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Friday, July 31, 2009
reactive dyes for cellulose powder
Monday, July 20, 2009
coloring an artificial plant
I would recommend against using dye. To dye polyester a solid color, you must boil the entire artificial plant in a pot with a special type of polyester dye for half an hour. Another way to use polyester dye is more practical, by applying the dye to paper and then ironing it onto the polyester, but I think there's a better option still.
Instead of using dye, I recommend that you purchase a fabric paint whose manufacturer indicates that it will work on polyester. (See "Fabric Paints: a different way to color fibers".) Note that not all fabric paints can be used on polyester. However, all of the fabric paints made by Jacquard Products can be. The most dye-like of these is called Dye-Na-Flow. It is a fabric paint that is made to mimic the way that dye flows. Another option would be Dharma Pigment Dyes, sold via mail-order by Dharma Trading Company. Both will work on both polyester and silk flowers or leaves.
Some good crafts stores will carry Jacquard Products fabric paints such as Dye-Na-Flow. If not, you can mail-order them from any of a number of art supply companies, such as Blick Art Materials, or from the Dharma Trading Company web site.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Friday, July 17, 2009
looking for someone who might sell their work
Thursday, July 16, 2009
silk dry-clean-only dress with a water stain
Message: I have a silk dry clean only dress that has a water stain on it. Dry cleaners cannot get stain out so I want to dye it. Is it possible?
Dyeing is impossible without a great deal of washing. You have to prewash to remove invisible stains that will interfere with dye absorption, and you need to wash repeatedly after dyeing to remove any loose unattached excess dye.
What you need to do now is wash your dress in water to try to remove the water spot. If this works, you won't need to dye it; if it doesn't work, there's no point in dyeing it. Silk is often washable. If yours turns out not to have been washable, you'll have to discard it, but since that's essentially the situation you're in right now, you may as well try.
If a dress is unlined, chances are that it will survive washing, though you might find that the original manufacturer did not bother to use high-quality wash-resistant dyes. It's possible that the original dyes will dissolve in the water. You may find that this takes care of the water spot, with no need for further action.
If the dress is lined, I predict that problems in fit will arise from washing. The lining is typically made of a synthetic fiber (often not mentioned on the content label), which will not shrink as much as the natural fiber; when the lining is a different size from the outside layer, the garment is ruined.
Since your dress is currently unwearable, though, it's probably worth the risk of washing it. Don't even consider dyeing until after you have successfully washed the dress.
Followup:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Can I dye a 50% angora/50% acrylic blend hat from dark brown to black?
Message: Could you very kindly advise me if I am able to dye a 50% angora 50% acrylic blend hat. It's dark brown and I'd like it to be black. What could I use on it? With very many thanks!
No. It's pretty easy to dye angora, or any other animal fiber, using acid dyes, but it's difficult and unpleasant to dye acrylic. If you try, say, an all-purpose dye, the angora fibers will change color, but the acrylic fibers will wash out to be their original color.
There are two types of dye that can be used to color acrylic. One is Basic Dye, also known as cationic dye. In Australia, where you're located, hand dyers can mail-order this type of dye from Batik Oetoro, under the brand name Sandocryl. See my page on Dyeing Acrylic with Basic Dye.
The other type of dye that works on acrylic is less toxic; the the same Disperse Dye that can be used on polyester. Unfortunately, it will not produce dark shades on acrylic, so you can't use it to dye acrylic black. See my page on Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes; scroll down to find a link for ProChem's instructions (and caveats) for using disperse dye to immersion dye acrylic.
Both basic dyes and disperse dyes involve extensive boiling, a treatment which may damage the angora fiber in your hat. I can't recommend either of them for your situation.
If you would like a sort of heathered effect, with black angora fibers and brown acrylic fibers, then I recommend that you look into dyes for angora. Two good sources in Australia for high quality dyes are Kraftkolour and Batik Oetoro; both will sell by mail-order if you are not in their areas. Look at my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World, and scroll down to the section on Australia and New Zealand.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
How to dye a bright blue 100% polyester very very sheer shirt any color but blue
Message: I hope this one hasn't already been answered because I've been reading for hours.... bright blue 100% polyester very very sheer shirt, very expensive shirt, how do I dye it any color but blue without destroying it, oh and to make it worse, it's trimmed in lace, please help if you can.
Polyester is really kind of a pain to dye. You can't dye it with ordinary dyes that work on cotton; all-purpose dye will not work. You can't dye it at room temperature; you have to boil it with the dye in a large cooking pot, large enough for the garment to move freely, in a pot that you don't plan to reuse for cooking food. If the garment can't survive the harsh treatment of boiling, if it says "dry clean only" or "wash in cool water", it's not a good idea to dye it.
Given those warnings, it IS possible to dye polyester. Mail order some disperse dye from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or Aljo Mfg. in New York. Study their instructions, here and here, and be sure to buy all of the other ingredients that are called for, when you order your dyes. You can also consider use Jacquard's "iDye Poly" disperse dyes for polyester.
There are obvious color limitations. A bright blue can be dyed green by using yellow or green dye; it can be dyed purple by using pink or fuchsia dye; it can be dyed brown with orange dye; or it can be dyed navy blue or black. You will not be able to dye it red or orange or yellow, nor any pale color.
The lace on your shirt is probably made of nylon fiber, even if it is not indicated on the fiber content label for the shirt. The disperse dye that works on polyester will also dye nylon; it only works on synthetic fibers. However, it's impossible to predict exactly what color you will get on nylon, as compared to polyester. It might turn out a bit more yellowish, or a bit more reddish. It will probably look good, but there is no way to guarantee it.
Don't try to dye a shirt that has an obvious stain. Even invisible stains may prevent smooth, even dyeing. Be sure to wash the shirt extremely well before you try to dye it. Use a large enough cooking pot that the shirt can move in it very freely, and stir frequently while dyeing, or you may get a tie-dye effect. (Or perhaps you should aim for a tie-dyed effect.)
See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes", for more information about dyeing polyester.
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Monday, July 13, 2009
Mixing Colors with Dylon Cold Dyes
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Adding a design to polyester shorts
Message: I have all four colors of these shorts [link]. I want more colors but they don't make theme anymore. If I bought these [link], is there paint or something I could buy to put the design?
Yes. You have to use the right materials, but it can be done. Polyester can be dyed only with a special kind of dye called disperse dye, but you can use this dye to make designs on paper, and then use a hot iron to transfer the designs to your fabric exactly where you want them.
You have two main choices. One is to buy Crayola Fabric Crayons. These look exactly like ordinary wax crayons, but they are made of entirely different materials. (Don't try to use ordinary wax crayons!) These are easy to find and easy to use; the drawback is that the results do look like crayon work, which is sometimes but not always good for a particular design. You will probably be able to buy Fabric Crayons in a local sewing store; you might even find them at a big store like Target or Walmart. See this page for an example and instructions:
Iron-on Fabric Crayons for Synthetic Fibers.
Keep in mind that, like all dyes, the disperse dye is transparent. The original color will show through the designs you make. This means that your swooshes or stripes must be darker in color than the original color of the shorts. You can put black on any color; it will show up best on the lighter colors. You cannot put a lighter color on a dark background. If your shorts are yellow, a blue swoosh will look green. Dyes follow the usual rules of color mixing. The colors of disperse dye seem dull on the paper before you iron them on, but they turn bright on the fabric.
For a crisper, less crayony look, you will have to buy disperse dye powder and mix it with water to make transfer paint, then paint or stencil it onto paper, let it dry, and then iron it onto the fabric where you want it. Learning how to apply the dye evenly may take several tries, so use a polyester rag if you happen to have one, or buy a quarter of a yard of cheap polyester fabric from the fabric store. Of course, you should do this with the crayons, as well. Never expect your very first attempt at dyeing to turn out perfectly. Be sure to prewash anything you are going to apply dyes to.
For general information about using disperse dyes on polyester, see this page: Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes.
