Thread: dyeing help?

Does anyone have recommendations for what sort of dye to use to dye kevlar? I've heard that RIT is not the most effective- but am not sure what others would be good (such as the kind you mix with vinegar).

I'll put out an inquiry over on the dyer's forum for you!

you might also ask someone at dharma trading customer service..a lot of those gals are really in the know :)

tiger are you on Paula Burch's forum? its awesome but i rarely get a chance to read in

Originally Posted by jesennia

you might also ask someone at dharma trading customer service..a lot of those gals are really in the know :)

tiger are you on Paula Burch's forum? its awesome but i rarely get a chance to read in

On my dye-stained tombstone you will read ALL I KNOW I LEARNED FROM PAULA BURCH

Everybody there is so helpful... and everyone does such different things. Paula is like a walking library with all the facts at her fingers.

I also have to giggle when somebody there advises me, "just put your silk in a [sandwich bag / wooden frame / 3in rod]" and then I get to say, but I'm talking about three YARDS of silk.... They always assume when you're talking about silk you mean a 36" scarf! (Except for Darlene of Shibori Borealis. She's another treasure trove of information.]

TigerB- thanks for looking into it!
Jes- I'll give Dharma a call. Good idea, I hadn't thought of it.
:)

I have nothing to add except that I looked up the chemical formula for kevlar and it is really weird in comparison to the stuff dyes normally work on (protein fibers, cellulose, nylon). I'm not sure what this means, except that fiber-reactive dyes probably won't work on it, and the best you might be able to do is lodge the dye molecules in the fabric - in other words stain it. On google scholar I found a couple of scientific papers about the technical aspects of dyeing kevlar. It was *not* user-end information and was mostly chemistry mumbo-jumbo to me, but apparently dyeing kevlar without disrupting its physical strength properties is an issue.

So, do tell. What are you dyeing? Bullet proof bedlah for gigs in rougher neighborhoods?..g.:

Originally Posted by ssipes

I have nothing to add except that I looked up the chemical formula for kevlar and it is really weird in comparison to the stuff dyes normally work on (protein fibers, cellulose, nylon). I'm not sure what this means, except that fiber-reactive dyes probably won't work on it, and the best you might be able to do is lodge the dye molecules in the fabric - in other words stain it. On google scholar I found a couple of scientific papers about the technical aspects of dyeing kevlar. It was *not* user-end information and was mostly chemistry mumbo-jumbo to me, but apparently dyeing kevlar without disrupting its physical strength properties is an issue.

So, do tell. What are you dyeing? Bullet proof bedlah for gigs in rougher neighborhoods?..g.:

that's what i was gonna ask when i saw the post?.p::

or is it for a double veil at a fireman's ball with a live burn?

And now an answer...

Paula Burch concurs with Sedonia -- Kevlar probably can't be hand dyed. It has a curious chemical structure which even makes it hard to saturate with water, and of course if you can't soak it most hand dyes won't work.

To see the glory that is Paula Burch's full answer, look here:

Anyone ever dyed kevlar? | community of dyers

Be prepared to be blown away. This lady knows her stuff.

I think it's been answered now, but I would agree not to try. I'm a fire performer so I work with kevlar a lot, it's like super-dooper nylon (synthetic fabric, basically plastic, but enormously strong with a ridiculously high melting point) it doesn't saturate with water at all (however if you get a kevlar wick wet, it annoyingly holds just enough water that it won't burn right, probably ever again)

Mostly I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of PLEASE TELL US WHY!

*curious*

Originally Posted by Kash13

Mostly I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of PLEASE TELL US WHY!

*curious*

Woops. Silly me. It's not for me it's for my husband.
MySpace.com - Aaron - 100 - Male - Columbia, Maryland - www.myspace.com/kyusslb
he's got his fire pics on his profile. He just bought some kevlar sleeves and wants them black.

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

He just bought some kevlar sleeves and wants them black.

Oh that's easy, use them as wicks. My poi and fire fans are absolutely jet black - as is anything they come into contact with ..l;,

well, i was going to suggest black shoe spray paint. It may work. But, it will more or less only be a top coat. Once dry it shouldn't be flamable. Although I'd have to get my fire baton out to see for sure.

{{{HUGS}}}}