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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: TEX-O-BOB on June 02, 2010, 06:46:00 PM

Title: Best Feather Dye
Post by: TEX-O-BOB on June 02, 2010, 06:46:00 PM
I'm trying to find the best dye for dying my own barred turkey feathers for fletching. I have used the Rit dye before but the colors are not very good and seem dull and drab to me. Where can I get my hands on some good bright dye specifically a brilliant royal blue. I thought about easter egg dyes anyone used them before?
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: Chris Surtees on June 02, 2010, 07:43:00 PM
Take a look at the Great Northern Dyes

http://greatnorthernquivers.com/
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: JRY309 on June 02, 2010, 09:05:00 PM
I have used the Great Northern dye,the feathers came out great.
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: TEX-O-BOB on June 03, 2010, 06:52:00 PM
Thanks guys, I'll check it out. I also did a google search for dye companies and came up with quite a bit of cool stuff. I'm a taxidermist and I end up with a few hundred natural barred turkey feathers every so often and I thought it would be cool to do some different colors. I'll let you know how they turn out.
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: Foxtail on June 03, 2010, 08:43:00 PM
Check out Veniards. These are made in the UK I believe,and are marketed to the fly tying industry for feather dying.

Great range of colours!!!
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: Chris Shelton on June 03, 2010, 09:25:00 PM
I was just about to ask if these dyes would work on deer hair as well, but if Veniards is marketed to fly fisherman, it will probably work too.  I got like TONS of deer extras that I could be tying with, only so much you can do with brown, lol
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: Shakes.602 on June 03, 2010, 09:29:00 PM
I remember someone using STRONG Kool-Aide to dye their Feathers!! It Worked too!
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: Norseman on June 27, 2010, 09:14:00 PM
Strong Kool Aide works great.  Just don't use sugarless.

For brilliant red I used this formula

2 pkgs of Cherry
1 pkg of strawberry

mix this is  quart jar making it two parts water to one part vinegar.

Soak the feathers in soapy water for a few minutes to get rid of any oily spots. Rinse them well, then drop them into the Kool Aide mix. I like to put mine into the microwave then hit it on high for 2 minutes. This sets the dye . Awesome red
Title: Re: Best Feather Dye
Post by: lpcjon2 on June 27, 2010, 09:17:00 PM
Food coloring has come a long way they have some very vivid colors.