Dharma Trading Co. has something called pigment dyes. My mom bought some to dye silk scarves and I was curious if anyone has ever used them to dye yarn or if you think it would be possible to use them to dye yarns?
Since it is a pigment rather than a dye it is non-toxic and doesn't require an activator or all the necessary chemicals for rinsing and washing. (Soda ash, synthropol etc.) I live in a small apartment so I'm looking for a way of dyeing yarn without having to use a lot of chemicals and is also fairly economical. If anyone has any ideas that would be wonderful.
Thanks!
JoAnna
HI JoAnna....pigments do not bond to the fiber like dyes do. They sit on top of the fiber and the binder, whatever that may be, holds them to the top of the fiber. I copied the description of the pigment dyes from Dharma's site. See below:
"Dharma Pigment Dye is a concentrated, non-toxic pigment system that when applied to fabrics, feels more like dye than paint. The big thing is that, unlike dyes, you can get wash-fast, dry-cleanable, permanent results without the use of steamers, chemical fixatives, or extensive heat-setting. When you figure how much you can dilute it with water, it becomes more economical too than many products. Just dilute it to taste (we recommend 1 part pigment to 2-4 parts water), apply it, and let it dry and air-cure for at least 24 hours. (If a 24-hour air cure is a problem for you, you can speed up the process with a hair dryer.) We have found that a bit of heat-setting, 20 or so minutes in a home dryer or a quick 1-3 minute run-over with an iron, will produce the strongest colors".
If you read further you will see that the base that you choose to use and the application method CAN affect the overall hand of the cloth.
"We recommend Dharma Pigment Dyes mainly for direct-application, i.e. hand-painting, tie-dyeing, squirting, dipping, crinkle effect, and even marbling (with the use of a dispersing agent.) It works great on cotton, rayon, silk, silk velvet, and also most synthetics including polyester and nylon. Pigment Dyes are not recommended for solid color dying, as they do not set until they are dry, which means that the color will migrate while drying. Neat effects, but no solids.
On most natural fabrics, especially if you don’t heat-set, you get a cool distressed or "stonewashed" look after washing which is unique to using pigments as opposed to dyes. It looks very different than fabric dyed with dyes. It gives results completely different from the usual tie-dye, yet in some ways it’s easier to use. Let the garment dry as much as possible while still tied, then hang or lay flat to finish drying. Non-toxic Pigment Dyes are a possible non-toxic alternative to using true dyes when doing projects with small children and/or when you prefer not to work with the chemicals normally used to set the dyes. More like dyes, these are transparent, so best on white and light colored fabrics."
So I suppose you could get some and experiment with them to see if they give you a dye-like appearance, but in the end pigments are applied like paint and they will not give the same results as dye.
Su :-)
Thanks for the info. :) Any other suggestions of a non toxic dye I could use? I know some natural dyes might work, but I think I would be dyeing cotton for the most part at this point and from what I've read in the few books I have on natural dyeing, they are not usually colorfast on cotton.
I have used Procion MX before and am familiar with those, but my teacher at school always told us not to use toxic dyes in your kitchen. Unfortunately for me, my bathroom is also out. (Far too small)
Any ideas would be helpful and appreciated. :)
~JoAnna
My experience with cotton is that it takes a lot of prep time. A couple of days if you're using natural dyes. You have to soak the cotton in a mordant such as alum, which is why natural dying isn't necessarily non-toxic. Dying cotton is a pain in the butt, and I know this because I grow it and dye it. But I still do it anyway, and if I can do it, anyone can, so don't get discouraged, lol! This may sound kooky, but if you're in a dorm with uber strick rules on dumping toxic waste and stuff down your drain, you might want to read up on (don't laugh) dying with Kool Aid. Someone in the cardboard weaving group was talking about that the other day.
DJ
I am currently in campus housing so if I want to use dyes, it needs to be non-toxic. I've actually heard of dyeing with kool-aid. I'm not entirely sure if it is colorfast on cotton, but I suppose the best way to know would be to experiment. :) Thanks for the idea.