To buy disperse dye powder in the US, mail-order from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts or from Aljo Mfg. in New York. Follow the manufacturers' instructions for dye application. Here are the instructions from PRO Chemical & Dye for Direct Application on Polyester using PROsperse Disperse Dyes. For your purposes, you probably want to order their new line of Transperse Transfer Printing Dyes. Here are the instructions for using them: Transfer Printing on Polyester using Transperse Transfer Printing Dyes. Study the instructions before you order your dyes, so that you do not forget to order any of the helper chemicals that you will need. It will be most convenient and economical to order their "PRO Transperse Transfer Printing Kit", which costs about $13 (plus shipping) and includes everything that you'll need, except for the fabric and the hot iron.
If you want to put a lighter-color design on a dark background, such as red onto black, you will not be able to use dyes to do it. In that case, you will need to cut the design from another piece of fabric (wash it first) and sew it on, using an appliqué stitch.
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Saturday, July 11, 2009
Dyeing cotton/poly curtains: should I use acid dye?
Friday, July 10, 2009
Where can I find sodium hexametaphosphate for softening water for dyeing?
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
how can I stop the dye from bleeding?
I have a chartreuse linen dress that I want to dye white
Hi Penny,
No, really you cannot dye anything white. Because all dyes are transparent, the original color invariably shows through. Changing the color to white another way might be possible, though.
You may or may not be able to remove the dye that is responsible for the dress's green color. It is impossible to predict, since we don't know what dye the manufacturer used. I recommend that you try using Rit Color Remover, probably two boxes at once depending on the size of your washing machine, with the hottest water available. (I recommend this only if your dress is washable; if it is marked "dry clean only", it might not survive treatment.) An equally good product is Jcquard Color Remover; if you can't find either of these, look for Tintex Color Remover
,
Dylon Run away for Whites, or Carbona Color Run
Remover. (See "What
chemicals can be used to remove dye?".)
Boiling water on the stove will work better with Rit Color Remover than the hot tap water in a washing machine, but it's unlikely that you have a non-aluminum cooking pot large enough for your dress to move in freely, while immersed in the Rit Color Remover plus water, so that is impractical. Do not use an aluminum cooking pot with Rit Color Remover, because the high pH will react with the aluminum. You can use a stainless steel or enamel pot of at least twelve quarts' volume.
Since your dress is made of linen, you can alternatively try chlorine bleach in the washing machine. The hypochlorite in chlorine bleach will damage synthetic fibers, but it is usually safe for plant fibers such as cotton or linen. Some dyes will respond better to chlorine bleach than to Rit Color Remover, while some will be the other way around; some will respond well to both, and some will stubbornly retain their color no matter what you treat them with. If you try both Rit Color Remover and chlorine bleach, be sure to wash thoroughly between the two treatments; do not mix them.
Sometimes a dye will respond to Rit Color Remover or chlorine bleach by changing to a different color than white; you might end up with a beige, or an odd dull yellow. Other times you might get white, or no change at all. There's no way to know which color this dress will turn until you try it. After you remove the dye, if you don't like the color, you can always try dyeing the dress. For dyeing a linen dress, I recommend using a washing machine along with a fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye or, if you are in Europe or Australia, Dylon Machine Dye. I do not recommend the use of all-purpose dyes such as Rit or Tintex on linen.
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
dyed towels now bleed on everything when wet
Monday, July 06, 2009
What would happen if I tried to dye something that ISN'T white already?
Message: What would happen if I tried to dye something that ISN'T white already? Would the colors mix? For example if I had a yellow jacket and I tried to die it blue, would the color just end up green?
Yes, that is exactly what will happen. All dye is transparent; this means that the original color will invariably show through the added color.
If your jacket is yellow, your choices of colors to dye it are limited by the current color. Yellow garments are easily dyed green, orange, red, or black (assuming that they are washable, made of a dyeable fiber, and not treated to make them water resistant or stain resistant). If the original color is pale and you select a very dark color, the effects of the original color will be less. You can dye a pale yellow item to a dark navy blue, for example; the slight greenish tint supplied by the yellow will be less noticeable than with brighter or lighter dye colors.
An alternative is to attempt to remove some or all of the original color before dyeing. This sometimes works well, and sometimes poorly or not at all; since you can't know what dyes the manufacturer used, it is impossible to predict how well it will work. You just have to try it. If you try chlorine (household) bleach, which contains hypochlorite as its active ingredient, use it only on 100% plant fibers, such as 100% cotton or 100% hemp; do not use it on any synthetic fiber, such as nylon, polyester, or spandex, because hypochlorite will permanently damage these fibers. Safer alternative are sodium hydrosulfite, which is found in Rit Color Remover, or thiourea dioxide, which is found in Jacquard Color Remover; they can be used, with care, on either natural or synthetic fibers. (See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".)
Be sure to wash the garment thoroughly after color removal before dyeing. If you use bleach, use a bleach-stopping chemical such as Anti-Chlor or hydrogen peroxide to stop damage to the fabric you have bleached. (See "How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?".) There is no need for a bleach stopping agent for Rit or Jacquard Color Remover, just washing and exposure to air.
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reactive dyes for cellulose powder
Name: Toby
Message: Since you're a scientist (who worked on the Human Genome Project, I see!), you know about cellulose powders and related materials (carboxymethyl cellulose; powdered dextrans; etc.). I am also a scientist.
I want to dye cellulose (and related) powders.
I want to test the different REACTIVE chemistries (mono-, di- and tri-chlorotriazines; vinyl sulphones; an azo dye; formazan; etc.)
My BIGGEST problems are:
1. I only need to test ONE dye of each chemistry type (color doesn't matter).
2. I need to make sense of the recipes and adapt them to cellulose powder (cf., finished textiles).
MSDS's for reactive dyes are of no use regarding the chemistry. Your pages have been the MOST helpful in that regard: Procion = chlorotriazines; etc..
I look forward to your reply and any advice and specific recommendations you can provide.
Thank you very much.
What are you testing them for?
You should probably try to get similar dyes, with as close to the same chromophore group as possible. Otherwise the comparison may not make as much sense. Some dyes in a given dye class are much more quick to react than others of the same dye type, for example.
It should be easy to adapt the recipes to powdered cellulose. For each of your dyes, you'll probably want to use the same specific OWG (on weight of goods), which is just the weight of the dye powder relative to the weight of the fiber, expressed as a percentage. The different classes of reactive dyes require different recipes, and I can help you with finding them if need be. Washing the cellulose to remove the unattached excess dye will not be so easy, however, and it's essential. Is it clumpy enough to use a strainer? If you have to use filter paper, the process of washing will be slower, but you really do not want to confuse the unattached loose dye with the dye that has reacted with your cellulose. (I always recommend rinsing out the auxiliary chemicals first in cool water, then washing repeatedly in very hot water to remove the excess dye.)
Not all of the dye classes that you mention make sense. "Azo" dyes include any dye with an azo group, -N=N-, including chlorotriazines (see http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/structure.shtml) and most vinyl sulfones (near the bottom of http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/remazol.shtml), so it makes no sense to say that you want to test one azo dye and one of each of the other dye types.
Similarly, "formazan" refers to the chromophore (color-producing) section of the dye molecule, not to the reactive portion, and thus could be represented among different reactive dye classes. Formazan dyes include the bifunctional dye Procion Fast Blue H-EXL (Dystar) and the aminofluorotriazine dye formerly sold as Cibacron Blue F-R (now owned by Huntsman Textile Effects and probably called Novacron, if they still make it).
You may want to read John Shore's book Cellulosics Dyeing. It's inexpensive, only £9 plus shipping, if you order it directly from the Society of Dyers and Colourists in the UK. (If you find a used copy in the US it will probably cost $100.) It does not mention dyeing cellulose powders.
Message: Since you're a scientist (who worked on the Human Genome Project, I see!), you know about cellulose powders and related materials (carboxymethyl cellulose; powdered dextrans; etc.). I am also a scientist.
I want to dye cellulose (and related) powders.
I want to test the different REACTIVE chemistries (mono-, di- and tri-chlorotriazines; vinyl sulphones; an azo dye; formazan; etc.)
