Can anyone explain why we can’t get dyed materials that don’t bleed.
My greatest problem is with marabou, especially the black.
I’ve been told that the problem with the black is that there is no black dye and that it really is very dark,intense, purple. I know that with some clothing colors you are warned to wash new items separately at first. These are nothing like the marabou however. Is there no way producers can “fix” the dye ? :?
Hi Ray,
What you describe is what drove me to do all my own dying. The colors (even black) can be fixed so they don’t bleed or come off on your fingers.
It’s a simple fix; a. Degrease all materials to be dyed in a weak solution of liquid dish soap and warm water for at least 24 hours. b. Dye darker than you need with a half cup of white venegar in the dye bath as the acid fixer. c. wash the dyed material in a gentle mixture of liquid dish soap and warm water to remove all the dye particles that didn’t penetrate the material but cling to the outside. (This is the stuff that turns your fingers black) These are some extra steps that make dying fly tying materials more expensive for those comanies that do it. I have a book you may want to look at called, “Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying Materials” pub. Lyons Press. Be sure to find the 2nd edition.
Good luck,
A. K. Best
If you don’t want to go through the routine of hot water dye baths, you can go to a beautician supply store and buy the cheapest Black Hair Dye and a bottle of 20% Developer. A ratio of about 1 teaspoon dye to 3 tablespoons of developer should be about right. Mix and then work the solution into the material. Allow time for material to change color, probably 1/2 hour, then rinse and air dry. Do not throw dye out because if the material is not dark enough just reapply dye to material. I find this is often better than a hot dye bath, especially with feathers and non-bright colors.
Deezel
i hate it when black marabou bleeds! once ruined a pocket of my vest where i stuck a leech that was tied with black marabou it started raining and the black marabou bleeded all over the pocket!!!
hijack?? :lol: