Archives for March, 2013

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Is it possible to presoak the T-shirts in the Soda Ash, wring it out and let the shirts dry, before tie dyeing later?

Name: Sue

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Jacquard Soda Ash

Soda ash, or sodium carbonate, is the dye fixer used with Procion MX dyes. Procion dyes with soda ash create a strong permanent chemical bond with the cotton, so they simply do not wash out. Soda ash will not work with all-purpose dye such as Rit.

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Jacquard Tie Dye Kit

Dye up to 15 adult-size T-shirts, with vivid, electric colors that are so colorfast they can be washed with the daily laundry. Procion MX Fiber Reactive Dyes are already pre-measured for you in squeeze bottles. Just add water. Use on non-synthetic fabric.

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Country or region: Minnesota

Message: I teach a group of students with behavioral issues, which means, for art, what they say they will do one day, they won't the next, then decide they'll do it two days later. Several have had great interest and success in tie dyeing. Is it possible to presoak the T-shirts in the Soda Ash, wring it out and let the shirts dry, then dampen them before tie dyeing at a later time? Or does it lose its chemical properties. I have prepared Soda Ash for 7-8 shirts and then only 3 students will participate, only to have others decide they'd like to do this a few days later. This is the nature of their approach to anything - either want it done yesterday or have to warm up to an idea. Although Soda Ash is not expensive I do have a limited budget. I appreciate your input as my internet search did not zero in on this question.

There's no problem with saving 100% cotton shirts that have been treated with soda ash. In fact, many tie-dye artists prefer to soak their fabric or clothing in soda ash, then line-dry them so that the soda ash remains in the fabric, ready to react with the dye. Because of the reduced amount of liquid present when the dyes are applied, the effects can turn out to be a little more intense. You don't have to re-dampen the shirts before applying dye, because the dye mixture itself has plenty of water in it; if you do dampen the shirts, you'll probably want to just mist the shirts lightly with a spray bottle. It can be a little harder to get the dye to absorb into the dry soda-soaked cotton instead of rolling off, so it may be necessary to apply the dye a more slowly, but this is made up for, for the dyers who prefer it, by extra-intense colors. (Never use machine-drying for preparing dry soda-soaked shirts, because the high pH of the soda ash makes the soda-soaked cotton more inclined to catch fire in a hot dryer; there's no problem with the dryer, by the way, once the soda ash has been rinsed out.)

The problem is that handling the dry soda-soaked shirts can cause irritation to the hands, if gloves are not worn, and some people are sensitive enough to the irritating high pH of the soda ash that they can develop a respiratory irritation if they spend too much time working with the soda-soaked fabric. Make sure that anyone who is tying pre-soda-treated fabric wears gloves, and possibly a dust mask, as well. Be alert for coughing as a sign of irritation from the soda ash.

I do not like to have children tie soda-soaked fabric (I don't like to do it myself, because the fingers of the gloves always get caught in the string or rubber bands), so I prefer for them to tie their shirts before soaking. They can tie clean dry shirts, or, if they want a little more control, they can tie shirts that are dampened with plain water. After the shirts have been tied, they can be dropped into the bucket of soda ash solution to soak, even if they are damp to start out with. It's unlikely to do any harm to 100% cotton shirts for you to just leave the shirts in the bucket for days, if the person who puts them in gets distracted. You can also remove the soaked shirts, gently squeezing out extra soda ash solution with gloved hands, then set them aside in plastic bags. While ordinary damp laundry that is left wet for several days will get moldy, the soda ash should prevent anything like mold from growing, even if you leave it for a week or more. Some dyers tie their shirts, then soak in soda ash, then leave the shirts out to dry for many days before applying dye to them. As is obvious, a tied soaked shirt will take much longer to dry than a soda-soaked shirt that is hung out on a line.