My BIGGEST problems are:
1. I only need to test ONE dye of each chemistry type (color doesn't matter).
2. I need to make sense of the recipes and adapt them to cellulose powder (cf., finished textiles).
MSDS's for reactive dyes are of no use regarding the chemistry. Your pages have been the MOST helpful in that regard: Procion = chlorotriazines; etc..
I look forward to your reply and any advice and specific recommendations you can provide.
Thank you very much.
What are you testing them for?
You should probably try to get similar dyes, with as close to the same chromophore group as possible. Otherwise the comparison may not make as much sense. Some dyes in a given dye class are much more quick to react than others of the same dye type, for example.
It should be easy to adapt the recipes to powdered cellulose. For each of your dyes, you'll probably want to use the same specific OWG (on weight of goods), which is just the weight of the dye powder relative to the weight of the fiber, expressed as a percentage. The different classes of reactive dyes require different recipes, and I can help you with finding them if need be. Washing the cellulose to remove the unattached excess dye will not be so easy, however, and it's essential. Is it clumpy enough to use a strainer? If you have to use filter paper, the process of washing will be slower, but you really do not want to confuse the unattached loose dye with the dye that has reacted with your cellulose. (I always recommend rinsing out the auxiliary chemicals first in cool water, then washing repeatedly in very hot water to remove the excess dye.)
Not all of the dye classes that you mention make sense. "Azo" dyes include any dye with an azo group, -N=N-, including chlorotriazines (see http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/structure.shtml) and most vinyl sulfones (near the bottom of http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/remazol.shtml), so it makes no sense to say that you want to test one azo dye and one of each of the other dye types.
Similarly, "formazan" refers to the chromophore (color-producing) section of the dye molecule, not to the reactive portion, and thus could be represented among different reactive dye classes. Formazan dyes include the bifunctional dye Procion Fast Blue H-EXL (Dystar) and the aminofluorotriazine dye formerly sold as Cibacron Blue F-R (now owned by Huntsman Textile Effects and probably called Novacron, if they still make it).
You may want to read John Shore's book Cellulosics Dyeing. It's inexpensive, only £9 plus shipping, if you order it directly from the Society of Dyers and Colourists in the UK. (If you find a used copy in the US it will probably cost $100.) It does not mention dyeing cellulose powders.
Monday, July 20, 2009
coloring an artificial plant
Name: NANCY
Message: HI, I WAS WONDERING IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO STAIN DYE AN ARTIFICIAL
PLANT? I THINK IT MAY BE MADE OF POLYESTER. IF SO WHAT DYE WOULD
I USE? THANK YOU.
Message: HI, I WAS WONDERING IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO STAIN DYE AN ARTIFICIAL
PLANT? I THINK IT MAY BE MADE OF POLYESTER. IF SO WHAT DYE WOULD
I USE? THANK YOU.
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I would recommend against using dye. To dye polyester a solid color, you must boil the entire artificial plant in a pot with a special type of polyester dye for half an hour. Another way to use polyester dye is more practical, by applying the dye to paper and then ironing it onto the polyester, but I think there's a better option still.
Instead of using dye, I recommend that you purchase a fabric paint whose manufacturer indicates that it will work on polyester. (See "Fabric Paints: a different way to color fibers".) Note that not all fabric paints can be used on polyester. However, all of the fabric paints made by Jacquard Products can be. The most dye-like of these is called Dye-Na-Flow. It is a fabric paint that is made to mimic the way that dye flows. Another option would be Dharma Pigment Dyes, sold via mail-order by Dharma Trading Company. Both will work on both polyester and silk flowers or leaves.
Some good crafts stores will carry Jacquard Products fabric paints such as Dye-Na-Flow. If not, you can mail-order them from any of a number of art supply companies, such as Blick Art Materials, or from the Dharma Trading Company web site.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Friday, July 17, 2009
looking for someone who might sell their work
Hello,
I came across your website and found it very informative. Unfortunately, I can't physically do the dyeing work myself, so I'm looking for someone who might sell their work. Either in small quantities or bulk.
If you know of someone that you might referred me to, I'd really appreciate it.
There are many excellent dyers who are interested in doing custom dyework.
Start here on this page of "Where can I find someone to dye my clothing for me?". Scroll down to the section on "New items custom-dyed for you, individual orders or larger". This is a list to which individual dyers have chosen to submit their information.
Another source of good links is my page on "Links to Other Hand Dyers' web sites".
You are also welcome to join the Dye Forum on this site (it's free) and post about what sort of thing you'd like someone to dye for you.
Etsy's Alchemy feature allows you to request custom craft work of any sort. (I notice that some of the "ideal prices" listed there by requesters are unreasonably low; if you offer too little, no crafter will be able to afford to spend the time and materials on doing the job.)
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
I came across your website and found it very informative. Unfortunately, I can't physically do the dyeing work myself, so I'm looking for someone who might sell their work. Either in small quantities or bulk.
If you know of someone that you might referred me to, I'd really appreciate it.
There are many excellent dyers who are interested in doing custom dyework.
Start here on this page of "Where can I find someone to dye my clothing for me?". Scroll down to the section on "New items custom-dyed for you, individual orders or larger". This is a list to which individual dyers have chosen to submit their information.
Another source of good links is my page on "Links to Other Hand Dyers' web sites".
You are also welcome to join the Dye Forum on this site (it's free) and post about what sort of thing you'd like someone to dye for you.
Etsy's Alchemy feature allows you to request custom craft work of any sort. (I notice that some of the "ideal prices" listed there by requesters are unreasonably low; if you offer too little, no crafter will be able to afford to spend the time and materials on doing the job.)
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
silk dry-clean-only dress with a water stain
Name: Caroline
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Message: I have a silk dry clean only dress that has a water stain on it. Dry cleaners cannot get stain out so I want to dye it. Is it possible?
Dyeing is impossible without a great deal of washing. You have to prewash to remove invisible stains that will interfere with dye absorption, and you need to wash repeatedly after dyeing to remove any loose unattached excess dye.
What you need to do now is wash your dress in water to try to remove the water spot. If this works, you won't need to dye it; if it doesn't work, there's no point in dyeing it. Silk is often washable. If yours turns out not to have been washable, you'll have to discard it, but since that's essentially the situation you're in right now, you may as well try.
If a dress is unlined, chances are that it will survive washing, though you might find that the original manufacturer did not bother to use high-quality wash-resistant dyes. It's possible that the original dyes will dissolve in the water. You may find that this takes care of the water spot, with no need for further action.
If the dress is lined, I predict that problems in fit will arise from washing. The lining is typically made of a synthetic fiber (often not mentioned on the content label), which will not shrink as much as the natural fiber; when the lining is a different size from the outside layer, the garment is ruined.
Since your dress is currently unwearable, though, it's probably worth the risk of washing it. Don't even consider dyeing until after you have successfully washed the dress.
Followup:
Thanks so much for the advice. We washed the dress and the
water stain came out - no need to dye. Maybe a small amount of shrinkage
but still very much wearable.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Can I dye a 50% angora/50% acrylic blend hat from dark brown to black?
Name: Merryl
—ADVERTISEMENT—
Message: Could you very kindly advise me if I am able to dye a 50% angora 50% acrylic blend hat. It's dark brown and I'd like it to be black. What could I use on it? With very many thanks!
No. It's pretty easy to dye angora, or any other animal fiber, using acid dyes, but it's difficult and unpleasant to dye acrylic. If you try, say, an all-purpose dye, the angora fibers will change color, but the acrylic fibers will wash out to be their original color.
There are two types of dye that can be used to color acrylic. One is Basic Dye, also known as cationic dye. In Australia, where you're located, hand dyers can mail-order this type of dye from Batik Oetoro, under the brand name Sandocryl. See my page on Dyeing Acrylic with Basic Dye.
The other type of dye that works on acrylic is less toxic; the the same Disperse Dye that can be used on polyester. Unfortunately, it will not produce dark shades on acrylic, so you can't use it to dye acrylic black. See my page on Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes; scroll down to find a link for ProChem's instructions (and caveats) for using disperse dye to immersion dye acrylic.
