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labricoleuseI'm teaching dye class this semester, and one of the projects they've just completed involved Aljo's line of disperse dyes for acetate, nylon, and other synthetics.
I've dyed Wonderflex thermoplastic using Rit dyes before (which are composed of a blend of direct and acid dyes), but haven't achieved more than a fairly pale tint. Out of curiosity, i had one of my students test the disperse dye on a swatch of Wonderflex to see if it achieved a deeper shade, and boy, did it ever! (Note: they are toxic so read the MSDS and use them safely.)
Here it is processed in Aljo's Violet:
Smooth side of the Wonderflex - what a deep purple!
Mesh-reinforced side of the Wonderflex.
And, when you later use boiling water to activate it, the Wonderflex retains its intensity of color.
While i don't yet have any specific application for this, it's useful to know, because i'm sure sooner or later something will come up such that I think to myself, "this would be so easy if only i had bright red Wonderflex..." and then i can dye some!
In other dyeshop news, do you know about Rit's ColoRit Color Formula Guide? Since many theatrical dye shops work with the Rit line--either because they don't know the fiber content of something so they need union dyestuffs, or because they have to dye in a washing machine, or because packets of Rit from the grocer are what they can get on a need-it-now calendar, etc--i think this tool will have a big impact for us. Basically, it's an online interactive color guide which allows you to click on a color swatch of a shade and get a handy "Rit recipe" to dye it.
Since the recipes are given in terms of teaspoons and tablespoons, and are meant to apply to one ounce of cotton fabric, they are at best a guideline and a ratio to start with for an actual accurate color match, but it's way better than guessing in the dark, especially for novice dyers who feel uncertain about their command of color theory.
I've dyed Wonderflex thermoplastic using Rit dyes before (which are composed of a blend of direct and acid dyes), but haven't achieved more than a fairly pale tint. Out of curiosity, i had one of my students test the disperse dye on a swatch of Wonderflex to see if it achieved a deeper shade, and boy, did it ever! (Note: they are toxic so read the MSDS and use them safely.)
Here it is processed in Aljo's Violet:
Smooth side of the Wonderflex - what a deep purple!
Mesh-reinforced side of the Wonderflex.
And, when you later use boiling water to activate it, the Wonderflex retains its intensity of color.
While i don't yet have any specific application for this, it's useful to know, because i'm sure sooner or later something will come up such that I think to myself, "this would be so easy if only i had bright red Wonderflex..." and then i can dye some!
In other dyeshop news, do you know about Rit's ColoRit Color Formula Guide? Since many theatrical dye shops work with the Rit line--either because they don't know the fiber content of something so they need union dyestuffs, or because they have to dye in a washing machine, or because packets of Rit from the grocer are what they can get on a need-it-now calendar, etc--i think this tool will have a big impact for us. Basically, it's an online interactive color guide which allows you to click on a color swatch of a shade and get a handy "Rit recipe" to dye it.
Since the recipes are given in terms of teaspoons and tablespoons, and are meant to apply to one ounce of cotton fabric, they are at best a guideline and a ratio to start with for an actual accurate color match, but it's way better than guessing in the dark, especially for novice dyers who feel uncertain about their command of color theory.
