What kind of dye goes on clear and develops under sunlight?

Name: Cindy

—ADVERTISEMENT—

Artistic Photographic Processes

by Suda House

Includes instructions for
using Inkdoyes

Country or region: Colo. USA

Message: Hi! In the 70's and 80's I used a fantastic fabric dye. I could free paint with this dye. It went on clear and had a slight thick consistency. I would set it out in the sun, or under a sun lamp, and the paint would transform into quite vibrant colors. I cannot remember the name but do know they were based out of Oakland (maybe San Francisco) Calif. Can you help me??? Thanks Cindy!

Although most sun-painting is done with fabric paint, rather than dye, I believe what you're looking for is Inkodye, a true dye that is set by sunlight.

Inkodye contains prereduced vat dyes; like indigo, the most popular of vat dyes, they are soluble in water only when reduced, and become stuck inside fibers once they are oxidized. You can't see their final color until it is developed, so it can be a bit of a challenge to get the colors mixed the way you want them. The neat thing about Inkodyes is that, after exposing the fabric to light, you can wash the fabric to remove the dye wherever it was protected from light, leaving an image. You can put objects on top of the fabric during your light exposure, or use printed transparencies or photographic negatives, as long as the clear parts allow ultraviolet light to pass. (Don't use glass, because it blocks too much of the UV.)

You can buy Inkodyes through Dharma Trading Company, in fourteen different colors, or you can buy a few of the colors (blue, orange, and red) directly from the manufacturer's web site. Their biggest drawback is that they are not inexpensive! For the most intense colors, you should use the dye undiluted; dilute only for paler colors, using water or Inkodye Extender. A small 4-ounce bottle costs $11.50 from Dharma, or $12 from the manufacturer; a pint (473 ml) costs $32, while a gallon costs $175.

I recommend the book "Artistic Photographic Processes

", by Suda House, because she gives good step-by-step instructions for using Inkodye. There are also instructions on the manufacturer's website, but they lack some of the useful information, including differences in the speed of reaction for the different colors. For more information, see my page, "How to Dye and Paint Fabric with Light". Also see my earlier blog post, from February 11, 2011, "Problems in washing out Inkodye light-activated dye".

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Posted: Monday - June 04, 2012 at 12:48 PM

Follow this blog on twitter here.
Tweet

getBlogName(); > getCategoryName("<$EntryCategoryFolder$>"); >