Name: Cindy

Country: US

Message: Hi Ms. Burch,
I have been so inspired by your site!  
I am having a problem mixing dyes.  Any color that I achieve by mixing in yellow will have a yellow halo around the color on the finished piece.  This halo has also appeared when I've mixed fuchsia and cobalt to get purple (the halo was blue).  Is there something I can do in the mixing process to avoid this?  I really can't spend more money to buy each shade but I'm getting quite frustrated with the mixing.  Thank you so much.

Yes, I can help you with this problem. It was one of the observations that first got me interested in the chemistry of textile dyes. 

As it happens, you been using a red (red MX-8B) that strikes very quickly and reacts almost instantly with the fabric, in the presence of soda ash. This means that it stays right where you put it, and it has no time to move at all on the fabric. Red MX-8B, or fuchsia, is the fastest-to-react of all the Procion MX-type dyes. 

In contrast, you've been using turquoise MX-G or blue MX-2G for your blues. Both are good colors, but neither reacts nearly as quickly as fuchsia red MX-8B. In fact, the lovely turquoise MX-G happens to be the slowest-to-react of all of the Procion MX dyes. Since it bonds to the fiber so slowly, it has plenty of time to creep along the fiber, spreading out in all directions. A purple or blue made by mixing red MX-8B with turquoise MX-G will tend to produce marked blue halos. It's an easy way to identify tie-dyes that have been made from a decent tie-dye kit, since fuchsia is almost always found in kits.

The third dye you've been using is yellow MX-8G. Like all the other dyes, it reacts more slowly than red MX-8B, so you get yellow halos around your true reds and your oranges.

There are a hundred different Procion MX dye colors, but all but a dozen or so are mixtures. Pre-mixed colors can be extremely useful, but at this point you want to buy primary colors that are good for mixing. Since only a dozen or so of the colors are unmixed, we're not talking about a huge investment here. You just have to know which of the dyes to buy.

The source for your choices is the top chart on my page of "Which Procion MX dyes are pure, and which are mixtures?". (This is from the FAQ on my site.) The names of the pure unmixed single-hue colors are shown along the left side, and the names of the major dye suppliers are shown along the top. In the body of the table are the names and in some cases catalog numbers under which the various suppliers sell the dyes. As you can see, the names can vary quite a bit from one supplier to another.

You will need a red that is less reactive than red MX-8B, so that it will have time to creep along the fabric a little before it bonds to it. This substitute red is red MX-5B. It's very similar in color to the fuchsia red MX-8B. This alternative, red MX-5B, is called "light red" by Dharma Trading Company, "mixing red" by PRO Chemical & Dye, and "magenta" by Jacquard Products. Each of these names applies to the exact same dye. 

It does not matter which supplier you buy it from. You will find that buying two-ounce jars of dye from Dharma or ProChem will save you a great deal of money compared to buying a small tie-dye kit, or compared to buying the two-thirds ounce jars of dye sold by Jacquard Products, although the eight-ounce jars of Procion MX dye from Jacquard Products are just as good a deal as the same eight-ounce jars from Dharma or ProChem. (Note that even the smallest and least economical jars of Procion MX dye are a far better buy than an all-purpose dye such as Rit, because you can dye many more pounds of fabric per dollar spent.)

For a blue that is faster-to-react than turquoise MX-G, try cerulean blue, blue MX-G. (Note that in spite of the fact that both have names ending in "MX-G, they are different dyes; the root color name is an important part of the code.) Blue MX-G is known as cerulean blue by Dharma and Jacquard, and as intense blue by ProChem. It's a gorgeous color. Alternatively, you can use the duller blue MX-R, though it reacts slowly and does not travel very far, but faster and farther than turquoise MX-G; it is known as sky blue, basic blue, or medium blue. (I prefer to have both on hand.) You will probably have no further problems with your blues once you switch your red, however.

To mix a true red without a halo, I recommend using orange MX-2R, which Dharma calls deep orange, ProChem calls strong orange, and Jacquard calls brilliant orange. Mixed with red MX-5B, it makes excellent halo-free reds, and can be used to make browns, or to dull down blues, as well.

If possible, I think you should also buy some violet MX-2R, which is called grape by Dharma and ProChem and violet by Jacquard. It is a lovely true purple that does not split apart at all, since it is a mixture, and it is useful for mixing a variety of shades, all sorts of purples and even a good blood red. I see that you already have some cobalt blue; having a navy blue like this is excellent for mixing deep, dark purples and greens, it can be mixed with orange to make brown, and by itself makes a nice dark contrast to brighter colors in a tie-dye.

So, to solve your problem, I recommend a shopping list of red MX-5B (this alone is the most important switch for avoiding haloes), orange MX-2R, violet MX-2R, and, less importantly, blue MX-G and/or blue MX-R. I would stick with the same yellow MX-8G that you already have, except for mixing with red (use orange then), and I would still use the other dyes you have, just not in cases in which haloing is a problem.

You can also mix your dyes with a thickener such as sodium alginate or Superclear so that they travel less on the fabric. This will have other effects on your tie-dyeing, as well; some people love the effects of thickened dye and never again use unthickened dye, while others prefer the color blending of  unthickened dye, and rarely use thickener. Give it a try and see how you feel.

Another way to change the differential migration of the different dye colors is to apply the dyes to the fabric without using soda ash, let them soak in, then after-fix the dyes with sodium silicate or by spraying on soda ash. This will obviously have other majors effects on your dye designs, of course, but, interestingly, it will also completely remove the behavior you normally see when using fuchsia (red MX-8B) dye. This is because the speed of reaction does not matter as much if the reaction is not allowed to occur at first.

For more information, see:
Which Procion MX colors are pure, and which mixtures?

Sodium alginate, Superclear, and other dye thickeners

What colors should I buy to start out with?

Reactivity of Procion MX type dyes

Frequently Asked Questions About Dyeing (and related issues)

Procion color personality quirks (Dharma dyes)


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