Name: Fabio
Message: Hello!

My name is Fabio, you answered me some time ago on the itiedye forum, suggesting me the books of Ann Johnston. I've bought 3 of her books, and actually I'm reading DYE PAINTING! A really good book, thanks!

I've read the pages of the sources for dyeing supplies but cannot find any local vendor for the PROCION MX and other stuff.

Another thing, who can be a wholeseller of Procion MX and other stuff? I believe could be a good idea to sell the stuff for dyeing here in italy, with an online shop, what do you think?

I'm glad you are enjoying Ann Johnston's books. They are among my favorites.

You will probably not be surprised that I do not have any information about any Italian retailer for Procion MX type dyes, though I know of suppliers in several other European countries. Perhaps it would in fact be a good idea for you to consider selling them yourself. There are different ways you could import and sell Procion MX type dyes.  I have not been involved in dye sales, myself, but some idea of who is selling dyes from what sources may be helpful to you to start with.

Probably the easiest way to become a retailer for these dyes would be to do as several companies have done, in various countries including Germany, the UK, and New Zealand, and become a distributer for the US company Jacquard Products, which sells Procion MX and other dyes in jars. The prices are higher this way than if you repackage barrels of dye, but you avoid the mess and physical dangers of spending a lot of time weighing out dye powders, which is a major consideration. I don't know what the practicalities may be. Contact Jacquard Products via their web site, or the phone numbers listed on their site. Look through the dye sellers in Europe and New Zealand on my list, or use Jacquard Products' "where to buy" store locator, to get an idea of how widely distributed these dyes are. You may also wish to contact PRO Chemical & Dye, to learn whether they would be able to supply dyes to you for reselling.

Dystar Textilfarben sells Levafix and Remazol warm-water dyes, as well as hot water dyes such as Procion H and Sirius direct dyes, in packages of five kilograms and up. Although they own the trademark for the Procion name, they no longer make Procion MX dyes (the dichlorotriazine dyes). I like to use Remazol dyes in place of Procion dyes, but Procion MX type dyes are better for room temperature use. Contact information: 

          DyStar Italia S.r.l.
          Via delle Groane 126
          20024 Garbagnate Milanese (MI)
          Tel.: ++39-02-99 44 01
          Fax: ++39-02-99 02 83 91
          DyStar.Italy@DyStar.com

Dylon sells different kinds of dyes, including more than one type of fiber reactive dye, in many countries throughout Europe, but their dyes are not as suitable for dye artists as other brands. The dyes themselves are good quality and highly suitable; the problem is that they are premixed in "fashion colors" which do not work nearly as well for the dye artist as the colors sold by Jacquard Products and other companies. It is very important for the dye artist to have access to the pure unmixed single-hue dyes, but these are not available from Dylon. In addition, all of the lines of dye besides Dylon Cold Dye have the auxiliary chemicals already mixed in, which makes alternative recipes impossible to follow. Their Dylon Cold Water dyes mostly contain dichlorotriazine dyes, the type in Procion MX type dyes, while Dylon Washing Machine Dyes, Dylon Permanent Dyes, and Dylon Hand Dyes contain mostly Drimarene K dyes and one Remazol dye. Their other line of dye, Dylon Multi Purpose Dye, contains all-purpose dyes, which are of very little interest for most dye artists.

There are many factories in the world that manufacture Procion MX type dyes, though they must use other trade names for their dichlorotriazine dyes. They often refer to them as "M Type" or "Cold Fix" dye, and you can verify which dye class by the Colour Index dye names they specify. There are many such dye factories in China or India. The one European factory I know of that sells dichlorotriazine dyes is Synthesia, in the Czech Republic. There can be quality issues with some dyes from some factories, so you'd have to test each shipment of dyes for solubility and perhaps freshness before investing in them. You would need to have some sort of facility in which to weigh the dyes out while using appropriate safety gear to avoid breathing in dye powder, which is likely to produce respiratory allergies and asthma if you do not take care. Although the prices of the dyes themselves, obtained in this way, would be far lower than for dyes purchased from a US company, the effort involved is vastly greater than that of reselling dye that is already packaged in appropriate-sized jars.

You will also need to look into customs requirements for importing dyes into your country. Some countries apply duty fees to imported dyes, which would make a considerable difference in what prices you will have to charge.

Please let me know if you decide to sell dyes.

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