JoAnna
KoolAid is an acid dye for protein fibers - it will not work on cotton.
HI JoAnna....you might want to consider using the Jacquard Dyn-a-flow paints. Go to http://www.jacquardproducts.com/paints.php to learn more about them and also to see instructions on how to use them. The can end up feeling a lot like dye and have terrific colors......
I am not a fan of Kool-Aid dyeing...it is not very lightfast or washfast and still requires use of a microwave.
Good luck.....BTW - does your campus have an art department? Perhaps they would allow you some work space, or have dyeing labs or classes that might fit into your gen ed credits?? It would be a good way for you to really experience working with dyes, paints etc....
Su :-)
I've never used Kool Aid so don't know anything about it. I like the idea of checking with your school's art dept. though. That's a good idea.
DJ
Procion MX dyes are not toxic. If you read the MSDS, the main hazard is skin irritation that can develop with long-term exposure, and inhalation of the powder. Mix up your stock solution outdoors (so the powder doesn't float around your apartment), and wear gloves when dyeing, and you'll be just fine. The hazards of "chemical" dyes are highly overrated, IMO, and the dangers of natural dyes are highly underrated. The one time I nearly poisoned myself with fumes, it was during a natural dyeing experiment, using an unfamiliar plant. I'm much more concerned about natural dye hazards than I am with chemical dyes. Some (not all) of the natural dye mordants are seriously nasty stuff, and some plants are poisonous. As with everything, "know what you're working with" is the key.
The only problem with Pro MX is that it takes absolutely FOREVER to wash out. I use Sabracron (Cibacron) F dyes because they're easier to wash out and produce more reliable results. But Pro MX is easily available and comes in a lot more colors.
If you are interested, the Material Safety Data Sheet for Pro MX dyes is posted online, along with a lot of other MSDS's, at Dharma Trading Company http://www.dharmatrading.com . MX in particular is located here: http://www.dharmatrading.com/images/public/pdf/msds/msds_PR_Dharma-Fiber...
One of the more amusing things from that data sheet is that it says ingestion is not expected to be a hazard. I'm not using it to color my food anytime soon, but it's nice to know that I could drink the stuff without getting poisoned.
Thanks so much everyone for the info! Wow! I am very surprised that the MX dyes are non toxic. My instructor at school has always told us that they are very dangerous. She has severe lung damage from not using a mask for years. But I think that was mostly due to indigo dyeing. (She can no longer do indigo dyeing due to the lung damage) I suppose I could mix the dyes outside and then just have bottles of dye concentrate in my fridge or something like that.
The reason why I am not using the dye studio at school is because we're not allowed to use it without being registered for a class or at least an Independent study and I don't currently have room in my schedule to fit another class. :( Also, even if I did have the space in my schedule, it's a 30 minute drive to the art school/dept. It's a satellite campus and I'm on the main campus. haha. When I sit here and type this all out it sounds like the world is against me. I;m just trying to figure out a way of doing it at home.
I guess the only time one of the girls in my fibers classes ever had a problem with the MX dyes is when she did some work with potato dex. and accidentally inhaled some of the powder while rubbing it off. She coughed up blue for about 3 days. ;) I shall definitely investigate further!
Thanks again for all the ideas!! I'm so glad there is a place for me to ask other more experienced weavers/dyers questions like this!
~JoAnna
I have used cochineal, osage and logwood to dye handspun cotton. I didn't prep the yarn at all, and added dye and mordant together into small plastic pots and dyed in my microwave. I left the yarn in on high for as long as felt like it, or until the dye didn't bleed out when I rinsed. I never weigh anything when using natural or unnatural dyes. I was a science teacher all my life and I preferred the random happenstance of colours that you get without measuring.
Using this method I was able to get a range of over 16 colours by mixing, overdyeing and using various brown cottons in a very short time. The dyes are all colourfast so far and have had a lot of washing - because the vest I knitted with them was too big and I've been trying to shrink it!
