Dyeing rabbit hair

[Ryan]

What is the best way to dye rabbit hair. Thanks for the help. Ryan.

[RCaillouet]

First I need to say that I haven't done this very much on rabbit hair! But it works on deer and a few other types I have tried it on.

First go to the store and buy some packets of Kool Aid! That's right I said kid's drink Kool-Aid!

Mix up 1 pack of Kool Aid for 2 cups of water. Get a microwave safe container and heat up the solution for about 30 seconds. You don't want to bring the water to a boil but you want it fairly warm. Now place the hair (it is on a hide/mask/strips and not loose hair right!) in another container and pour the solution over it and let it sit for a minute or two. You want to have enough solution to completely cover the hide/mask/strip of hair you are dying. Use some needle nose pliars to make sure the hair stays in solution and soaks it up!

Remove the hide with the pliars and let completely dry (overnight to 2 nights is usually good.) If still not dark enough repeat process!

CAUTION!!! You don't want the solution hot enough to loosen the hide and release the hair, but you want it hot enough to make the hide and hair absorb the solution to die the hair!

This will be trial and error until you find out how long your micro needs to be on to heat the solution well enough and how long to let it sit.

Good luck!

Reg

[BLT]

I don't use cool-aid, and never did anything but deer tails also, but I dye at 180-185 degrees for anywhere between 12-28 minutes depending on what color I am using. Never had a tail fall apart yet. If you are looking to be very consistent, put the pan on the burner and use a cheap candy thermometer to keep the water at a certain temp. Like I said, I can't speak for kool-aid, but the dyes I use give different results at different temps.

Rit clothing dye is another option for you to look at, and from what I hear, you can get it a any large grocery store. If you are just doing a small amount of dying for yourself, spending for the good dyes isn't worth the $$ IMO. (acid dyes)

The color always looks darker while wet also.

Hope it works out for you!

[Chuck Young]

Go to Dharma acid dyes. They have all the detergents, salts, and citric acid you need. Over 80 colors are available at great prices for 2 oz jars.Great tutorials as well. You can eve get some of that elusive nylon sparkling bunting ( unspun fibers ) there to blend your own sparkle dubbling. If you need to bleach material first, go to your local pool and hot tub supply and get some hydrogen peroxde. Mix it to 20% strength, Be careful. Add strong to weak if you need to dilute. Wear safety goggles, rubber gloves, an apron, etc. Dyes are temp, concentration, material, and time sensitive. From day 1 keep a log of what you try and what works if you want repeatable results.

Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly-Tying Materials by A. K. Best 

 

Is a fantastic source of information for those who want to do this on a more serious level. With limited sources for natural materials, doing it yourself is fast becoming the only option.

[gaspumper]

I just started to dye my deer tails for tying bucktail jigs,I use veniards dye.A lot of the tails are whats left over after using the Chartreuse, yellow,blue ,orange and red,I dye them black they come out like a bought black tail.I also clean and process around 150 tails in the fall that I get from a couple of abattoirs in my area for free.I dyed some orange and yellow they turned out excellent also.You only have to use 1/4 of a teaspoon to 2 pints of water and 3 tablespoons of vinegar to set the dye,that will do about 8 deer tails.

Edited April 3, 2016 by gaspumper

[Fatman]

If you're planning on dyeing them so that you can cut zonker strips DON"T as the hide part will harden up.  Feathers, bucktail, hackle and some polar bear and fox I dyed came out great, but to cut rabbit hide into zonkers it hasn't worked yet!!

 

I've gone from easter egg dye, to kool-aid, then RIT then Veniards and Also fly Dye from Anglers Workshop.  They all work great.  If you're looking for flourescent dye's look at the Veniards or the Fly Dye from Anglers.  They work great!!!!

[Musky Glenn]

On bucktails I used rit dye after I had tied the jigs and I boiled them for a few minutes. I put clear finger nail polish on the jig head and it would take the dye also.

[Fatman]

Ryan - since my previous posting I tried a new method!

 

This started at 930am in the morning.  I got a buddy on one of my fly tying boards who used to do commercial dyeing and he told me dyeing pieces of the pelt and keeping them soft depends A LOT on how they were tanned (chrome tanned is the best). So I pulled out the dye and did a cold dye (temp of the dye only 80 degrees) on a piece of it and a piece of the tail. 

