Neon Colors

[tyedyeguy]

Hello to everyone on the forum. I am really enjoying it! I have gleaned several bits of very useful info already..so thanks to all of you. 

I am going to do an experiment with my next batch of tie dyes, in that I will attemp to reproduce the very very bright, neon-like colors one sees in the commercially produced tie dyes. I have often wondered how in the world these colors were being produced in such vivid electric intensity....and I have been unable to reproduce them with the fiber reactive dyes in my work thus far,...I picked up a hint or two in several areas of this forum, and the experiment will entail producing shirts to are dried to different levels before tieing and dying....with the idea that perhaps the shirts that are too wet after the soda soak are diluting the dye a bit,....let me share with you that I always wring them out before tyeing and dyeing..but I have a couple of ideas for my experiment that will produce a dryer shirt or a wetter shirt, with some control of these parameters.....if that makes any sense.

Let me also say I am going to attempt a mandela again,....and I have had some luck in the past...but not to the degree I see here in some of your pieces. You all are a true inspiration. Thanks Again!!!

[pburch]

I am going to do an experiment with my next batch of tie dyes, in that I will attemp to reproduce the very very bright, neon-like colors one sees in the commercially produced tie dyes. I have often wondered how in the world these colors were being produced in such vivid electric intensity....and I have been unable to reproduce them with the fiber reactive dyes in my work thus far

Hi, Jon! I can get painfully bright colors even though I usually only loosely hand-wring the soda ash presoak from my fabric, so maybe there's another factor involved. Here's a list of other ways to maximize dye color brightness, in case there's another possible cause for your non-intense colors:

• use metaphos (sodium hexametaphosphate), if your water is at all hard
• use mercerized cotton whenever possible
• avoid stain-resistant, permanent press or any other treatment on your 100% cotton shirts
• buy fresh dye powder if your old dye powder quits working brightly (after one year or more, or less if it's ever been left in a hot place like a car)
• buy dye from trusted mail-order suppliers, not local crafts stores
• dissolve your dye powder in room temperature or cooler water, never hot water
• use plenty of dye (two to four teaspoons of dye powder per cup of the dye mixture that you actually apply to the fabric; use more for turquoise or black)
• keep your fabric warm, after you apply the dye—Procion MX dyes and other fiber reactive dyes work at their very best above 80 or 90°F
• use urea or plastic wrap to keep each garment moist until it's had plenty of time to react
• allow plenty of time for the dye reaction, preferably overnight, to reduce backstaining
• remove color-deadening backstaining after dyeing is complete by washing twice  in 140°F HOT water (I prefer a cool water rinse first)

There are probably a few other things that could go on this list. These are all very easy things to do, but sometimes you can accidentally get one or two details wrong that interfere with getting those eye-poppingly bright colors when you want to.

Paula

[tyedyeguy]

Paula,

   Thanks very much for your insight. I will incorporate all your pointers into my next attempt at the fine art of tie dying. By the way, I have spent some time on your web site and have found it to be very helpful....excellent source of info!

Funny thing is, even though I have'nt got the super bright colors yet, my shirts sell anyway....they are'nt pastels, like I first produced, but they ain't bad!

  The back-washing info gets me to thinking a little more carefully about the whole procedure, and I will set up a controlled environment to make sure the temp is where you suggest for the setting time.

Jon

[pburch]

Funny thing is, even though I have'nt got the super bright colors yet, my shirts sell anyway....they are'nt pastels, like I first produced, but they ain't bad!

You need to be able to produce colors as bright as any you've seen, but they're certainly not the only colors worth producing.

Can you post some pictures in the Gallery? (And then mention them here when you do?)

Paula