Joyce , you explained that better than I could have hoped for. One thing though you said to add vinegar to every cup? Do you mean the glad container or are you referring to a unit of measure?
Any good kool aid recipes? john "Joyce Westphal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Works great on feathers. Often, in tying salmon flies, one doesn't have golden >pheasant for instance, or needs a red feather..so I dye one of those little hen necks >with Kool Aid or rit and it works great..is a variation on the original fly, but >works good (the trout don't seem to mind which feather is there..only that it gives >action and contrast.). I do most of my dyeing in those little square disposable glad >boxes that you can put a lid on..get it hot in the microwave, put the feathers in >(having first washed them with dish soap and rinsed well. this seems to not only get >out the grease, but change the surface tension so the dye soaks in more evenly. Be >sure to get them wet clear down next to the skin if you want to use the filoplume >parts as roughness when you make your own dubbings). �I use the instructions for wool >fibers (and usually dye �a bit of alpaca or lamb's wool with the feathers so the >colors will be the same and use this instead of �chenille on Prawns, woolly buggers, >etc. �Put 3 packages of Kool Aid (more or less, depending on how bright you want the >dye..have used up to 9 packages so it isn't necessarily cheaper than Rit, �for every >cup put 2 ounces of vinegar and �6 ounces of water, put the wet and rinsed feathers >and wet yarn into the little disposable glad dish. I heat the water/vinegar in the >microwave, remembering that when you bring it out as it is boiling, you must be very >careful as sometimes the water will rise up and can burn you..then stir in the Kool >Aid..it will foam a lot. Then, when it is dissolved, pour it over the feathers, fur, >yarn. Put the lid on and let it cool. When it is cooled, if the water is clear, you >are finished. If not, put the wool/feathers/fur in the microwave again and heat for 1 >minute, bring out..wait again and repeat as needed. Mostly I never have to do this >more than 3 times. When you have clear fluid and the neck/saddle/yarn/fur is the >color you want, then rinse under cold water..there will be some color come off on >your hands, and then put between old towels or paper towels and let dry that way, or >use your hair dryer and quickly dry. > � �A word of caution..wear old clothes, put newspapers on your kitchen counter and > don't get the kool aid on it as even Clorox will NOT take it out..it is �very > colorfast. Experiment with colors. > � �With Rit dye, do the same, but make a "working" solution first ( I use 1 cup of > water with one package of powder dye) then put 1 tbs of working solution of dye with > 1 cup of water, 1 tbs of vinegar and a tsp of salt. Usually need 2 cups of this > solution for a full sized saddle, depending on the depth of the dish in which you > are dying. > � �Also, remember, you can "overdye" with first one color and then another. Have > fun. Joyce >
