some materials and have some flies that were truly made from scratch. That phase did not last long (2x in fifteen years) and the materials from the shop are much better. Unless you can't find the color that you want!
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Post by Nick Pionessa on Jan 9, 2010 8:10:45 GMT -5
good points about the rit shortcomings on bright colors or black. how's PA treating you these days?
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Post by Troy Standish on Jan 10, 2010 8:44:09 GMT -5
PA's good. Finially bought a house and got settled in last month. There is a ton of decent looking water close by. Add in being less that 2 hours from Hancock, State College and Carlisle, it seems like PA will treat me well. You and Suzy are definitely going to have to make it mup ear.
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Post by Charlie Dickson on Jan 19, 2010 11:40:17 GMT -5
Ha! That is funny bro. You know you are one now. Where did you get your Veniard dyes? |
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