Both basic dyes and disperse dyes involve extensive boiling, a treatment which may damage the angora fiber in your hat. I can't recommend either of them for your situation.
If you would like a sort of heathered effect, with black angora fibers and brown acrylic fibers, then I recommend that you look into dyes for angora. Two good sources in Australia for high quality dyes are Kraftkolour and Batik Oetoro; both will sell by mail-order if you are not in their areas. Look at my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World, and scroll down to the section on Australia and New Zealand.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
How to dye a bright blue 100% polyester very very sheer shirt any color but blue
Name: heather
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Dye polyester and poly/cotton blends
Message: I hope this one hasn't already been answered because I've been reading for hours.... bright blue 100% polyester very very sheer shirt, very expensive shirt, how do I dye it any color but blue without destroying it, oh and to make it worse, it's trimmed in lace, please help if you can.
Polyester is really kind of a pain to dye. You can't dye it with ordinary dyes that work on cotton; all-purpose dye will not work. You can't dye it at room temperature; you have to boil it with the dye in a large cooking pot, large enough for the garment to move freely, in a pot that you don't plan to reuse for cooking food. If the garment can't survive the harsh treatment of boiling, if it says "dry clean only" or "wash in cool water", it's not a good idea to dye it.
Given those warnings, it IS possible to dye polyester. Mail order some disperse dye from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or Aljo Mfg. in New York. Study their instructions, here and here, and be sure to buy all of the other ingredients that are called for, when you order your dyes. You can also consider use Jacquard's "iDye Poly" disperse dyes for polyester.
There are obvious color limitations. A bright blue can be dyed green by using yellow or green dye; it can be dyed purple by using pink or fuchsia dye; it can be dyed brown with orange dye; or it can be dyed navy blue or black. You will not be able to dye it red or orange or yellow, nor any pale color.
The lace on your shirt is probably made of nylon fiber, even if it is not indicated on the fiber content label for the shirt. The disperse dye that works on polyester will also dye nylon; it only works on synthetic fibers. However, it's impossible to predict exactly what color you will get on nylon, as compared to polyester. It might turn out a bit more yellowish, or a bit more reddish. It will probably look good, but there is no way to guarantee it.
Don't try to dye a shirt that has an obvious stain. Even invisible stains may prevent smooth, even dyeing. Be sure to wash the shirt extremely well before you try to dye it. Use a large enough cooking pot that the shirt can move in it very freely, and stir frequently while dyeing, or you may get a tie-dye effect. (Or perhaps you should aim for a tie-dyed effect.)
See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes", for more information about dyeing polyester.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Mixing Colors with Dylon Cold Dyes
Name:
Syreeta
Soda Ash
Dye Fixer
Message: Hello!
I have gotten hold of a few tins of Dylon Cold Water Dye (luckily for free) and have a couple of questions. With the colours I have (I'll list them in a moment), can I make other colours I need?
The colours I have are as follows: A21 Mexican Red, A22 Sahara Sun, A23 Bahama Blue and A29 Koala Brown. The colours I'd like to make (or at least get close to are: A2 Sea Green (or a nice pastel green), A5 Dawn Pink (again pastel if possible), A6 Moon Blue, A17 Cafe Au Lait (or the closest thing to a milk chocolate colour) and finally the closest thing to a white chocolate colour (I guess a really pale cream?).
I'm dyeing some short pile rayon fur that's used for mini bears and other soft toys to make some mini "plushies". They are meant to seem like they are made out of candy which is why I mention pastel and chocolate colours. I have been scouring the net for a mixing chart for the Dylon Cold Water Dyes, but found nothing. Do you know of a good way to get what I'm after without having to buy the colours outright?
Dylon does not share this sort of information with anyone. They don't recommend that you mix their dyes at all, because they view color mixing as their job, not yours. That doesn't mean that you won't be able to do it, though. Some of your desired colors will be impossible given those starting colors, but most should be easy enough.
I think you'll want to do some trial and error. Mix each of your dyes with water, then use an eye dropper to mix equal parts of one with another. (Use a different dropper for each color, or rinse it out between colors.) It might be easiest if you can buy a plastic palette with circular depressions in it at an art supply store, or use a white ice cube tray. (Better not to reuse it for making ice for your drinks; though the dye's not very toxic, it's best to act as though it is.) Dip a small piece of your rayon fabric into soda ash (or Dylon Cold Dye Fix), then drip on a bit of each sample dye color. You can heat it for a few seconds in the microwave to speed dye setting, then rinse it out in hot water and check its color. Keep in mind that the fabric will be lighter in color after it dries.
The Dylon Cold Dye is mostly Procion MX type dye. Unfortunately, the colors as mixed are not ideal for mixing into other colors. They are premixed, not the purest possible dye colors. Sometimes people complain about the difficulties in mixing the colors they want using Dylon dyes. the dyes will not last forever after being dissolved in water, but they will last two or three weeks if you protect them from any exposure to soda ash or other sources of a high or low pH. Refrigeration makes them last even longer. Once the dye goes bad, it won't bond to the fiber; then it will just wash out afterwards.
If you did not already get Dylon Cold Dye Fix with your dyes, don't bother to buy it, because soda ash or washing soda is the exact same thing, but far, far cheaper.
Dylon Sea Green [see the color chart to the left] looks like their Bahama Blue with a little yellow added. (If there's too much red contained in the Sahara Sun, it will make your greens more olivey and less sea green.) For Dawn Pink, try a very small amount of Mexican Red. Moon Blue was a greyish pale blue; your only blue, Bahama Blue, is too greenish to match it, I think, but you could try adding some Koala Brown and diluting it to get the paleness needed. Cafe Au Lait is much more mauvey than Koala brown, try adding some red and some blue to it. All of the white chocolate I've seen in real life is pretty close to pure white, so that's a difficult color to imagine; try using only a tiny tiny amount of your best approximation to Cafe Au Lait.
Mixing colors is something you get better at with practice. To save yourself some time, you can use a nifty website, Olli Niemitalo's Dye Mixer Applet. Use it to approximate one of the colors you have, then add a color similar to one of your other colors to see what happens. This is especially useful for visualizing difficult colors such as browns. The charts on this page: "How can I mix Procion MX dyes to get specific colors?" will also give you some ideas for color mixing, though they start with different dye colors, so they won't be directly applicable.
To make a color pastel, just use less dye or more water. A very pale pastel may require only one-tenth as much dye powder as an intense dye color.
I'd prefer the chance to try and make the colours the way I want them and don't really have much money to buy much else (even dye). Plus certain colours are hard to find (I can't find Cafe Au Lait even on eBay without having to pay near three times as much for the little tin). I hope you can point me to a guide or an easy way to mixing (aside from trial and error which may result in using up all the dye :P) as I hate having to ask you all these questions. Finally, is making pastel colours really as easy as just using a little dye? The pieces of fabric I'm dyeing are 9" x 9". What's an easy way of measuring the recommended amount I need for fabric pieces that would be so light to weigh?
Yes, pastels really are just small amounts of other colors.
The best way to reproducibly measure such small amounts of dye is to make a stock solution by dissolving a known quantity in water, then measure out some of the water. This will be easiest if you use the metric system. Glass pipettes or the five-milliliter droppers used for children's medicine are most accurate. Kitchen measuring spoons are less accurate but sometimes work well enough. One US teaspoon contains five milliliters, and one US tablespoon contains 15 ml, but I've read that a British tablespoon contains 17.7 ml.
One tin of Dylon Cold Water Dye contains 5 grams of dye, enough to color 170 to 220 grams of cotton fabric to the color of the lid of the tin; rayon often dyes a bit better than cotton, producing brighter colors, so you might need a little less. (Viscose rayon will dye wonderfully with Dylon Cold Dyes and other fiber reactive dyes; acetate rayon will not.) Weigh your 9"x9" pieces of fabric on a kitchen scale or a postal scale, whatever you can access that will weigh such small pieces, or if your best scale won't go down that low, try weighing ten pieces of fabric and dividing by ten, etc.
