EASY Feathers Dyeing

[Bldtrailer]

Dyeing feathers NEED NOT                 It's not rocket science or even geology (my college major)

If you have cotton camo  and you don't want it to fade you can wash in warm water and add a 1-2cups of white vinger and it will help fix the color to the cotton

[Ed Q]

Awesome tip! I have some white feathers I'm wanting to try to color. I really like what you did with the 2nd to the right, the yellow with orange ends. How did you that? Did you first dye the whole thing yellow, let it dry, and then dipped the ends in red or orange?

And what color is the one on the far right? Looks like a burnt orange color. Did you have to mix kool aid colors to get that color?

[Bldtrailer]

the dye the feather in the lighter color first let dry then move to 3rd step in a cup heat and just soak the HALF you wanted dyed darker (tip I hold in place with cloths line clips/pins) pratice on one feather and when you get your color do a bunch (that flu flu was dyed ON the arrow gets the dye even on all the  feathers at once) I call those my flaming arrows

I almost forgot YES GIRLS          YOU CAN ALSO DYE HAIR THIS WAY(to match your bow/strings) and make those fur tracers to match your set-up. fly tyers do this all the time

[Bldtrailer]

colors are cherry/ blue rasberry/ cherry on top of lemon /and orange all koolaid (but any dye will do)  koolaid is neet you can buy the big container(with out suger) once you find your color and dye as you need them

[Bldtrailer]

Tip sand the dye off the quill before you glue to your arrow( or the dye will stick and the feather will not)

[Hot Hap]

If a girl tries this on her hair, I hope she doesn't use a microwave or stove burner.

Hap-tongue in cheek

[MAT]

Really?  This is the same method as an "acid" dye (minus the soap to wash out the oil).  Not sure what koolaid costs these days but for $5 I have enough acid dye for a lifetime.  So what was all the fuss about?

[Bldtrailer]

It's not about a life time supply It's about having fun          & you get a big smile.)There are many ways to get to the same place (this case great looking feathers) enjoy the ride, don't take things so seriously      

[Bud B.]

Thanks for the tip Tom. I have tried the koolaid dyeing before but with poor results. Your easy-to-follow steps helped clarify why.

Thanks again.

Bud

[Brandywine]

One caution:
Some dyes are strong and WILL discolor the vessel or porcelain stove top.  Learned this the hard way.  Don't get mom upset.  
Respectfully,
Kevin

[Brandywine]

Oops, an added experience:
Lady bought a large bag of white feathers at an outdoor, big-box store and told me that she was going to dye them with grape Cool-Aid?.  A few days later she wanted to return most of the feathers because her full sized white poodle invaded the bag, scattered the feathers and had a totally purple face that wouldn't wash clean.
This wasn't a joke.
Kevin

[Outrigger]

Originally posted by Bldtrailer:

Step 1  take 1st container add warm water and 2 drops of dish soap  add the feathers & agigate the water( you are removing the oils from the feather that will block the dye) soak 5 min

Step 2 move feathers to 2nd container  warm water 1-2 table spoons of vinger wait 5min

step 3 3rd container- heat the water (not to booling) add vinger 2 table spoons and YOUR DYE  add feathers heat/soak for 2min(longer if you want deeper color) The heat transfers the dye and the vinger(Acid) fixes it to the feather(protein) Rinse in cold water. you may need more than 1 pack I used 3($.20 a pack)
Let dry flat [IMG]

I would like to give this a try, but need a little more info. How much water should I use in the mixture with the 1-2 table spoons of vinegar?

[Mike Vines]

Thank You.

[b.glass]

Thank you. Well written instructions. Easy and sounds like fun! A lot more fun than "acid" dye!

[RedShaft]

Funny you post this as I dyed some last night using this method. I have a question though. They are drying and I plan on putting them on arrows tonight. Is there anything I need to do to the vein to make sure I don't have troubles with them sticking??? Thanks

[Bldtrailer]

Sand the quill before you fletch or the dye    is the only thing that will stick to the arrow.
I use a 9x13 cake pan and add water to cover the feathers( I split & grind, and use a burner after fletching.   I start with 3 packs of koolaid and add more if needed to get the color I want)longer  deeper color and add more "dye" as needed.

[Roadkill]

My first degree is geology and they never taught this at UWisc either!  I like it and the vinegar is the step I must have missed.  Now i got it!  Thanks