Dye Lycra

Cotton/spandex blends dye really well with chilled water dietary fiber reactive dyes, such as for example Procion MX dyes. The fiber reactive dyes try not to actually dye the spandex, but this is not problematic. If a blend consists predominantly of cotton, with just 3 to 12percent spandex, discover seldom any want to try to dye the spandex it self, since the spandex is normally included in the cotton.

The advantage of the chilled water dye is the fact that there's no necessity to use boiling hot conditions to use the dye. The cold water dye method is more preferable than attempting to dye cotton/Lycra® combinations with a hot-water dye such Rit® All-Purpose Dye, because cool dyeing temperature allows for gentle remedy for the spandex. If you are using likewise cool conditions to preserve the shape of spandex, the hot-water dye will be unable to make good bond to the cotton.

Dyeing polyester/spandex blends

Because dyeing polyester needs substantial boiling with disperse dye, polyester/spandex blends may not be colored. Spandex will undoubtedly be destroyed because of the high heat problems necessary for dyeing polyester. The polyester and spandex must be dyed before they truly are combined collectively. The only way to recolor clothing made of polyester and spandex is to use fabric paints such as for example Dye-na-Flow or Dharma Pigment Dye.

Dyeing nylon/spandex blends

Nylon are colored most quickly with acid dyes. The process needs warm water, that might have unfortunate effects on a spandex-containing garment. You will need to compromise between the need regarding the nylon for heat, additionally the need of the spandex for gentle treatment.

Celia Buchanan of Jacquard items recommends making use of the hottest liquid permitted because of the attention directions given the apparel. Typically, you'll find care labels recommending a maximum of 105°F. You can find apt to be difficulties with washfastness if nylon is colored at such low conditions.

Industrial dyeing of spandex

Whenever cotton in a cotton/spandex blend is usually to be dyed, industrially, without coloring the spandex, this can be known as spandex reserve dyeing. Direct dyes may be used, at a pH around 8, combined with the additive referred to as syntan to help prevent staining regarding the polyurethane. When both the cotton fiber plus the spandex in the blend should be dyed equivalent shade, premetalized or milling acid dyes at applied at a pH of 4, followed closely by direct dyes at a pH of 8. Both require higher temperature than we can recommend the home dyeing of textiles containing spandex, as much as 140°F (60°C).

Books

Blends Dyeing by John Shore, posted because of the community of Dyers and Colourists in 1998, may be gotten by mail-ordering directly through the author via their particular site at This is advised even for those who are maybe not located in Europe. If you're able to find a used backup of the book in the US, you are going to discover its cost to be far higher than the buying price of buying an innovative new backup from the editors, despite such as the price of overseas delivery.

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