The Procion MX dyes sold by Fibrecrafts in the UK are the same sort of dye as the Dylon Cold Water Dye, but if you buy the pure unmixed colors, they are far more satisfactory for color mixing. Unfortunately they are more expensive than at my favorite sources for larger jars of Procion MX dye in the US.
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Dylon Cold Dye Colors
Soda Ash
Dye Fixer
Message: Hello!
I have gotten hold of a few tins of Dylon Cold Water Dye (luckily for free) and have a couple of questions. With the colours I have (I'll list them in a moment), can I make other colours I need?
The colours I have are as follows: A21 Mexican Red, A22 Sahara Sun, A23 Bahama Blue and A29 Koala Brown. The colours I'd like to make (or at least get close to are: A2 Sea Green (or a nice pastel green), A5 Dawn Pink (again pastel if possible), A6 Moon Blue, A17 Cafe Au Lait (or the closest thing to a milk chocolate colour) and finally the closest thing to a white chocolate colour (I guess a really pale cream?).
I'm dyeing some short pile rayon fur that's used for mini bears and other soft toys to make some mini "plushies". They are meant to seem like they are made out of candy which is why I mention pastel and chocolate colours. I have been scouring the net for a mixing chart for the Dylon Cold Water Dyes, but found nothing. Do you know of a good way to get what I'm after without having to buy the colours outright?
Dylon does not share this sort of information with anyone. They don't recommend that you mix their dyes at all, because they view color mixing as their job, not yours. That doesn't mean that you won't be able to do it, though. Some of your desired colors will be impossible given those starting colors, but most should be easy enough.
I think you'll want to do some trial and error. Mix each of your dyes with water, then use an eye dropper to mix equal parts of one with another. (Use a different dropper for each color, or rinse it out between colors.) It might be easiest if you can buy a plastic palette with circular depressions in it at an art supply store, or use a white ice cube tray. (Better not to reuse it for making ice for your drinks; though the dye's not very toxic, it's best to act as though it is.) Dip a small piece of your rayon fabric into soda ash (or Dylon Cold Dye Fix), then drip on a bit of each sample dye color. You can heat it for a few seconds in the microwave to speed dye setting, then rinse it out in hot water and check its color. Keep in mind that the fabric will be lighter in color after it dries.
The Dylon Cold Dye is mostly Procion MX type dye. Unfortunately, the colors as mixed are not ideal for mixing into other colors. They are premixed, not the purest possible dye colors. Sometimes people complain about the difficulties in mixing the colors they want using Dylon dyes. the dyes will not last forever after being dissolved in water, but they will last two or three weeks if you protect them from any exposure to soda ash or other sources of a high or low pH. Refrigeration makes them last even longer. Once the dye goes bad, it won't bond to the fiber; then it will just wash out afterwards.
If you did not already get Dylon Cold Dye Fix with your dyes, don't bother to buy it, because soda ash or washing soda is the exact same thing, but far, far cheaper.
Dylon Sea Green [see the color chart to the left] looks like their Bahama Blue with a little yellow added. (If there's too much red contained in the Sahara Sun, it will make your greens more olivey and less sea green.) For Dawn Pink, try a very small amount of Mexican Red. Moon Blue was a greyish pale blue; your only blue, Bahama Blue, is too greenish to match it, I think, but you could try adding some Koala Brown and diluting it to get the paleness needed. Cafe Au Lait is much more mauvey than Koala brown, try adding some red and some blue to it. All of the white chocolate I've seen in real life is pretty close to pure white, so that's a difficult color to imagine; try using only a tiny tiny amount of your best approximation to Cafe Au Lait.
Mixing colors is something you get better at with practice. To save yourself some time, you can use a nifty website, Olli Niemitalo's Dye Mixer Applet. Use it to approximate one of the colors you have, then add a color similar to one of your other colors to see what happens. This is especially useful for visualizing difficult colors such as browns. The charts on this page: "How can I mix Procion MX dyes to get specific colors?" will also give you some ideas for color mixing, though they start with different dye colors, so they won't be directly applicable.
To make a color pastel, just use less dye or more water. A very pale pastel may require only one-tenth as much dye powder as an intense dye color.
I'd prefer the chance to try and make the colours the way I want them and don't really have much money to buy much else (even dye). Plus certain colours are hard to find (I can't find Cafe Au Lait even on eBay without having to pay near three times as much for the little tin). I hope you can point me to a guide or an easy way to mixing (aside from trial and error which may result in using up all the dye :P) as I hate having to ask you all these questions. Finally, is making pastel colours really as easy as just using a little dye? The pieces of fabric I'm dyeing are 9" x 9". What's an easy way of measuring the recommended amount I need for fabric pieces that would be so light to weigh?
Yes, pastels really are just small amounts of other colors.
The best way to reproducibly measure such small amounts of dye is to make a stock solution by dissolving a known quantity in water, then measure out some of the water. This will be easiest if you use the metric system. Glass pipettes or the five-milliliter droppers used for children's medicine are most accurate. Kitchen measuring spoons are less accurate but sometimes work well enough. One US teaspoon contains five milliliters, and one US tablespoon contains 15 ml, but I've read that a British tablespoon contains 17.7 ml.
One tin of Dylon Cold Water Dye contains 5 grams of dye, enough to color 170 to 220 grams of cotton fabric to the color of the lid of the tin; rayon often dyes a bit better than cotton, producing brighter colors, so you might need a little less. (Viscose rayon will dye wonderfully with Dylon Cold Dyes and other fiber reactive dyes; acetate rayon will not.) Weigh your 9"x9" pieces of fabric on a kitchen scale or a postal scale, whatever you can access that will weigh such small pieces, or if your best scale won't go down that low, try weighing ten pieces of fabric and dividing by ten, etc.
The Procion MX dyes sold by Fibrecrafts in the UK are the same sort of dye as the Dylon Cold Water Dye, but if you buy the pure unmixed colors, they are far more satisfactory for color mixing. Unfortunately they are more expensive than at my favorite sources for larger jars of Procion MX dye in the US.
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Sunday, July 12, 2009
Adding a design to polyester shorts
Name: Greg
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Dye polyester and poly/cotton blends
Message: I have all four colors of these shorts [link]. I want more colors but they don't make theme anymore. If I bought these [link], is there paint or something I could buy to put the design?
Yes. You have to use the right materials, but it can be done. Polyester can be dyed only with a special kind of dye called disperse dye, but you can use this dye to make designs on paper, and then use a hot iron to transfer the designs to your fabric exactly where you want them.
You have two main choices. One is to buy Crayola Fabric Crayons. These look exactly like ordinary wax crayons, but they are made of entirely different materials. (Don't try to use ordinary wax crayons!) These are easy to find and easy to use; the drawback is that the results do look like crayon work, which is sometimes but not always good for a particular design. You will probably be able to buy Fabric Crayons in a local sewing store; you might even find them at a big store like Target or Walmart. See this page for an example and instructions:
Iron-on Fabric Crayons for Synthetic Fibers.
Keep in mind that, like all dyes, the disperse dye is transparent. The original color will show through the designs you make. This means that your swooshes or stripes must be darker in color than the original color of the shorts. You can put black on any color; it will show up best on the lighter colors. You cannot put a lighter color on a dark background. If your shorts are yellow, a blue swoosh will look green. Dyes follow the usual rules of color mixing. The colors of disperse dye seem dull on the paper before you iron them on, but they turn bright on the fabric.
For a crisper, less crayony look, you will have to buy disperse dye powder and mix it with water to make transfer paint, then paint or stencil it onto paper, let it dry, and then iron it onto the fabric where you want it. Learning how to apply the dye evenly may take several tries, so use a polyester rag if you happen to have one, or buy a quarter of a yard of cheap polyester fabric from the fabric store. Of course, you should do this with the crayons, as well. Never expect your very first attempt at dyeing to turn out perfectly. Be sure to prewash anything you are going to apply dyes to.
For general information about using disperse dyes on polyester, see this page: Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes.
