Types of fabric Dyes

Different dyes for various fibers

Different types of fibre require several types of dye. Cotton, rayon, linen, tencel, and hemp are all cellulose materials, and so use the same courses of dyes: fiber-reactive dyes, vat dyes, azoic or naphthol dyes, and direct dyes. Wool, mohair, and angora are necessary protein fibers, and use different dyes, the most important that when it comes to house dyer could be the team called acid dyes. Silk is a unique case - it can be dyed with dietary fiber reactive dyes, like cotton fiber, or acid dyes, like wool. Artificial fibers make use of totally several types of dye, with respect to the particular synthetic fiber; in many cases, home dyer will undoubtedly be best off using a high-quality material paint, without dye, on artificial materials.

Dye Cotton, Rayon,
or Silk with
Jacquard Procion MX
Fiber Reactive Dyes

Jacquard Procion Dye
Buy New $3.14—4.17
from Amazon

Cellulose dyes

Neither vat dyes nor naphthol dyes are specially suited to first home dyer, as they are more difficult to do business with than many other dyes. That leaves the fiber reactive dyes, like Procion MX, Procion H, and Cibacron (a.k.a. Sabracron F) dyes, which are all-excellent for residence use, additionally the direct dyes, which are easy to use plus light-fast than most dyes, but which often tend toward becoming lifeless in color, and have now bad washfastness.

Another set of dyes is known as all-purpose, household, or union dyes. They are in fact a mix of acid dyes, which work just on proteins (and perchance plastic), with direct dyes, according to Linda Knutson's exemplary guide, Synthetic Dyes for All-natural materials. Knutson points out that since 50 % of the dye is hence maybe not useful for whichever dietary fiber you are making use of, you're wasting 1 / 2 of what you are buying, and so wasting money, if you use these dyes. Generally offered companies consist of Rit and Deka (Deka also sells a thorough type of good textile paints). The sole advantage to these dyes is their ubiquity in food and pharmacies, however their inadequacies have switched people, ignorant regarding the alternatives, from the art of dyeing.

Protein Dyes

There are many several types of dyes which are ideal for usage on necessary protein fibers, such as wool, mohair, angora, and in addition plastic (but no other synthetic fiber). Silk is a special situation, unlike various other protein fibers, and could be colored often like them, or such as the cellulose materials including cotton. One striking attribute of protein dyes is the fact that just about all require some usage of heat, which makes all of them less suited to direct dye application, such as for example tie-dyeing. It is possible to use some protein dyes for artwork or tie-dyeing in the event that dyes are then fixed towards the dietary fiber by steaming it.

Silk may be dyed with all the identical method as cotton fiber, making use of dietary fiber reactive dyes like Procion MX, and correcting the dye with soft drink ash. Although wool will need dye perfectly with this particular procedure, the high pH is harming to wool as well as other hair-type fibers and should never be used on them. Silk is less quickly damaged than wool.