when dying tanned hides it is best to pull and stretch hide after it has been dyed just before it thouroghly dries, also do not get hide to hot when dying this will curl up the hide especialy true on thin skin hides such as squirrels rabbit and probably chinchuillas hot tap water should be sufficient, when dying feathers it is best to wet the feathers first (also a good idea to do on hides) i have also found that certain dyes will take differantly on the darker colored areas of the fur the lighter the fur the more truer the color you want,black is a very difficult color to dye best to dye black on a white fur or feather and you should double the strtenghth of the dye and let it stand a long time . when dying feathers i found it best to dry fully with a hair dryer this allows the skin to drie out completlyand you can keep an eye on it so it doesnt curl up, well thats all i have learned so far hope this helps .
oh yes , when a mottled effect is desired on marabou or feathers i have used rubber bands wrapped tight around area to be mottled,kinda like tye dying when done remove band and dip feathers again then remove quickly and you have a mottled feather works great on marabou
brad
DonO <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Just a quick few questions:
Should a hide be dyed before it is cured and tanned?
If a hide is already cured and tanned, can it still be dyed?
If so, how would you keep the skin soft and supple?
I have two chinchilla pelts and I'd like one dyed
half olive and half black.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
DonO
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