To buy disperse dye powder in the US, mail-order from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts or from Aljo Mfg. in New York. Follow the manufacturers' instructions for dye application. Here are the instructions from PRO Chemical & Dye for Direct Application on Polyester using PROsperse Disperse Dyes. For your purposes, you probably want to order their new line of Transperse Transfer Printing Dyes. Here are the instructions for using them: Transfer Printing on Polyester using Transperse Transfer Printing Dyes. Study the instructions before you order your dyes, so that you do not forget to order any of the helper chemicals that you will need. It will be most convenient and economical to order their "PRO Transperse Transfer Printing Kit", which costs about $13 (plus shipping) and includes everything that you'll need, except for the fabric and the hot iron.
If you want to put a lighter-color design on a dark background, such as red onto black, you will not be able to use dyes to do it. In that case, you will need to cut the design from another piece of fabric (wash it first) and sew it on, using an appliqué stitch.
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Saturday, July 11, 2009
Dyeing cotton/poly curtains: should I use acid dye?
Name:
Sheila
Message: I have been reading your web site, which is very helpful and informative, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I have never dyed anything before and I am not trying to pick up a new hobby (It looks fun, but I already have too many of those). I just want to dye my boring white curtains in my bedroom. They are a cotton/Polyester blend. I would like to dye them bluish turquoise. I don't have a washing machine, so I imagine I will do it in a plastic container. I was reading the instructions for acid dye which seems like the way to go, but then I saw all the different steps and products you have to buy and it just looked too complicated (I am overworked and tired). I need advice on the easiest possible way to dye my curtains. If I could afford new ones, I would just replace them. Is their a simple one step product I could use?
The main thing to know about dyeing your cotton/poly curtains is that the polyester will not take up the dye, unless you mail-order a special kind of dye called disperse dye, which works on polyester but not cotton. I do not recommend that you bother to try the disperse dye. It is much easier to dye only the cotton fiber in your curtains; dyes that work on cotton will just wash out of polyester. Of course, dyeing only part of the fiber content will produce a paler color; the colors produced by a cotton dye on a blend that is 50% cotton/50% polyester will be half as intense as those on a 100% cotton fabric.
Do NOT use acid dye! Acid dye does not work on cotton at all. It does not work on polyester either. Acid dye works only on animal fibers such as silk and wool, plus nylon, but no plant fibers such as cotton and no other synthetic fibers such as polyester. Acid dye will just wash out of these fibers. Acid dye also requires heat setting. Acid dye cannot be used at room temperature in a plastic container, even if you are dying nylon or wool.
You can dye the cotton in your curtains with either fiber reactive dye, or with the direct dye in all-purpose dye. I do not recommend that latter because it fades badly every time you wash it, but if you wash the curtains rarely and only wash them in cold water, separately from anything else, that's not too bad. Fiber reactive dyes are the best choice for your curtains. Also, fiber reactive can be used at room temperature in a plastic bucket. Almost all other dyes must be cooked into the fiber in hot water. Fiber reactive dye is the easiest.
I recommend Procion MX dye. You can buy this dye in any color you wish by mail-order from a company such as Dharma Trading Company or PRO Chemical & Dye. You can buy a tie-dye kit from your local crafts store and follow the instructions, or you can buy just one color of dye. The local crafts store might carry Jacquard Procion dyes, but they probably will not. Buy those if you can. If not, look to see if they have Tulip One Step Fashion Dye, Dylon Cold Dye, or Dylon Permanent Dye. These are all fiber reactive dyes. If you are in Europe or Australia, look for Dylon Machine Dye, which can also be used in a large bucket with lots of stirring.
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask, or to post about them in the Dye Forum.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: I have been reading your web site, which is very helpful and informative, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I have never dyed anything before and I am not trying to pick up a new hobby (It looks fun, but I already have too many of those). I just want to dye my boring white curtains in my bedroom. They are a cotton/Polyester blend. I would like to dye them bluish turquoise. I don't have a washing machine, so I imagine I will do it in a plastic container. I was reading the instructions for acid dye which seems like the way to go, but then I saw all the different steps and products you have to buy and it just looked too complicated (I am overworked and tired). I need advice on the easiest possible way to dye my curtains. If I could afford new ones, I would just replace them. Is their a simple one step product I could use?
The main thing to know about dyeing your cotton/poly curtains is that the polyester will not take up the dye, unless you mail-order a special kind of dye called disperse dye, which works on polyester but not cotton. I do not recommend that you bother to try the disperse dye. It is much easier to dye only the cotton fiber in your curtains; dyes that work on cotton will just wash out of polyester. Of course, dyeing only part of the fiber content will produce a paler color; the colors produced by a cotton dye on a blend that is 50% cotton/50% polyester will be half as intense as those on a 100% cotton fabric.
Do NOT use acid dye! Acid dye does not work on cotton at all. It does not work on polyester either. Acid dye works only on animal fibers such as silk and wool, plus nylon, but no plant fibers such as cotton and no other synthetic fibers such as polyester. Acid dye will just wash out of these fibers. Acid dye also requires heat setting. Acid dye cannot be used at room temperature in a plastic container, even if you are dying nylon or wool.
You can dye the cotton in your curtains with either fiber reactive dye, or with the direct dye in all-purpose dye. I do not recommend that latter because it fades badly every time you wash it, but if you wash the curtains rarely and only wash them in cold water, separately from anything else, that's not too bad. Fiber reactive dyes are the best choice for your curtains. Also, fiber reactive can be used at room temperature in a plastic bucket. Almost all other dyes must be cooked into the fiber in hot water. Fiber reactive dye is the easiest.
I recommend Procion MX dye. You can buy this dye in any color you wish by mail-order from a company such as Dharma Trading Company or PRO Chemical & Dye. You can buy a tie-dye kit from your local crafts store and follow the instructions, or you can buy just one color of dye. The local crafts store might carry Jacquard Procion dyes, but they probably will not. Buy those if you can. If not, look to see if they have Tulip One Step Fashion Dye, Dylon Cold Dye, or Dylon Permanent Dye. These are all fiber reactive dyes. If you are in Europe or Australia, look for Dylon Machine Dye, which can also be used in a large bucket with lots of stirring.
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask, or to post about them in the Dye Forum.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Where can I find sodium hexametaphosphate for softening water for dyeing?
Name:
Bishop
Message: Your website has some really good insight. The only thing that I have yet to see there was information on water softening. My dyeing always turns orange! I am desperate to find a solution.
I have guessed that my water is too hard. The only place I have found the chemical that is said to be used as a water softener for this type of thing is 3,000 miles away. If it is the hard water that is making my life miserable, can something else be just as affective? Sodium hexametaphosphate is too difficult to find. And I don't know what else would be just as affective.
I would appreciate any help that you can give me for this problem. Thank you.
Here is my FAQ page about softening water: "Dyeing with hard water: water softeners, distilled water, and spring water". Also see the discussion in the Dye Forum about how much metaphos to use.
Where do you live? Most dyers buy their sodium hexametaphosphate by mail-order. In the US, you can order it under the name of "Metaphos" from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or under the name of "Water Softener" from Dharma Trading Company in California, or as "Calgon" or "Calgon T" from any retailer of Jacquard Products, such as Fibrecrafts in the UK. (Note that you should NOT use liquid products sold under Calgon brand name, which are often available at the grocery store; it contains polycarboxylates instead of hexametaphosphate, and which is said to interfere with dye uptake by the fiber.) If you live in another country besides the US or the UK, you may mail-order the sodium hexametaphosphate from PRO Chemical & Dye, which ships internationally to most countries. (Be sure to order by phone so that you can request a less expensive and slower form of shipping, if you live outside the US; many people find that, even after adding in the cost of the slowest form of shipping, buying good dyes from ProChem is cheaper than buying them at local shops in their own countries, but faster shipping is too expensive.) Also see the Jacquard Products web list of hexametaphosphate retailers in various countries that carry this product.
Other suppliers of chemicals for purposes other than dyeing also sell this chemical. You can order a ten-pound pail for $37 plus shipping from The Chemistry Store in South Caroline. Photography suppliers sell sodium hexametaphosphate for use in developing film: obviously hard water represents a major problem for that process. Bakery supply houses probably supply hexametaphosphate, too, as it's used in cheese dips, as a stabilizer for egg whites, and for other purposes; see this chart of "Uses and Applications for Phosphates".
