MX Jet Black

[Sarah]

What would be the correct way to mix Jet Black for direct application?  I have read that jet black is not a good black for tie dye, but I have a lb of it and I'd rather use it than buy new.  I have been mixing as directed in the Tom & Martine DVD (4 1/2 Tbsp & 2 Tbsp salt to 1 cup of the dye premix) but it gets very clumpy and clogs the nozzle.  I would appreciate any advice!

[pburch]

First, in order to be specific, you have to say which dye supplier you are using. Dharma Trading Company's Jet Black is different from Jacquard Products' Jet Black. Each company mixes their own 'Jet Black' by combining several different colors of MX dye.

Do not add any salt to your dye until after you have gotten it completely dissolved. Salt reduces the solubility of dye powder, so it makes it harder to dissolve the dye. You can skip it altogether for tie-dyeing, but some people feel that it helps deepen the color to add it. (Salt is very important for solid-color dyeing with a large volume of water.)

The usual advice is to use four times as much of any black dye as you would for another color. This is referring to the final dye concentration that you're going to squirt onto the fabric, however, not to the concentrate method used in the True Tie Dye videos. You do not have to use a concentrate; you can mix the black dye at the same strength that you are going to apply directly to your fabric when you do the tie-dyeing. It is easier to mix the final strength than to mix a concentrate, since you do not have to get as much dye powder to dissolve in a cup of water.

Mix the dye by adding a small amount of water to your dye powder and stirring to form a paste, then gradually add more water while stirring. Leave the dye mixture to sit for a half hour or so and then stir some more. Instead of a spoon, try using a blender, or an immersion blender, or a whisk—but note that none of these tools should be reused for food after you have used them with dyes. After the dye is completely dissolved, it's a good idea to filter it through a nylon stocking, to remove any clumps. You can add a single drop of Synthrapol or hand dishwashing detergent to aid in dissolving the dye powder. Do not use hot water to dissolve MX dyes.

If you are using the Dharma brand Jet Black, note that this dye mixture benefits from a warmer reaction temperature than other MX dyes. It probably contains some Cibacron F dye, in addition to Procion MX type dye; Cibacron F dye is used exactly like Procion MX dye, except for working better with a little extra heat, and takes the same amount of soda ash. They recommend up to 130°F to 150°F for the dye reaction. The dye will work at anything over 70°F, if you leave it overnight or longer, but your colors may be deeper at warmer temperatures. If you want to try this, apply your dye in the usual manner, then wrap each garment separately in plastic wrap and/or plastic bags, to prevent dye from one garment from transferring to an unwanted area of another,  and place them overnight in a warm place. There are many different ways to add extra warmth while your dye reacts with your fabric, such as by using a heating blanket, or using a black plastic garbage bag over them on a hot sunny day, or by floating double-bagged items in a sinkful of hot water.

Paula

[fiberartist219]

I don't know if this will help with jet black, but it helps me dissolve dyes in general. Here's how I do it:

First, put water in the bottle, then add the dye to the water. Close the bottle and give it a good shake. Then, wait fifteen minutes, and come back and shake it again. If all else fails, throw in a bit of urea, and shake and wait and shake some more.

I think the key for good dissolving is busting up the clumps and letting it sit. No matter how much I shake or stir, nothing mixes it better than giving it a few minutes for the powder to get really wet. Time makes a huge difference in mixing up dye solutions.

I have also heard the tricks with filters, whisks and blenders. I haven't tried them, but I've heard they work.

Let us know how your tie dye turns out!

[Sarah]

Last night I mixed the dye according Paula's directions, and the dye was much easier to use, letting the dye sit and then using the nylon really helped.  If I could figure out how to post pictures I would put one up, I'll try and learn that this week...  Thanks for the advice! (and by the way it was Dharma Jet Black)

[mustdye]

I love my blender !!
One of the most time saving tools I've bought.

I started filtering everything due to some issues with red and foreign objects.

I use one of these as a filter.
The filter cost a little but I can use it  over and over with easy rinsing

[ted keith]

In my limited experience I have found a LOT of difference in Blacks and Browns. Some are reddish, some bluish, some yellowish. I always dye a cheepie shirt with just one color when ever I get a new color or batch to see what colors will work best with it. I just got a batch of NEW BLACK MX from Dharma and it really seems to be straight Black with no other colors at the edges when used.

