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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Tips & Tricks A new Dye Thread

Discussion in 'Costuming and Props' started by GentleBant, Apr 8, 2002.

  1. Obi-Dawn Kenobi

    Obi-Dawn Kenobi Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Oh kay_dee, I'm so sorry to hear your grandfather has fallen ill again. You have my best wishes.
     
  2. surlygirlie

    surlygirlie Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2000
    kay_dee, I echo Dawn's sentiments -- I shall be thinking of you, and I'm so sorry you have to go through this.


     
  3. stacey

    stacey Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 4, 2005
    I love your costume translation from film to fabrication. You must have had so much fun even through the trails and tribulations of getting it constructed. I am sorry to hear the statement of your grandfather

    stacey
     
  4. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Thanks Dawn Surly and Stacey :) Not to get too far OT - I'm home for just 15 mintues picking up more clothes so I can spend an extended weekend with my family in Fresno. Lots of crying yesterday - but grandpa seems to understand that dialisis isn't helping his overall health, so we decided to discontinue treatment. He seems to understand that without dialisis he has just a few days to live :(

    Stacey - I did have fun making my picinic costume the first time! I decided to do an upgrade with silk, and I'm pretty sure I can get the fabric color to a point where I'll be happy with it. That's what color remover and overdying is all about right?

    - Kay Dee

     
  5. Obi-Dawn Kenobi

    Obi-Dawn Kenobi Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    We'll be thinking of you kay_dee.
     
  6. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    Thanks so much, kay_dee! :)
     
  7. ThePariah

    ThePariah Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2003
    You and your grandfather will be in my prayers, kay_dee. @};-


    I had a question: is Rit Color Remover only meant to be used on garments that were just dyed and need to be redone? I have a pair of newly bought, medium brown cotton pants that need to be faded a couple shades lighter...
     
  8. surlygirlie

    surlygirlie Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2000
    RIT color remover can be used on regular "factory dyed" garments as well.

    I have mixed luck with controlling the degree of fade I get with it, but that's usually because I get distracted and forget to keep a close eye on the process. :p
    One garment did bleed so quickly that by the time I exclaimed "Oh! It's getting too light!" and pulled it out, it had already lost more color than I had wanted.
    That was a one-time case, though, and it's never happened to me again.

     
  9. ThePariah

    ThePariah Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2003
    Thanks, sg! :D

    Well, if that stuff needs a washing machine to get done, I sure as heck won't use my dorm machines--their doors lock for the whole wash cycle after a couple of minutes! :eek:
     
  10. surlygirlie

    surlygirlie Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2000
    You can always use a tub of water and just keep stirring it constantly to mimic the motion of the washing machine -- I actually find this to be more successful for getting the color I want, as I'm forced to be mindful of the whole process, rather than being able to run around doing other things while I dye/undye.


     
  11. Darth_Eagle

    Darth_Eagle Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2001
    A question related to the Pot I used for Stove-Top Dylon Multi-Purpose Dye Jobs (pardone me if it already had been answered):

    I'm using a 38cm Diametre Stainless Steel Pot and as a result of trying to "save" money, I left the Dylon Pewter Grey Dye in the pot for several weeks after doing a little test dye for my LOTR Elven Archer Cloak. The day before, I gotten rid of the dye and there is now a little bluish ring on the pot wall where the water level was, even after scrubbing it with soap. It's not much of a concern to me yesterday when I did a dye job for my Anime Costume since it's blue too but I'm worried that the bluish ring may affect my next dye job should it be of other colors like Grey or Green or Red.

    So any remedy to get rid of that color ring?
     
  12. SWCostumer

    SWCostumer Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2005
    Hi,

    I have been dying fabrics and feathers for quite a few years now and discovered this forum, so I'll put in my 2 cents.

    first: Darth-Eagle: Use a steel wool pad to scrub out the dye ring. But depending on the type of dye you are using, you might want to change to an enameled pot which is not fiber reactive. Some metals can leech out and react with the dye to give you a different color than you intended.

    Just a general rule of thumb: For animal protein items (silk, wool, feathers), use an acid dye whose setting agent is vinegar. For plant protein items (cottons) use procion dyes whose setting agent is soda ash. Rit dye has no setting agent and if you are persistant with it (and use darker colors than needed) it will dye polyester.

    For those of you dying silk, this past year I dyed over 100 yds of various types of silk all in my washing machine or on the stove top and it was done with just below boiling temp water and dried on high heat in the dryer. There is some shrinkage but it all came out wonderful.

