How can I redye a purple mink vest to black (for less than the furrier would charge)?

Name: Julia

—ADVERTISEMENT—

Country or region: CA, USA

Message: Hi, I tried to search and didn't seem to find the following: I received from a relative a grayish purple, woven mink vest. I was hoping to make it black, but after some research it seems like the alum in mink tanning can react to immersion, and mink fur is unlike rabbit, fox, or human. A furrier is offering to dye it for more than it's worth. Any advice? (I already have henna and indigo on hand, though I could get the chemical stuff if I had to.) Thank you very much!

Is the mink vest utterly unusable to you in its current color? It's possible that dyeing it will ruin it. It may be a better idea to keep the vest in its original color. Are you comfortable with hand-washing your mink vest in water? It is impossible to dye anything that is not washable, because dyeing invariably requires a great deal of washing.

All animal furs can be dyed with acid dyes or with reactive dyes, and ought to be dyeable with henna, too (though indigo would be more difficult), but the exposure to large amounts of water and to the low or high pH and, especially, any heat required for dyeing will tend to stiffen the backing of the fur, and may make the fur itself significantly less soft and smooth.

Personally, I would not choose to dye a garment like yours unless the most likely alternative is to throw it away. The risks of spoiling an expensive piece of fur are too high. There is a reason why your furrier charges so much for dyeing a fur garment.

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

Posted: Friday - December 24, 2010 at 08:33 AM

Follow this blog on twitter here.
Tweet

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

How can I redye a purple mink vest to black (for less than the furrier would charge)?

> >