Name: John
Message: Hi, I'd like to know if when making the urea and mixing the dyes in the urea does it need to be a certain temp ? Also when pre-soaking in the sodium carbonate does this need to be a certain temp and do you leave the garment soaking wet then apply the dye or do you ring it out then apply the dye. Thanks for all you info on your site

Urea is pretty easy to dissolve, and does not have to be any particular temperature. However, when you dissolve fiber reactive dye in water, with or without urea, the temperature of the water should be low enough not to spoil the reactivity of the dye. Room temperature is best for dissolving fiber reactive dye. Colder temperatures make the dye more difficult to dissolve, but hot water can kill the dye.

Sodium carbonate (soda ash) dissolves most easily in water that is at a temperature of 95.7 degrees Fahrenheit (35.4 degrees Celsius). It will be harder to dissolve soda ash in water that is either warmer or cooler. It does not much matter what temperature the soda ash solution is when you soak your fabric in it. Room temperature is good.

Temperature is key for dye usage. Warmer temperatures cause the dye to react more quickly. This is good after you get the dye on the fiber, but bad beforehand. Store dye solutions (*without* soda ash) at room temperature for no more than a week before using, or longer in the refrigerator; if you store dye solutions in the refrigerator, allow them to warm to room temperature before use. Use dye within one hour of adding soda ash to it, if you ever do that. After applying the dye to the soda-soaked fabric, keep it overnight at 70 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer, to allow the reaction between the dye and the fiber to take place.

In direct dye application of soda-soaked material, it is best to wring out excess moisture before applying the dye solution. Some dye artists prefer to line-dry their soda soaked material before applying dye; the dry soda ash in the material works as well as wet soda ash, as long as it is not rinsed out at all.

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