    I saw Dharma's pigment dye system mentioned. I have used this to paint fairly large pieces. Once it is dry and put into the dryer to set, the silk softens right back up (unlike acrylic paints). It is a bit tricky to use (I only bought black, white and the three primary colors) and very messy as it needs to be done on damp cloth and then you are adding more wet to the fabric. My largest pieces were done outside in my driveway (which is still stained).

    I have just overdyed a cotton twill that came as light grey to get olive green because I could not find the right color for my Imperial officer's uniform.

    Good luck to all of you with your dying and hope to see some of you at CIII
     
  13. Darth_Eagle

    Darth_Eagle Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2001
    >> But depending on the type of dye you are using, you might want to change to an enameled pot which is not fiber reactive. Some metals can leech out and react with the dye to give you a different color than you intended.

    Thanks for the advice :) but actually, that is impossible as Enameled/Clay pot that is BIG enough is difficult to get here. My 38cm diametre pot is already TOO big for my stove (and a little too small for my dye job to comfortably allow proper stiring)and how much I love to get an even bigger one or use one of the huge Handleless Pots/Periuk I got at home, it will mean getting a stand-alone Gas stove like the one my family used to own. Well, no space to put that stove, too ex. and with a dye job of once in a couple of months, it's not a good investment. :(
     
  14. SWCostumer

    SWCostumer Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2005
    Eagle- Your 38cm pot is just as large as my main stovetop pot. The type of enameled pot I am talking about is a metal pot that has been enameled and its main purpose is for canning. Any fabric that is too big to fit into the pot, goes into the washing machine.

    Have fun dying
     
  15. ObeyTheFist

    ObeyTheFist Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2004
    okay, i have not used rit dye for years and then it was only dying string for rosaries.

    I am tyring to figure out a way to make a dress with cheesecloth with accents of purple and the main colour being black.

    If I dye it purple and then braid it and redye it black will it work? I don't want a tie dye look, I want it to look like cracks of purple coming thru the black...
     
  16. surlygirlie

    surlygirlie Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2000
    I would worry that braiding might create the tie-dye look you're trying to avoid (though it's certainly worth trying a test piece out if you have cloth to spare).

    Other techniques that might give you the effect you want are using resists and batik.


     
  17. ObeyTheFist

    ObeyTheFist Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2004
    the batik looks like the best bet. I think I will try a trial run of the braiding though... since it will be cheewcloth I will be using 3 different layers for the different parts of the braids.

    like i said just a trail run to see how it will look in the end.
     
  18. MiraxTHorn

    MiraxTHorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2000
    Ok, it's D-Day for me. Please say a prayer that I did all my calculations correctly and that it all goes smoothly!

    Regards,
    M.
     
  19. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Good luck Mirax! And trust your eye ;) I think my re-dye day will be Sunday! (I removed the color from my silk fabric the other week so I could start all over - oh joy)

    - Kay Dee
     
  20. MiraxTHorn

    MiraxTHorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2000
    I was going to ask if you had re-done yours yet, kay-dee. Good luck to you tomorrow!

    I'm done. I THINK it all went as planned, but I won't know for certain until the fabric is dry. :) I'll post pics soon.

    Regards,
    M.
     
  21. ObeyTheFist

    ObeyTheFist Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2004
    question about dying a fabric black.

    I went yesturday and did the washing machine dying for the rit dye and tried to dye some all natural fabric black. It came out purple instead. Any tips on dying fabric black?

    Should I do it over the stove instead and just let it soak for a few hours?
     
  22. Darth_Eagle

    Darth_Eagle Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2001
    Okay, from the little experience I have on dyeing, the first thing that must be considered is the type of material and the original color of the fabric. It must be pure white (original or color removed till pure white) with 100% natural fibres (Cotton, Linen, Silk) and doesn't have any finishing on it. That's why it's very important to wash the fabric first before dyeing.

    Then again, with today's materials, we can't be too sure the dye job will work or the fabric is 100% pure natural fibres. The other day I was trying to redye my 100% Cotton Black (turned dull black) T-Shirt Black again and it turned out only a slight tint darker even tho' I used Dylon Stove Top Dye. :(
     
  23. JainaMSolo

    JainaMSolo Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2001
    RIT black, as far as I'm aware, really won't get a fabric all the way black. You need one of the nicer dyes, like from Dharma Trading, but I'm not really familiar with their stuff.

    Caitlin
     
  24. ObeyTheFist

    ObeyTheFist Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2004
    thank you! Glad I get paid tomorrow so I can order it... thank you again
     
  25. SWCostumer

    SWCostumer Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2005
    Dharma trading has more than one shade of black as most blacks tend towards either red, blue or green. Dharma also does have a true black. Go to there web site for more info. www.dharmatrading.com

    Good luck