Recently there have been articles in American Angler by Dr. Ted Roubal regarding dying fly tying materials. There is also a very good book by A. K. Best on a similar topic. My apologies to both of these gentleman in advance. The ideals and techniques which I will outline below are adapted from their techniques and advise. I claim no originality for any of the procedures which I list henceforth. The dyeing materials which I will describe include RIT fabric dye and Veniard's material dyes. I have no experience whatsoever with other dying mediums such as those described by Dr. Roubal.

If one is using RIT dye, a working solution of the dye needs to be made from the powder material. Two packages of RIT dye should be dissolved in one cup of boiling water. It is important not to use an aluminum dish for heating the water as some peculiar reaction appears to take place between the aluminum and some of the salts and/or pigments. I have found that an old Mr. Coffee carafe used on an electric stove top is quite adequate. You will find that all of the salts -and perhaps all of the pigments do not completely dissolve in a cup of water, but the entire mixture can be decanted into a plastic Tupperware container.

When utilizing this working solution, it is important to stir it from the bottom so that undissolved pigment and salts are put back into suspension and reproducible results can, therefore, be obtained from one batch to the next. Utilizing this working solution contributes greatly to the ease of dyeing materials.

What is needed now is a Mr. Coffee with a suitable Mr. Coffee carafe for dyeing materials and a separate Mr. Coffee warmer. Fill the Mr. Coffee carafe with cold water and heat it in the Mr. Coffee with no filter or coffee in the filter basket. To this heated water then add two tablespoons of the working dye solution. If you are utilizing Veniard's dyes, then I would use one level quarter teaspoon of the powder in the dye bath. To the hot dye bath, add two tablespoons or so of white vinegar and a teaspoon or so of Synthrapol. (Synthrapol is manufactured by G & K Craft, Industries, P.O. Box 38, Somerset, Massachusetts 02726.) The Synthrapol will act as a wetting agent so the material, such as feathers, are adequately penetrated with the dye bath solution.

Place well washed and completely degreased materials in the dye bath. I cannot recommend a specific length of time for color saturation of the material. For some of the reds and blues, the dyeing time may take longer than yellows.

It is convenient to have a hand-held hair dryer available. Color results can be quickly checked by taking individual feathers, for example from an Amherst Cape or an individual turkey or goose feather and blow drying it on the spot. If, when dry, the color still seems a bit pale or poorly saturated, then simply return that item to the dye bath and continue the dyeing process of all the other materials. When the blow-dried specimen is at the color you desire, remove all of the materials from the dye bath and rinse them carefully in cold water. At that point, they can either be air dried on newspaper or again the blowdryer will speed things along.

There are custom dyers who will dip and dye materials for a two toned effect. I have no personal experience with this, but Dr. Roubal does refer to it in his works.

I hope this is useful information to the subscribers of The Salmon Flyer. Perhaps others of you have other experiences with dyeing materials which would be useful to share.

I have found this technique useful for producing my own dyed turkey tail, goose shoulder, Amherst capes, and Amherst tail feathers. I must admit it is not a bad way to spend the afternoon, especially if the football games are not that close.