Anyone ever dyed Merino wool?

[PowDuck]

I've fallen deeply in love with merino wool base layers since I got a couple of sets this year. UA will likely get sold. I also have a merino wool Patagonia sweater, 1/4 zip with tall collar, that I wear as a mid layer a lot. Problem is, it's a lighter shade of brown than I really like. I feel that it's too light to wear as my outer layer.

Has anyone ever dyed their merino wool? I'm thinking a darker brown (it's light tan now) that would blend more with tree trunks, etc. If so what type of dye and what procedure did you use? AND were you successful?

[D.J. Carr]

I died a wool sweater. It wasn't merino wool but it was 100% wool.  I used RIT Dye. There website has directions on dying wool.  The sweater was aqua with purple design ($2 at thrift store). I tried dying it a dark brown.  The end result was a very dark green sweater with almost black design.  Not what I was trying for, but good enough.  I left mine in the dye for the max time suggested, 1 hr with stirring every 10 minutes or so.  You need to use hot water to dye it, therefore it it is important to "stretch" the garment out after dying.  I think since you are using a light color with no design you are more likely to get your desired color.

[Sarah]

I've also dyed merino wool with RIT dye. Worked great. You don't have to leave it in the dye bath for the max time, just until the fabric is the desired color (keep in mind it is wet in the dye bath so the color will be lighter once dry). If the garment has any stitching that is synthetic, the stitches won't take the dye. You could even use a tie-dye technique for a more camouflaged effect.

[johnnyk71]

you might consider leaving it tan, and adding a pattern similar to ASAT with black and brown stripes in front.

I actually did this with an old ASAT leafy suit that had faded after many years. I used black and brown Sharpie markers. it worked really well for darkening back up the black and brown, and after washing it, there was no Sharpie smell at all. it did take a good while to color it all in though, haha!

[hickstick]

here are 2 pairs of OD swedish military surplus wool pants....one on left is 'tie' dyed with black rit and also their color remover to lighten patches.  the pair on the right was done with fabric spray paint.
 

heres the same photo in black n white:
 

[Mojostick]

If you dye wool, there's a few steps you need to do to avoid shrinkage.

I use a 5 gallon bucket or you can use a new plastic trash can. You can use hot water to dilute the dye, like a gallon of hot water, but then dump a bag of ice in, so the water is cold. Then add more cold water as needed. You must make sure the water is cold if you want to avoid any shrinkage.

Do not put the garment in dry. Soak the garment in ice cold water first, you'll get a more uniform dye job when the garment is first fully soaked in cold water.

I suggest waiting for warmer weather, so you can let the garment drip dry in the sun on a folding chair or something you don't care about getting dye on. I like to rotate the garment and hand squeeze out any ends where water "pools up", to avoid those ends being a bit different color.

After it is dry, I re-soak the garment in clean, cold water, to remove any residual dye. If you don't, the residual dye will come out the first time you're hunting in any rain. I then repeat the step of drip drying on a chair, on a nice warm day.

Some of the browns can turn out a little pinkish, if done on already tan/brown wool. I've had great luck turning wool into a rusty brown color, by mixing in Rit Tangerine and Cocoa Brown.

I also suggest rubber gloves when putting hands in the water. For karma, I use an aluminum arrow to move the garment around in the dye water.

Here's a couple really good recipes for colors. Keep in mind, the pre-dye color of the garment will dictate a lot of what you can do.

 http://www.steinlaufandstoller.com/fabric%20dye%20custom%20colors.htm

 http://www.ritdye.com/frequently-asked-questions#colors

[PowDuck]

Looks like the consensus is Rit dye. I'll post up some pics when I get the nerve up to actually do it.

Thanks, guys!