I try to mix my dyes a day before dyeing and do use urea.

Sarah - Are you talking about the red dots and spots? I run into that also and have been trying to figure it out. I have suspected it is a mixing issue.  Does the blending and filtering help?

Thanks

[tiedyejudy]

Are you talking about the red dots and spots? I run into that also and have been trying to figure it out. I have suspected it is a mixing issue.  Does the blending and filtering help?

Thanks

I started straining all my dyes a year or so ago, after having issues with fuschia 'dotting'.  The straining has eliminated all problems of that nature, and also helps with dyes that are so light-weight, they float on top of the mixed dyes.  I simply squeeze at the end, and have very little residue left.

Judy

[Sarah]

I wasn't having the problem with the fuschia spots - just that the dye was so clumpy (fixed that with the straining) and once I add the salt it is so thick it sits on top of the fabric instead of absorbing (hope to fix that with eliminating most of the salt.)

[Marg]

I've had problems with fuschia spots for years and it drives me crazy! I have reduced (but not eliminated) this problem by using a hand mixer to mix dyes and by allowing the dye to sit in the water for a few minutes before shaking and mixing with soda ash. I have this problem most often when using Pro Chem's deep purple. Thanks for the advice on the strainer. Maybe I'll look into that. Take care, Marg

[pburch]

The real answer to this problem is to mix your own deep purple, using red MX-5B (ProChem's mixing red, Dharma's light red, or Jacquard's magenta). Red MX-5B tends to behave better than red MX-8B.

(You can also consider using a true violet in your mix, reactive violet 14, whose correct MX code is violet MX-2R, though retailers tend to mislabel it with the absurd code of violet MX-G, where "G" stands for the German word for "yellow". See What do the letters and numbers in the code name for a Procion MX type dye mean?.)

Mix your chosen red with any good navy blue such as blue MX-2G (ProChem's mixing blue and Dharma and Jacquard's cobalt blue) or blue MX-4GD (ProChem's deep navy) or navy blue MX-3R (which Jacquard sells in the mixture navy 078, which also contains a little red MX-5B already).

You might want to also add a bright blue such as blue MX-G (known as cerulean blue or intense blue) or turquoise MX-G, in addition to the navy, depending on your color goal.

Paula

[Sarah]

Wish the deep purple post was up 2 weeks ago - I got my shipment a few days ago and I ordered the deep purple (but mine is from  DT, hopefully that makes a little difference!)  I'll have to see how it goes  . 

[Marg]

I rarely mix my own colors. Is there a really good book regarding mixing colors? I always got confused because I read you have to 1/2 the amount of fuchsia and double the amount of turquoise, and I was always using 2 Tablespoon meaurements for two cups of dye. I don't weigh dye or fabric although I have heard that that's the best way to go. What resources have you found to help with mixing your own colors? Thanks, Marg

[pburch]

If there is such a book, I haven't found it. Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green is a book about color mixing paints which is helpful for learning how to think about color mixing, but it is imperfect even for paints, though it's better than alternatives, and it does not talk about dyes specifically.

The best color mixing tips I've found, for Procion MX dyes, are these:

• Olli Niemitalo's Dye Mixer Applet
  [You can't use the ratios given unless you first decide how much dye, by weight, is required for each color]
• Maiwa's color mixing instructions
• Jacquard's color mixing chart [with my translations to MX codes added]
• Dreamline's color mixing charts [with my English translation]

I think we should discuss each color you want to mix, one at a time, right here (or on the Dye Forum). I love to talk about mixing colors.

Paula

[ktaltre]

Could we have a separate topic under "color" for color mixing, instead of putting it all under "black"?
Paula, your last post would be easier found under mixing, yes?
Just a suggestion..........because some relevant posts (to me) now are hard to find as they are under different topics than what they are.
I do it myself...........tch
k. taltre

[pburch]

It looks like we had this discussion on books about mixing colors before, but I'd forgotten about it.

Paula