Dying Feathers :...Here some ideas I can pass on to you. First I like using
Veniards Fly Tying Dyes. One of the suppliers is " Stone River Outfitters'
that's the old Hunters Fly Shop. It's a strong acid
dye that takes well and doesn't fade out . These dyes from England were
design for fly tying .The fly shop also sell some dyed feathers of the color
you may be looking for , to reassure your ordering the right dye color.
Below you can use any type of dye you wish ,using the same method.
( 1 ) wash your feather in dish soap to remove oil and dirt and acts as a
wetting agent .
( 2 ) mix up your dye and add about a 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap.
I use a stainless or a white enamel pan for my dying ,choose one that
your never going to use for food again ..A wooded or stainless spoon for
mixing .
( 3 ) Select one or two feathers your dying for a test run and time it with
a clock. 2 - 5 - 10 -minutes etc.or more . ( A test run with a few samples
,saves ruining costly materials.)
Note : I don't believe in complete penetration of the dye in the
quill. My method is staining the hackle,not dying it.This is the reason for
the short time of soaking the hackle.
( 4 ) When you feel you achieve the right color , ( remember even in dry
flies you want to pick the color when wet.) Rinse the hackle samples in the
sink with cold water to remove the excess dye until
the rinse is clear of any dye.
( 5 ) Use the exhaust on your vacuum cleaner or hair dryer ( Use little or
no heat ,HEAT CAN COOK YOUR MATERIALS example :, let say a neck or saddle
hackle on a skin . You don't need fried
chicken and ruined feathers.) Same with deer hair etc. Loose
feathers can be dried in a women nylon leg stocking .
( 6 ) Again I believe in staining hackle and not using long periods of
dying. I don't like brittle quills that break easy with deep penetrating
dyes.In feathers with my staining process ,90 % of the inner quill is the
feather natural inner quill color.
Note : I hope this will help with the method I been using for over
thirty years for my personal use and it may be different then those in
commercial dying .
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Masson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 2:06 PM
Subject: [VFB] dying feather
good evening everyone:
I need to pick somebody brain about dying feather.I need some blue
feathersfor the nhl swap and i can't find them here in saint john. has
anyone dye feathers before and how dose a person do it?
thank for the help.
dave
