I became interested in dyeing feathers about fifteen years ago, prompted by the glaring absence of good solid colors at the local fly shop. Dyeing feathers was a closely guarded secret back then, known only to a select few. What information was available amounted to putting some feathers in some water with vinegar and dye to get some pretty halfassed results. People getting good results behaved like persecuted alchemists: highly secretive and suspicious of people asking too many questions.

I plodded along with the masses for a several years, learning by trial and error, with more bad results than good. Then my wife Karen, who has always been alert for goodies and toys that might interest me, found a hand-weavering shop that sold wool, silks and dyes (both acidic and natural). More importantly, they carried a small selection of books which went into considerable detail regarding dyeing techniques.

I soon became familiar with various dye classifications. Some dyes are designed to work on synthetic materials while some are intended to work on animal fibers. Rit and Veniard dyes may be okay, but there are better dyes available through Cerulean Blue, Ltd. (P.O. Box 5126, Seattle, WA 98105.) You will be amazed at the quality of these dyes, especially in the brighter colors.

When we dye feathers, a chemical reaction takes place between the feathers and the dye suspension, wherein an acid causes the dye to be affixed to the fiber. When we apply heat, the process is accelerated, resulting in a permanent bond. With the application of heat, the acid--in this case vinegar--assumes a positive charge, while the fiber becomes negative. In an effort to equalize itself, the sulfur bridges connecting the individual molecules are broken down by the acid and replaced with a molecule of dye (good dyes bond at this molecular level). Natural dye stuffs, as a rule, do not use acids but rather employ a chemical, often mineral salt, that combine with the dye to form an insoluble compound. Colors can be varied by using different mineral salts.

In exhaust dyeing, the dyeing process continues until the acid or the dye is completely exhausted in the bath, or if the bath itself evaporates. Unfortunately, when using the stove-top dyeing method, the amount of heat we can apply at a constant level is limited. If the burner is left on to exhaust the bath, the fiber will be scorched and ruined.

Which brings us to the point of this article--the dyeing vessel. Your container should have ample room to prevent the crowding of feathers, it should be easy to clean so you don't require different pots for every color, and it should be made of a material that won't affect the final color. Aluminum cookware, while serviceable and cheap, leach mineral salts into the bath that will ultimately affect the color. Stainless cookware works well, but we are still faced with the problem of heat loss, and it is also very expensive. For years now I have been using a cast-off selection of Revere Ware provided by my mother.

The only way to solve the problem of heat loss is to heat the bath, turn off the burner and immerse the feathers until the bath cools, remove the feathers, reheat the bath, and start over. This is a messy procedure, and you can never completely exhaust the bath, just yourself. I end up with the dye all over the counter, floor and in places you couldn't imagine. This has the unhappy result of making me very unpopular with the establishment, not to mention it is a general pain in the butt.

My dyeing is done in the family kitchen. I have to plan things in advance so as not to inconvenience my family. I find it disturbing to have the kids making sandwiches around the dye powder. Since all of this was hard to manage and I inevitably made quite a mess, I found myself doing less and less dyeing. There had to be a better way.

Browsing through Fred Myers during the Christmas holiday, I took a look at the crock pots. I had been playing with this idea for some time and decided to splurge and buy one. It has proven to be the answer to most of my problems. Earthenware dyeing vessels are ideal--they don't leach metal salts, clean easily, and retain heat for a long time. Best of all, they come equipped with a controlled, nonspecific heat source that is perfect for dyeing.

This method is considerably slower than the stove-top method, but its advantages far outweigh the extra time involved. In particular, this method totally exhausts the dye bath, and deep, rich shades will reward your patience. Even pastel shades are evenly distributed on the fiber with none of the original shade in evidence. By exhausting the bath, the bond will be permanent and there is very little rinsing.

Here is a brief summary of the dyeing process.

1) Prepare your feathers ahead of time. I like to soak them overnight in a solution of Dawn dish soap and water. Use hot water to insure thorough permeation.

2) Fill the crock pot 3/4 full and turn it on to the low setting. Add 1/2 cup vinegar for every 4 quarts of water. Prepare the dye by mixing 1/4 tsp. in a cup of water, heat to dissolve the dye, and add this to the crock pot and cover.

3) Thoroughly rinse your feathers (and I mean thoroughly) as any soap residue will neutralize the acid, resulting in a blotchy dye job. When you are sure they are clear, immerse them in the bath, making sure that they are evenly distributed.

4) Cover the pot and brew at a low setting for three or four hours or until the bath starts to clear. Be sure to occasionally stir the bath to mix the acid and dye or you will get uneven results.

5) Turn off the heat and allow the bath to cool. Avoid rinsing feathers from a bath that is still hot. This will shock the fiber and lead to brittleness and dye loss.

6) Rinse in luke-warm water, dry, and steam back into shape.

Some words of advice: Use extra vinegar to allow for complete exhaustion. Buy a 5-quart crock pot with a removable container. Allow more time for dark colors and for mixed shades, as various colors strike the feather at different rates. You can be deceived into thinking that your dye job was a failure, when all you needed was to let it soak for more time. Keep careful notes, describing dyeing strength, how much acid used, time in bath, and the type of detergent used. Pin a sample from each bath to your notes to keep track of your success and failure rate--some of my failures have been very interesting.

Last of all, let me stress that dyes should be considered as toxic chemicals and treated as such. Clean up after yourself and be aware that dye powder will drift from open containers to land on any flat surface. Take care to clean these areas completely. The dye bath must be neutralized with baking soda to bring the ph to a base. Otherwise, you run the risk of dissolving the cement in your sewage system. If you don't take the time to do this, the bath will do it for you by using the cement as a neutralizing agent.

Good luck. Hopefully someone out there will find this information of help. Now if someone could tell me how to dye ostrich without ruining it, I would be a happy fella, indeed.