Name: Maria

Message: I dye my fabric doing tye dye. My fabric is 90% Tactel nylon/10% spandex. What kind of dye is the right for me to use?

There might be a problem with your Tactel nylon blend. Most nylons have some sort of surface finish that will tend to repel any dye or fabric paint you use on it. Teflon finishes and "moisture-wicking" finishes are not uncommon on Tactel.

If your nylon blend does not have any such surface finishes, then I recommend that you use a high-quality thin fabric paint, instead of dye, to tie dye the fabric. This is because nylon requires heat in order to dye, but spandex is easily damaged by heat and must be washed in cool water only.

Good brands of fabric paint for tie-dyeing include Dharma Pigment Dyes, sold by mail by Dharma Trading Company, and Dye-na-Flow, which is produced by Jacquard Products. I don't recommend that you try a thicker fabric paint, nor any paint which is not specifically labeled for use on fabrics. Dharma Pigment Dye is probably the best choice, because it does not require heat-setting on nylon. You can add a small amount of a product called Jacquard Airfix (which you can order from Jerry's Artarama (one of the few mail-order sources for AirFix) to Dye-na-Flow instead of heat setting, however, if you like.

If you choose to use dye instead of fabric paint, you will have to use acid dyes, and compromise between the nylon's need to be heated when dyed, and the spandex's need to avoid all heat. You may find success with a compromise of between 120°F and 140°F, but you should expect the dye to be less permanent than if you use the recommended temperature of 185°F for dyeing nylon. Spandex may lose its shape over 105°F.

There are many different kinds of acid dye available. For nylon, I most recommend Lanaset dyes or WashFast Acid dyes. You will almost certainly not be able to buy these dyes locally, but instead will have to mail-order them. If you have a very good crafts store near by, you might be able to find Dye-na-Flow fabric paint, but in many locations that, too, will need to be mail-ordered.

If you have problems in dyeing your fabrics, then you will want to look at a supplier of PFD or PFP fabric. Good sources for PFD fabric include Test Fabrics, Silk Connection, and Dharma Trading Company. PFD and PFP fabrics are much more reliable for dyeing purposes because they lack finishes that interfere with dyeing.

Also see: 
"How can I dye nylon?" and "How can I dye spandex?".

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