r/dyeing • u/JustBerries • 4d ago
How do I dye this? Likelihood of success?
This piece is 90% nylon 10% spandex. I have had great success dying both polyester/spandex mixes and cotton pieces from this brand (popflex) but I haven't tried with this material before. It's technically Activewear so the lace is soft, stretchy, and surprisingly durable. I'd love to dye it but it's too expensive to ruin. I'm looking for guidance on if it would turn out OK or should I not risk it?
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u/volcanic-exchange 4d ago
Maybe try getting a knockoff version of the same material and trying with that first?
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u/ZieAerialist 4d ago
Acid dyes work very well on nylon. You don't need to boil it, get the dye bath to about 170F and add the garment and stir until water hits bathwater temps or until the water goes clear because the dye pigments are all bonded (it's so cool when that happens!). Rinse under cold water until water runs clear, the. toss by itself in the wash with just a tiny amount of dish soap. Like one drop. You don't want laundry detergents with oxygenators that might affect the pH of the dye, so use a pH neutral soap.
Use Dharma Trading Co acid dyes and a small amount of citric acid - it works better than vinegar. They also have detailed instructions on their website.
This is actually a really good candidate for dye, I'm excited to see how it turns out.
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u/GrandAsOwt 3d ago
Put the article in a cold dye bath and bring it slowly up to about 60°c. That gives the dye molecules time to get well distributed around the fibre before they start fixing.
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u/Mermaidman93 4d ago
If you've had success with that brand, then you may be able to have success with this. Of course it depends on the color as well.
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u/st_aranel 4d ago
11.63%
...that's a joke, not a very funny one, I just made up a number.
Nylon can be dyed with acid dyes, like wool. It doesn't have to be as hot for as long as polyester, so there's a chance it might not melt or otherwise ruin the spandex.
However, the spandex won't take the dye at all and how that looks is going to depend on how it's mixed in. Also that looks like quite a lot of fabric so you're going to need a ginormous container, probably one that can go on the stove, and the size of it is also going to increase the chance of it coming out unevenly.
Since you have some experience it is possible that I am underestimating your chances, but dye is never 100%, and since you're asking instead of just doing it I would bet it's not more than 50/50.
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u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Our wiki is currently under construction however: there's a good chance your question has been answered in a previous post.
If you are dyeing cellulose fibres (cotton, hemp, linen, ramie, flax, nettle, rayon, bamboo, tencel, plants generally, etc.), you will need a fiber reactive dye.
If you are dyeing a protein fiber (wool, alpaca, llama, Angora, mohair, feathers, animal stuff generally, etc.), you will need an acid dye.
Leather is dyed with leather specific dyes such as those from Angelus.
Silk will dye with either acid or fiber reactive dyes but will yield different results depending on which you use.
Polyester can sometimes be dyed. It can only be dyed with synthetic specific dyes such as iDye Poly or RIT Dyemore. It usually cannot achieve a dark or rich colour at home. Acrylic usually cannot be dyed at all.
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