hey all, i've read that soda ash and rit all-purpose dye dosen't mix the last time i used rit, and washed the clothes, the colors bleed together and made a gray mess. how can I tiedye and keep the colors fixed? thanks
RIT dye is no good for tir dying. You should use Dharma Fiber Reactive Dyes for tie dying. They will get you the best results. Dharma even has a Serious Tie-dye Starter Set to get you started. Hope this helps. Have fun.
i'm not sure if u can w rit..i've tried soda ash and it ddint really work very well..the shirt didn't bleed but it definelty faded... i would buy professional dye and it would be fixed.
RIT is lousy. Don't use it. soda ash is used with analine fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX. THis is the garment industry standard for natural fibers. you can either mix with the dye, which shortens its shelf life to hours, of soak the cotton/hemp/silk/rayon item in a solution. To keep the colors separate (i'm assuming you know enough to do that, if not let me know how new you are and I'll try to explain.) you need to wash carefully after a 24 hour cure (I wrap each piece in a trashbag) Synthropol is available from Dharma Trading www.dharmatrading.com, and I believe they will include some in a kit (they build their own kits)
RIT is ok for playing. When my daighter wants to tie dye, I buy her some RIT dye and mix it up in a mixing bowl with a lot of salt and then she can dip the fabric or use bottles to pour the color on. I still let it cure overnight wrapped up in a plastic bag, then I usually unwrap the fabric and hang it on the clothesline. Then I rinse it with the hose before I wash it. It does fade after a while, but it is cheap and fun.
Hey there sistah~ Procion dyes are the way to go! I have been tie-dying for over two years now and I have had consistently good results. Procion dyes + soda ash + Synthropol detergent = Wonderfully colorfast tie-dyes And its all available at : www.dharmatrading.com Blessings
Paul is in year... 15? 16? and yes, Procion is it. Dharma is great for starter kits, but if you want to get serious, contact Pro Chemical and Dye in Mass. Weird, I thought of this last night. Here is WHY soda ash and Rit don't work. Rit is an acid chemical dye. Soda ash is a base chemical. They cancel each other out and create a neutral range Ph. soda ash is the fixative in professional level dyeing. It is sold in grocery stores as Washing soda. Sorry, but I'm drawing a blank on the chemical name. Pool supply stores have 50 pound (weight) bags cheap.