You should also consider contacting a local water softening company, as they too may carry hexametaphosphate. If they do not, they can tell you about other ways to obtain water that is free of the calcium and magnesium ions in hard water that interfere with dyeing. Be aware that their answers may involve installing an expensive water softening system.
Distilled water is usually available very cheaply at local drug stores, at least in the US. If you cannot find another way to soften water, always use distilled or deionized water for mixing your dye solutions. Distilled water is better than hexametaphosphate if your problem is excess iron in the water. It is best to use softened water for washing out dye, as well, if your water is very hard, but you don't want to carry home jugs of distilled water for that purpose. Try to get some sodium hexametaphophate for use in washing out.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: Your website has some really good insight. The only thing that I have yet to see there was information on water softening. My dyeing always turns orange! I am desperate to find a solution.
I have guessed that my water is too hard. The only place I have found the chemical that is said to be used as a water softener for this type of thing is 3,000 miles away. If it is the hard water that is making my life miserable, can something else be just as affective? Sodium hexametaphosphate is too difficult to find. And I don't know what else would be just as affective.
I would appreciate any help that you can give me for this problem. Thank you.
Here is my FAQ page about softening water: "Dyeing with hard water: water softeners, distilled water, and spring water". Also see the discussion in the Dye Forum about how much metaphos to use.
Where do you live? Most dyers buy their sodium hexametaphosphate by mail-order. In the US, you can order it under the name of "Metaphos" from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or under the name of "Water Softener" from Dharma Trading Company in California, or as "Calgon" or "Calgon T" from any retailer of Jacquard Products, such as Fibrecrafts in the UK. (Note that you should NOT use liquid products sold under Calgon brand name, which are often available at the grocery store; it contains polycarboxylates instead of hexametaphosphate, and which is said to interfere with dye uptake by the fiber.) If you live in another country besides the US or the UK, you may mail-order the sodium hexametaphosphate from PRO Chemical & Dye, which ships internationally to most countries. (Be sure to order by phone so that you can request a less expensive and slower form of shipping, if you live outside the US; many people find that, even after adding in the cost of the slowest form of shipping, buying good dyes from ProChem is cheaper than buying them at local shops in their own countries, but faster shipping is too expensive.) Also see the Jacquard Products web list of hexametaphosphate retailers in various countries that carry this product.
Other suppliers of chemicals for purposes other than dyeing also sell this chemical. You can order a ten-pound pail for $37 plus shipping from The Chemistry Store in South Caroline. Photography suppliers sell sodium hexametaphosphate for use in developing film: obviously hard water represents a major problem for that process. Bakery supply houses probably supply hexametaphosphate, too, as it's used in cheese dips, as a stabilizer for egg whites, and for other purposes; see this chart of "Uses and Applications for Phosphates".
You should also consider contacting a local water softening company, as they too may carry hexametaphosphate. If they do not, they can tell you about other ways to obtain water that is free of the calcium and magnesium ions in hard water that interfere with dyeing. Be aware that their answers may involve installing an expensive water softening system.
Distilled water is usually available very cheaply at local drug stores, at least in the US. If you cannot find another way to soften water, always use distilled or deionized water for mixing your dye solutions. Distilled water is better than hexametaphosphate if your problem is excess iron in the water. It is best to use softened water for washing out dye, as well, if your water is very hard, but you don't want to carry home jugs of distilled water for that purpose. Try to get some sodium hexametaphophate for use in washing out.
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
how can I stop the dye from bleeding?
Name: Heather
Message: Hi,
I purchased 2 large-check, red gingham table clothes at a thrift store (new, unused and unreturnable). The care label only informs: wash in cool water with like colors, use no bleach, tumble dry cool, made in India. I suspect it is cotton. My problem is that it won't stop bleeding. I've tried: washing in cold and hot water, soaking in hot water with vinegar, soaking in hot water with salt and it still keeps on bleeding. I've successfully taken the excess dye out of the white squares by repeatedly washing them with Shout Color Catchers, I then dried them on hot and ironed them on the highest setting. Thinking I had fixed the problem, I put one on my patio table only to have it bleed again when it accidentally got rained on. After internet research, (without knowing what it was dyed with) I'm more confused than ever. Please tell me what to do or what product to buy.
The product you need to use is a cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne or a similar brand. These fixatives are attracted to the molecules of dye that are sitting loosely ion the fibers in your tablecloth (assuming that they are the usual sorts of dyes; there are a few dyes for which nothing will work). The particles of the dye fixatives cling to both the dye and the fiber in the cloth, keeping them from bleeding out.
The FAQ page you should read about these fixatives is "Commercial Dye Fixatives".
Before using Retayne or another cationic dye fixative, you should repeat the treatment which removed the visible dye (don't bother with the ironing, which will not set dye, but wash them with the Color Catchers as before). After you use the dye fixative, wash the cloths in cool water, to avoid stripping out the fixative, which can be happen if you wash it in hot water.
You can buy these dye fixatives by mail-order from any good dye supplier. You will probably not be able to find them in any stores in your area, though a good quilting supply shop should carry them. If you don't have a good quilting supply shop in your area, mail-order Retayne, Dharma Dye Fixative, or Jacquard iDye Fixative from Dharma Trading Company in California, or Retayne from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachussetts, or Raycafix from G&S Dye in Toronto or Fixatol P from Fibrecrafts in the UK (or see the advertisement at left for mail-ordering Retayne from Joann.com Fabrics).
(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)
Message: Hi,
—ADVERTISEMENTS—
I purchased 2 large-check, red gingham table clothes at a thrift store (new, unused and unreturnable). The care label only informs: wash in cool water with like colors, use no bleach, tumble dry cool, made in India. I suspect it is cotton. My problem is that it won't stop bleeding. I've tried: washing in cold and hot water, soaking in hot water with vinegar, soaking in hot water with salt and it still keeps on bleeding. I've successfully taken the excess dye out of the white squares by repeatedly washing them with Shout Color Catchers, I then dried them on hot and ironed them on the highest setting. Thinking I had fixed the problem, I put one on my patio table only to have it bleed again when it accidentally got rained on. After internet research, (without knowing what it was dyed with) I'm more confused than ever. Please tell me what to do or what product to buy.
The product you need to use is a cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne or a similar brand. These fixatives are attracted to the molecules of dye that are sitting loosely ion the fibers in your tablecloth (assuming that they are the usual sorts of dyes; there are a few dyes for which nothing will work). The particles of the dye fixatives cling to both the dye and the fiber in the cloth, keeping them from bleeding out.
The FAQ page you should read about these fixatives is "Commercial Dye Fixatives".
Before using Retayne or another cationic dye fixative, you should repeat the treatment which removed the visible dye (don't bother with the ironing, which will not set dye, but wash them with the Color Catchers as before). After you use the dye fixative, wash the cloths in cool water, to avoid stripping out the fixative, which can be happen if you wash it in hot water.
You can buy these dye fixatives by mail-order from any good dye supplier. You will probably not be able to find them in any stores in your area, though a good quilting supply shop should carry them. If you don't have a good quilting supply shop in your area, mail-order Retayne, Dharma Dye Fixative, or Jacquard iDye Fixative from Dharma Trading Company in California, or Retayne from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachussetts, or Raycafix from G&S Dye in Toronto or Fixatol P from Fibrecrafts in the UK (or see the advertisement at left for mail-ordering Retayne from Joann.com Fabrics).
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I have a chartreuse linen dress that I want to dye white
Name: Penny
Message: Hi Paula
I have a chartreuse linen dress that I want to dye white. Can you please confirm this can be done and what is the best product to use? Thank you!
Message: Hi Paula
I have a chartreuse linen dress that I want to dye white. Can you please confirm this can be done and what is the best product to use? Thank you!
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Hi Penny,
No, really you cannot dye anything white. Because all dyes are transparent, the original color invariably shows through. Changing the color to white another way might be possible, though.
