The following method will work for many types of feathers and other materials. I have dyed all of these materials using this method. Only takes about 1/2 hour to do a batch not including drying time. The deer and goat will take about 15 minutes longer.
saddles and capes loose body feathers deer hair goat hair mink and rabbit fur - was cut off hide before dying stripped feather quills thread floss mono fishing line Method: 1) Mix dye in a solution of vinegar and water. Use 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water. Make enough to cover the material to be dyed. There is no need to have a lot of solution as it will increase the process time and require a lot of extra dye. example - A batch of 1 cup vinegar and 3 cups water with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. of dye is enough for a saddle, 1 - 2 capes. Most dye comes in powered form and I have found that it is easier to mix if the dye is first dissolved in the vinegar before the water is added. Use warm tap water. 2) There is no need to degrease before dying using this method. (see note) 3) Before putting material into the dye bath it needs to be rinsed with water. This will make it easier to get the material to stay below the surface of the dye bath. 4) If full saddles or capes are being done. It helps to bend them around on the skin side and staple or paper clip in place. This will keep the feathers separated and allow the dye to reach all areas of the feathers. 5) Put the materials to be dyed into the solution and use a fork to push them down so that the material is mostly below the surface. 6) Place lid (or other cover) on container - not tight. Microwave for 3 - 5 minutes. This time will vary depending on the amount of solution being used. The time required will also change with different materials being dyed. 7) Best to do a test sample to check the times and dye solution. Dry the sample before checking as the color appears darker when it is wet. Rinse the sample with soap and water before drying. Brand of dye used as well as color required will effect the time required. 8) Reduce process time for lighter shade and increase for darker. IF the material is a little light it can be left to soak in the solution for a few minutes while it is still hot or returned to the microwave for another 1 - 3 minutes. More dye may need to be added to the solution if color is still to light. 9) When desired color is reached the material needs to be rinsed in soap and water to remove any oils and excess dye that has not bonded to the material. Squeeze out excess water and place on newspaper to air dry. 10) For drying feathers I put them in a conventional oven on news paper. Set oven to 150 deg. and leave the door open a little. This works best for loose materials. Notes: a) Same batch of dye is used for both sample and remaining material. Reduce the time a little for the main batch if the bath is still very hot. b) Batch is good for more than one use (have done up to 3). More vinegar needs to be added for each use. A small amount of dye may also be needed. This reuse is only for when the batches are done in the same time period. c) Dispose of used solution when done and start with new fresh batch the next time; for best results. d) Degreasing - When done in a microwave the oils and fat that may be on the hide or shin do not effect the dying process. Have done greasy hen necks with fat still on the skin to test the extent of this. These necks dyed easily. e) Deer and goat hair may require a bit longer process time. (5 - 10 minutes) f) Dyes can be mixed (same brand). g) Light shades such as ginger or golden olive can be achieved by first dying with a weak solution of yellow and than adding the other dye color to the same solution and reheating. (yellow/brown) = ginger (yellow/olive) = golden olive h) Most materials can be dyed to a darker color even some that have already been dyed. There will be a point where the material will not accept any more dye. i) When heating in microwave it may be necessary to stop the oven and stir or reposition the materials in the bath as they may float to the surface or be stuck together and will not dye evenly. j) Even when a test sample has been done there may be a slight difference in the main batch color. When doing cape or saddle feathers, the webby feathers will dye darker. k) Small batches are fast to do and you could have some feathers dyed and dried in about 1 hour.