 

9 hours later and I've got the dye jobs done.  Did a piece of the body hair and a chunk of the tail - I did find that it's easier to dye with the tail IN but it still worked just have to be careful when you comb it out.

Tail drying and initial brushing


Tail all dried and brushed


Body piece drying and I'm stretching it as it drys, been doing it every 15 mins and so far its still flexible and the
holes were there when I started. 


Hair all combed out nice and it's dry, just waiting for next round of stretching


So far so good but till the hide is completely dry is the last step and that it stays soft!  More to follow when it's done either way!

 

Conclusion:

 

Well the hide is still flexible but it's not as soft as it was when I started and I found I missed a step by not putting hair conditioner through it and re-rinsing after the dye job. 

Both Pieces all totally dried



Cut up into cross-cut Zonker strips and what was left cut into straight cut zonkers



All bagged and tagged

[fshng2]

Fat man nice job.

So what dye did you use?

[Chuck Young]

The color really came out great! I'm gonna try me some cold dye too!

[Fatman]

I got the dye at Anglers Workshop, yes it's $7.95 a jar but I only used about 1/2 a teaspoon to a quart of water.  it doesn't take much.  And there's still a lot left!  Wear gloves and cover the wifes counters and the floor!!!  I use a tall Ball canning jar

http://www.anglersworkshop.com/Water-Fowl-Feathers/Anglers-Fly-Dyes

 

I also use Veniards fly dye, but the shop I get it at in New Hampshire only orders twice a year and you have to call to see if they have it.  The color chart says they have the Fl. Hot Pink but after an email from Veniards they say it's not available to the public.  The Anglers stuff IMO is just as good.  This dye works great on feathers!!

[fshng2]

Thanks Fatman, I have also use Fly-Dye for deer tails and have been happy with the results.

I have not tried fl-pink, but yours looks good.

So..chrome tanned rabbit pelt dyed @ 80 degrees for 9 hours...correct?

For that matter you could just let in the hot sun for that long.

At that temp does dye stay after rinsing?

Are you happy with the end product when tying it to lure, and the way it swims?

[Fatman]

I was told the chrome dyed hides are the best to use but as I didn't tan them, and some of the folks I've bought from don't know either.  I am seriously thinking of learning only so I can do squirrel hides - it's almost ridiculous how much people want for soft tanned squirrel hides.  A guy on ebay gave me a great deal on 5 skins - but as he told me some of them had to be broken which is rubbing the hide to soften it up - I worked hard on three of them actually ended up thinning the tough hide on those with a heavy duty veggie peeler and then working them - They're soft now!! next time I dye I'm going to try them and see If I can keep them soft. 

 

The 9 hours was probably because I wasn't sure and it was the first time I was doing a cold dye.  On the feathers it's fine so I have no reason to believe it won't stay on the fur.   One of my dumbest moves when I first tried dyeing was I didn't use white vinagar for setting the color!!LOL  it changed up the color a bit with the darker vinagar. 

 

You will always lose some dye in the rinse process, but as you can see from the pictures they are really nicely colored.

 

I have no idea what temp dye stays after rinsing - I don't save it - although I was told you could with the Fly Dye and Veniards, just the next time add a bit of dry dye to it. 

 

Haven't done these ones but I have done the feathers and they tie in straight or folding them over and wrapping.

 

I know many like the Jacquards but they don't have Flourescent colors.

 

The only color so far that I've had trouble with is Fl. Red! (truthfully I really think I ordered plain red and mismarked the space on the order form).  The other hard color I've heard is Black - I read in one place take every black dye you can find and mix them together, and bucktail takes a lot of dye I'm told.   

 

It's hard to work on stuff right now with my grand daughter here, but next year I'm going to let her help so she can see it from start to finish then fishing with it.  Must be doing something right with her as when we're planning for her summer visit she always asks if her fishing pole is ready!! and I love it!!!

 

I'm the first one to admit I'm not an expert on dyeing - I give credit for everything I've learned to others who've helped me on the way and to where I'm at and I'm STILL LEARNING!!!  Since the deals I've gotten excess I don't worry as much as I did before when i only had a few small pieces. 

 

Good luck guys!   

[fshng2]

Fatman have you used the Fly-Dye cold method on deer tail/hide?

Nice squirrel...because the hide is so tough they would make some durable zonker strips.

Sounds like you are making some nice memories with your granddaughter.

My daughter always liked to fish with me and now fishes with her boy friend. She even got a 30 some pounder striper this spring