It's worth noting that the soda ash in the bucket will never go bad. One cup of soda ash in a gallon of water is not going to let anything grow in it, and soda ash does not tend to break down chemically into anything else. (In fact, baking soda will break down eventually to form soda ash.) You can save and reuse soda ash solutions indefinitely, until they are all used up. Let me warn you, however, about your choice of storage container. A bucket will be fine, as long as it doesn't get tipped over and nothing falls into it (including rain). Do not store the soda ash solution in plastic milk jugs! Plastic milk jugs are exceptionally flimsy, and are apt to get holes in them after a time, so that the soda ash solution leaks out. This is an inconvenience you do not need. If you have some empty jugs that once held vinegar, those are much thicker and will work fine indefinitely. Just make sure, whatever container you use, that its walls are thicker and stiffer than a gallon milk jug. There is no need to refrigerate saved soda ash solution.

If you are saving pre-tied shirts for some time, or if several people are dyeing at once, you will want a good way to label the shirts so that you know which one belongs to which person. Tyvek envelopes can be cut up to make tags that you tie onto the shirts. Obviously, though, pen marks may dissolve during the soda ash soaking, especially if it turns out to be extended for several days. I recommend using a hole punch or scissors to make codes on the Tyvek tags, keeping a record of what code each person uses. Don't use metal pins that may rust to attach them.

The tie-dye dyes will go bad after a while, once they have been mixed with water. If even one drop of soda ash gets into a bottle of dye mixture (as can happen when the nozzle is inserted deep within a fold, or if someone uses a paintbrush to repeatedly apply dye mixture to soda-treated fabric), the dye will go bad within hours. If no soda ash gets into the dissolved dye, then it will last for a couple of weeks or even longer, gradually getting weaker with time, although the dye mixture appears just as dark in the bottle even after it's gotten weak. If your students do dye painting on soda-soaked and dried shirts, you will want to pour out just enough dye for each one to use in an hour or less, saving the rest of the dye mixture you have dissolved so that it will still be good later in the week. The dye mixtures will stay good several times longer if they are refrigerated, even up to two or three months if 100% repeatable colors are not a priority, but there must be some way to make certain that no one will confuse dye mixtures in the refrigerator with drinks, such as a refrigerator that is not used at all for food, or a cardboard box that is taped shut with the bottles inside it. The dyes are not very toxic and won't kill someone who drinks them, but obviously they are not safe to drink, all the same; many dyes and colorings that have not been tested for safety in food could possibly increase the risk of cancer in someone who consumes them.

I hope this information will save you some trouble and maybe even a little supply money in working with your students.

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Friday, March 22, 2013

Can I restore the color of a bleach-stained foam mattress?

Name: Karen

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Kiss-Off is your on-the-spot stain remover. Keep one at home, in the car, at the office. A must for travel. Kiss-Off Stain Remover takes out oil paint (wet or dry), makeup, wine, blood, grass stain, grease, copy machine stains, and mystery spots.

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Country or region: Northwest

Message: I have a question that is related to the FAQ on dying porous foam, but my situation is somewhat different. I have an all-foam mattress that I would like to restore to its original color. The mattress is new, but part of it was discolored when I sprayed a bleach product on it. The foam was originally white and the bleach caused the sprayed areas to turn purple and yellow. Do you know if and how I can remove the stains and restore the original foam color?I have called professional cleaners but they have never dealt with this type of issue. I am hoping that your knowledge of dyeing and different materials could help to shed some light on this problem.

I'm sorry to say that I do not believe that dyeing can solve the problem of your discolored foam. Discoloration in synthetic materials that is produced by chlorine bleach is almost invariably permanent. I don't know of any product or material that can remove the stains from bleach-damaged foam. Your best bet, if possible, would be to place a fabric cover on the mattress to conceal the stains.

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batiking premium cotton makes wax removal very difficult

Hi Paula,

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Jacquard Batik Wax

This product is a specially formulated 50/50 blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes. Professional quality produces the distinctive crackle effect for traditional batik.

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Tjanting tools
for wax application

These tools are for applying wax in fine lines. Hot wax is poured into the opening. It then flows through the needle spout. You can tip the tool forward to start the wax flow, and tip it back to stop it. Tjanting Tools come in 3 different sizes.