You may or may not be able to remove the dye that is responsible for the dress's green color. It is impossible to predict, since we don't know what dye the manufacturer used. I recommend that you try using Rit Color Remover, probably two boxes at once depending on the size of your washing machine, with the hottest water available. (I recommend this only if your dress is washable; if it is marked "dry clean only", it might not survive treatment.) An equally good product is Jcquard Color Remover; if you can't find either of these, look for Tintex Color Remover
,
Dylon Run away for Whites, or Carbona Color Run
Remover. (See "What
chemicals can be used to remove dye?".)Boiling water on the stove will work better with Rit Color Remover than the hot tap water in a washing machine, but it's unlikely that you have a non-aluminum cooking pot large enough for your dress to move in freely, while immersed in the Rit Color Remover plus water, so that is impractical. Do not use an aluminum cooking pot with Rit Color Remover, because the high pH will react with the aluminum. You can use a stainless steel or enamel pot of at least twelve quarts' volume.
Since your dress is made of linen, you can alternatively try chlorine bleach in the washing machine. The hypochlorite in chlorine bleach will damage synthetic fibers, but it is usually safe for plant fibers such as cotton or linen. Some dyes will respond better to chlorine bleach than to Rit Color Remover, while some will be the other way around; some will respond well to both, and some will stubbornly retain their color no matter what you treat them with. If you try both Rit Color Remover and chlorine bleach, be sure to wash thoroughly between the two treatments; do not mix them.
Sometimes a dye will respond to Rit Color Remover or chlorine bleach by changing to a different color than white; you might end up with a beige, or an odd dull yellow. Other times you might get white, or no change at all. There's no way to know which color this dress will turn until you try it. After you remove the dye, if you don't like the color, you can always try dyeing the dress. For dyeing a linen dress, I recommend using a washing machine along with a fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye or, if you are in Europe or Australia, Dylon Machine Dye. I do not recommend the use of all-purpose dyes such as Rit or Tintex on linen.
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
dyed towels now bleed on everything when wet
Name: Jackie
Message: I have dyed towels that were light beige to dark brown &
now they bleed when wet on
everything
What kind of dye did you use? Was it Rit dye, Dylon, Procion, or what? Also, what is the fiber content of the towels? If you answer these questions I can tell you what went wrong and how to fix it.
Paula, the towels are 91% cotton 9% poly. The dye I used was iDye from Jacquard. I used hot water to dye them and the packet dissolves in the machine. Thanks Jackie
There's the problem. iDye for natural fibers is a group of direct dyes, a class of dyes that is known for poor washfastness. This dye does not form a permanent tight chemical bond with the fiber in the towels, the way a fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye will; instead, it forms a looser association and does tend to bleed.
Fortunately, there is a good solution to your problem. If you mail-order a cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne, Dharma Dye Fixative, or Raycafix, you can use this to set the dye in place. The makers of iDye have come out with another brand of this product, which is called Jacquard iDye Fixative; this should work well, too. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for whichever one of these fixatives you buy. Any good dye supplier, such as PRO Chemical & Dye or Dharma Trading Company, should carry at least one of these cationic dye fixatives. See my page on Commercial Dye Fixatives. Be sure to wash the towels afterwards only in cool water, with similar colors.
What will NOT work to set the dye in your towels would be any home remedy such as vinegar, salt, or soda ash; none of these household chemicals are able to set your direct dyes.
If you'd rather not bother with the mail-order dye fixatives, just wash the towels in very hot water a couple of times; this will remove much of the excess dye, which will solve most of the bleeding problem but at the same time cause some fading of the dye color.
91% cotton towels should dye well, as only the 9% of the fiber content which is polyester will fail to take the dye. If you choose to dye towels again in the future, or anything else made of a plant fiber such as cotton, bamboo, rayon, or linen, I strongly recommend that you skip the iDye and go straight to a more washfast dye. All fiber reactive dyes are highly superior in their washfastness, much better than any direct dye. You can buy Procion dye wherever you purchased the iDye; it is easier to use, since it is set with soda ash rather than heat, and it will stay bright years longer. Towels that have been dyed with Procion dyes are safe to wash in hot water with white clothing without any dye transfer at all (once the initial excess dye has been removed).
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What kind of dye did you use? Was it Rit dye, Dylon, Procion, or what? Also, what is the fiber content of the towels? If you answer these questions I can tell you what went wrong and how to fix it.
Paula, the towels are 91% cotton 9% poly. The dye I used was iDye from Jacquard. I used hot water to dye them and the packet dissolves in the machine. Thanks Jackie
There's the problem. iDye for natural fibers is a group of direct dyes, a class of dyes that is known for poor washfastness. This dye does not form a permanent tight chemical bond with the fiber in the towels, the way a fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye will; instead, it forms a looser association and does tend to bleed.
Fortunately, there is a good solution to your problem. If you mail-order a cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne, Dharma Dye Fixative, or Raycafix, you can use this to set the dye in place. The makers of iDye have come out with another brand of this product, which is called Jacquard iDye Fixative; this should work well, too. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for whichever one of these fixatives you buy. Any good dye supplier, such as PRO Chemical & Dye or Dharma Trading Company, should carry at least one of these cationic dye fixatives. See my page on Commercial Dye Fixatives. Be sure to wash the towels afterwards only in cool water, with similar colors.
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What will NOT work to set the dye in your towels would be any home remedy such as vinegar, salt, or soda ash; none of these household chemicals are able to set your direct dyes.
If you'd rather not bother with the mail-order dye fixatives, just wash the towels in very hot water a couple of times; this will remove much of the excess dye, which will solve most of the bleeding problem but at the same time cause some fading of the dye color.
91% cotton towels should dye well, as only the 9% of the fiber content which is polyester will fail to take the dye. If you choose to dye towels again in the future, or anything else made of a plant fiber such as cotton, bamboo, rayon, or linen, I strongly recommend that you skip the iDye and go straight to a more washfast dye. All fiber reactive dyes are highly superior in their washfastness, much better than any direct dye. You can buy Procion dye wherever you purchased the iDye; it is easier to use, since it is set with soda ash rather than heat, and it will stay bright years longer. Towels that have been dyed with Procion dyes are safe to wash in hot water with white clothing without any dye transfer at all (once the initial excess dye has been removed).
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Monday, July 06, 2009
What would happen if I tried to dye something that ISN'T white already?
Name: Vivianne
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Message: What would happen if I tried to dye something that ISN'T white already? Would the colors mix? For example if I had a yellow jacket and I tried to die it blue, would the color just end up green?
Yes, that is exactly what will happen. All dye is transparent; this means that the original color will invariably show through the added color.
If your jacket is yellow, your choices of colors to dye it are limited by the current color. Yellow garments are easily dyed green, orange, red, or black (assuming that they are washable, made of a dyeable fiber, and not treated to make them water resistant or stain resistant). If the original color is pale and you select a very dark color, the effects of the original color will be less. You can dye a pale yellow item to a dark navy blue, for example; the slight greenish tint supplied by the yellow will be less noticeable than with brighter or lighter dye colors.
An alternative is to attempt to remove some or all of the original color before dyeing. This sometimes works well, and sometimes poorly or not at all; since you can't know what dyes the manufacturer used, it is impossible to predict how well it will work. You just have to try it. If you try chlorine (household) bleach, which contains hypochlorite as its active ingredient, use it only on 100% plant fibers, such as 100% cotton or 100% hemp; do not use it on any synthetic fiber, such as nylon, polyester, or spandex, because hypochlorite will permanently damage these fibers. Safer alternative are sodium hydrosulfite, which is found in Rit Color Remover, or thiourea dioxide, which is found in Jacquard Color Remover; they can be used, with care, on either natural or synthetic fibers. (See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".)
Be sure to wash the garment thoroughly after color removal before dyeing. If you use bleach, use a bleach-stopping chemical such as Anti-Chlor or hydrogen peroxide to stop damage to the fabric you have bleached. (See "How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?".) There is no need for a bleach stopping agent for Rit or Jacquard Color Remover, just washing and exposure to air.
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