im working on dying a batch of materials using black RIT dye. all the materials seem to be taking the dye(im not finished yet though) except for the deer hair. im using natural colored body hair still on the hide, and even the hide is taking the dye but not the deer hair. i followed the directions on he box exactly, and its working for everything but the deer hair. any suggestions on what im doing wrong?
You need to use the white belly hair or bleach the natural color hair first before dying.
Don’t let it come to a boil… the hair will become brittle and break
Suggest you use hair dye for human hair. You can get it in a beautician supply shop. You can get a kit or buy the dye and developer separately. Follow directions on package and use sparingly. A little goes a long way. As far as dyeing to get black, you do not need to use white belly hair. Also, using too hot of a bath dye will leave you with a hardened skin and possibly damaged hair but you’ve probably already noticed this.
Deezel
I’ve used the Rit… it works fine
What do you mean by it’s not working ?
Put aprox. 1 to 1 and 1/2 gal of water in your pot. Get temp to about 14o to 150 degrees and keep it there. Once water temp has reached that temp. put in your dye. I mix the dye separately first and then put the solution into the hot water. Once stirred in, put the hair in and stir it regularly for about 45 minutes. I have kept some inb for about two hours to get the color I wanted. Onc3e the color is where you want it, take it out and rinse it thoroughly and then rinse it again. Place it out to dry.
Make sure you have cleaned the hair very good with Dawn or equal, it make for a better job.
DDR:
DEER HAIR is the hardest material to dye BLACK successfully. I have dyed materials of all types in all shades but the only foolproof method I have found to get a deep rich “store bought” shade of black without cooking the skin to death is…
…buy it at the fly shop.
That’s what I have been doing for years ever since I decided it wasn’t worth the cost, aggravation, brittle skin & fragile hair.
The other colors are easy but once you give up on black…
…you’ll never go back!
DDR,
I’m with Bamboozle.
Black is too much trouble, and deer hair is cheap.
It only took ruining about 1,000 sq. inches for me to reach this obvious conclusion, not to mention all the wasted cash on dyes and the ruined clothing and the shocked children and old ladies…(I know it’s difficult to believe, but I have been known,in the past, to use bad words when frustrated)…
Life’s too short to dye black (deer hair, that is).
Buddy
I have dabbled in dying natural materials for 15 years or so. Black is the one color I won’t do. I only know how to use hot dye methods. Rit or Venyard. Black takes more heat, time, dye and vinegar. All can be bad for the material.
Some may suggest dye it orange first. I haven’t tried this.
Black is just too hard for me to achieve.
Sorry I couldn’t be of help.
The guys that use cold water methods may have a much better handle on getting black than I do.
Bob