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cool water dyes will not melt your wax

Procion dyes are permanent, colorfast, and very washable. You can easily create a palette of brilliant colors ranging from light pastels to deep, vibrant hues. Perfect for natural plant fibers - cotton, linen, paper, reeds, and wood.

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and help support this web site

I read your suggestion to use Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap in boiling water to help successfully remove batik wax from fabric.

I have learned that batiking premium cotton makes wax removal very difficult, and that bees wax tends to cling more stubbornly than paraffin. That said, I have eight lovely batik napkins that I cannot clean. The wax looks like a background shadow behind the batiked imprints. I have ironed, boiled, ironed again and boiled twice more.

How much soap per gallon should I use in the water per gallon (to try one last time to rescue my napkins?

Thank you!

Hopeful--Kathy

Hi Kathy,

When you boiled the wax out, did you let the fabric stay in the bottom of the pot (weighted down if necessary) while the water cooled enough for the wax on top to solidify? This has always seemed to me to be a key. If you lift the fabric out through the layer of liquid wax, the wax gets into the fabric again.

With the liquid Castile soap, such as Dr Bronner's, I just added a good-sized squirt from the bottle, probably between a teaspoon (5 ml) and a tablespoon (15 ml), to a gallon or two of water.

A good resource is ProChem's instructions for batik. [PDF] They say to use either a tablespoon or a teaspoon of either Synthrapol or grated Ivory bar soap; you can't really tell whether they mean a teaspoon or a tablespoon, because they say to use a tablespoon, which is 15 milliliters, but then they give the equivalent of this tablespoon as being only 5 milliliters, which is only a third as much as is in a tablespoon. I guess this implies that the exact concentration of soap or detergent is not critical.

Hi Paula,

Thanks for replying! I twice boiled the fabric and held it at. The bottom while it cooled completely.

I also rubbed ivory soap right on the offending wax. I then washed it in hot water and then boiled again. I'm wondering if there was too much beeswax and that the fabric is just too fine. I just can't seem to get the wax out of those tight fibers.

It may be that I have to give up on the napkins, and make them next time with quilter's Grade white cotton.

Thank you!
Kathy

Note....Some batikers recommend dry-cleaning to remove wax; unfortunately, this does not work at all with the dry-cleaners in my area, who insist there is no way to remove wax except by steaming. They return my garments to me clean except for still containing the original amount of hardened wax. There's one that will steam out the wax for $5 per garment.

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Name: Sherry

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Jacquard Tie Dye Kit

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Country or region: USA

Message: I am interested in using the "drip dyes" method. I am a machine knitter and would like to dye my cotton garments to resemble tie dye. When using this method how do I finish the garment out after i "batch" it? Do I wait one day to help set colors so they won't bleed together [I sell at craft shows] and then wash first in cold, once, then twice in the hottest water available, using Synthrapol in each wash, and end by double-rinsing as you state elsewhere. I'm just unsure how to finish off as I haven't used dyes much at all. Thank you, I appreciate your time on this matter.

Hi Sherry,

The one thing I am not quite sure of, from your email, is whether you are planning to use the correct dyes. You cannot use this method with all-purpose dyes, such as Rit. You do appear to have a good understanding of the method, if you are planning to use Procion type fiber reactive dyes. You can buy these dyes by mail-order in many different individual colors, or you can buy a good tie-dyeing kit. I particularly like the kits made by Jacquard Products, but most brands of tie-dye kits will work fine.

My mother, Jan Burch, is a machine knitter; she advises that your yarn, or garments you have made with the yarn, must be washed before you attempt to dye them. The yarn has been treated with some sort of silicone surface treatment, which may repel the dye, resulting in poor dye uptake or in unwanted splotches. Wash the garment as usual in warm water before you attempt to dye it.

It looks like you have an excellent idea of what is required for washing out the excess unattached dye after letting the dye react. Be sure the room where you do your "batching" (allowing the dye to react with the fiber) is warm enough for the dye reaction, at least seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The knitted yarn must remain at least slightly moist for the dye reaction to occur, either by covering it with plastic, or by including urea (a humectant) in your dye mixtures.

To be sure whether you have washed out all of the excess dye, you can do a hot press test. See my page, "How can I test whether the dye will run?".

Since your yarn is made of cotton, you can finish your garments, after the washing process is complete, simply by ironing, to get them shaped right, instead of having to use a steamer as you would with some yarns, such as acrylic, so there's no problem with doing a hot press test on your knitted garments.

Paula

Thank you so much, Paula for getting back to me on this.
Actually, I think I lost myself on the finish process. Is this how I do it:
1. Batch the piece.
2. wait one day to set colors
3. wash in cold water
4. wash in hot water, twice with Synthrapol...BUT is the rinsing in warm or cold??
5. now do a double rinse in...cold?? I will be giving this a try in a month or so, I have too many projects going on at the moment, but, am very excited about trying this out. I've also, been thinking of trying the method where you dropped out dye on the kids T's. I'll be experimenting for sure.! Ha! A lot of fun ahead. Have a great day and thank you, again for your time. I appreciate your help and please tell you Mother thank you for her input on this. ;-)
Sherry

The timeline for dyeing cotton with Procion MX dye is just as you wrote, but maybe it is not clear why.

For the dye to react with the fiber, you need to apply both the Procion dye and the soda ash fixative at the same time (either putting the dye on first and the soda ash second, or putting the soda ash first and the dye second). The soda ash activates the cotton so it can react with the dye. Note that soda ash does not help all-purpose dye, such as Rit dye, fix to the yarn; you should avoid using all-purpose dyes. Fiber reactive dyes such as Procion MX perform much better and last many times longer.

It takes some time for all of the reactions between dye molecules and cotton molecules to take place, and the reactions need to be a certain temperature for it to work, so you set your yarn or garment aside, while it is still wet with the dye and soda ash. Leaving it overnight in a warm place (70 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer) allows time for the reaction to take place. This time is, obscurely, referred to as "batching", for reasons having to do with industrial dyeing techniques that need not concern us.

Once all of the dye reactions have occurred, which is to say, the next day (or the day after that if it is more convenient for you), you want to rinse out the soda ash and some of the dye, by washing once in cool water. Either room temperature or cold water is fine for this step. You don't need to use any detergent for this first wash, but it does not hurt to use Synthrapol. I like to throw the dyed material into the washing machine for this, but you can rinse in a bucket, with many changes of water, if you prefer.

Finally, you need to wash out all of the unattached excess dye. To do this, it works best to use really hot water, 140 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. Hotter is even better. Use a small amount of Synthrapol or other detergent, and repeat the hot water wash several times. No need to pay any attention to rinsing until you have done this washing two or three times. If the washing machine proceeds to a cold rinse before you are done with the hot washing, it won't do any good, but it also won't do any harm, aside from a minor waste of water.

After all of your washing is done, rinse to remove the Synthrapol or other detergent. The washing machine rinse is fine for this. It does not matter what temperature your rinse water is, since it is pretty easy to rinse out detergent. Cold, warm or hot will all do fine. If you can still smell the detergent after one rinse, do another one.

If you are not sure whether you have gotten out all of the unattached excess dye, do the hot press test that I linked to before. This test should be done for any yarn or fabric that is going to be sold, or used together in a multi-colored piece.

There are many fun dye application techniques that can be done with the above basic method. It's such an enjoyable thing to experiment with.

Paula

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Wednesday, March 06, 2013

I have dyed a pair of jeans with navy blue Dylon dye. What can I buy off the shelf or online to remove this colour ?

Name: Charlotte

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Country or region: England

Message: I have dyed a pair of jeans with navy blue Dylon dye and they have come out a dark navy, almost black. I should have researched this before dyeing the jeans as I now know you cannot keep the jean look using dylon dye. What can I buy off the shelf or online to remove this colour and maybe dye a different colour, i.e. dark grey, or simply fade the blue. I have read lots of reviews that Dylon pre dye does not work. Can you suggest anything else? I have looked at your links but cannot see anything available online or in the shops? Thank you in advance for your help.

The reducing-type color removers, such as Dylon Pre Dye, are not effective on indigo, the dye usually used in the commercial dyeing of blue denim for jeans. However, they're a good type of discharge agent for removing Dylon dye colors. They will usually work, though not always. There are many different brands, inn addition to Dylon Pre Dye, but all are pretty similar in their effects, if used with sufficiently hot water: Rit Color Remover, Jacquard Color Remover (based on a different chemical than Rit Color Remover), Tintex Color Remover. (See my page, "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?", and scroll down to "Reductive Discharges".) All require very hot water; all are kinder to synthetic fibers than bleach is. If you can't find Dylon Pre Dye or another of these reducing-type color removers in the local shops, you can order sodium hydrosulphate and sodium carbonate from Kemtex Educational supplies, in the UK; see my page, "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World".

If you want to remove some of the original color of the jeans, in addition to the Dylon dye you added, then ordinary household bleach, which contains sodium hypochlorite, is a good choice for 100% cotton. However, I recommend against using hypochlorite-containing bleach if your jeans contain any spandex, also known as Lycra or elastane. Hypochlorite bleach is highly damaging to spandex. Even for 100% cotton, you should be careful not to over-bleach, which may damage the cotton, and it's a good idea to neutralize the hypochlorite afterwards with Anti-Chlor, Bleach Stop, or hydrogen peroxide: see "How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?". (Neutralizing does not work to save spandex from bleach damage.)

Sulfur-based color removers, such as Dylon Pre Dye, will only temporarily appear to remove the original indigo dye, as they chemically reduce it, but the indigo then returns to its original color when exposed to air. This means that you won't be able to immediately judge by looking at it the effectiveness of color remover, including Dylon Pre Dye, if you try it on indigo jeans that have been overdyed with Dylon dye. It will look as though the indigo has turned yellow, but the indigo itself will be unchanged afterwards, back to its original blue color.

That doesn't mean that a sulfur-based color remover won't work well to remove your Dylon dye. That will probably work pretty well, though there's no guarantee. It might remove all of the Dylon dye, returning your jeans to their original color, or it may remove just some of it; if it removes some of the Dylon dye, the result may be a surprising color, such as pink or brown. At least some types of Dylon navy blue dye contain a mixture of black, blue, and red dye; if the black and the blue dye were to discharge better than the red, then you would be left with pink. It's worth trying in any case. It may restore your jeans to nearly their original color, or it may only yield a lighter color that is more suitable for dyeing over.

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Tuesday, March 05, 2013

I'm already dyeing fabric with MX dyes. Is the process the same for embroidery threads?

Name: Gail

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Country or region: Colorado

Message: I'm already dyeing fabric with MX dyes. Is the process the same for embroidery threads?

Assuming that your embroidery threads are made of 100% cotton, rayon, or silk, the process will be just the same as for dyeing cotton or silk fabric, aside from the care needed to prevent the thread from becoming a mass of tangles when you wash it. You can dye a solid color by immersing in a large volume of water, or dye multiple colors by painting dye on or by using tie-dyeing or low water immersion techniques.

It is essential that you know the true fiber content of your embroidery thread. If your thread is made of nylon, then you should use acid dye to color it. If your thread is made of polyester, then you should use disperse dyes, either by boiling them with the thread or by creating iron-ons transfers. Cotton, rayon, and silk can be dyed with Procion MX dyes with soda ash; silk can also be dyed with acid dyes. White DMC 6 Strand Cotton

embroidery floss dyes particularly well, because it is mercerized, so the dye can really penetrate the thread. Procion MX dye is an excellent choice for dyeing cotton embroidery floss.

For more information on dyeing without tangling, see my blog entry "How to Dye Silk Ribbon to Be Variegated In Color" (even if you're not dyeing ribbon and are not interested in variegation), dated April 12, 2008.

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