I bought a couple whole rabbit skins with the idea of dyeing them various colors for leaches, etc. I tried both Kool aid and RIT. Problem is, after they dry the hide becomes stiff and brittle. Fine for dubbing, but useless for leaches. Any one else have this problem?
Also, having had a hard time getting dark colors to saturate well on various materials, I have been wondering about using hair dye (like Clairol) to try and achieve some good dark colors - at least for fur. Seems like it should work = has anyone tried it?
Hi Jimdav,
you want to use acid dyes, they are made for protein based items. Use the search feature on here and search for Acid dye or dying and you will get lots of good reading. Try Dharmatrading.com for acid dyes, they have 2 lines and great service.
I just did up two chunks of a white grizzly cape and did Kingfisher blue and a Claret/purple. both done with Kool-Aid and it worked out great I have never dyed anything before but after that i will be doing it more often for sure.
Now if i could only get the burning feathers process to work properly for me
Too help keep the rabbit hide from getting stiff and brittle, you need to dye at room temperature up to 100F, nothing higher. Granted, it takes longer for the dye to set, but the lower temp helps prevent the hide from getting stiff and brittle. And after you have finished dyeing the hide and rinsed the excess dye out, soaking it for a few minutes in hair conditioner, followed by another rinse before allowing it to air dry helps greatly in keeping the hide supple.
There are leather dyes available that will dye the rabbit on the hide and keep the hide from getting stiff and brittle, but I've never used them. Do a search for leather dye and you will find them.
Truthfully, since Hareline Dubbing will sell whole hides that are cut into strips to its dealers, it hasn't been worth it to me for 15 years to dye rabbit strips or hides. The Hareline full hides are fairly priced, nice and supple, and available in any color I want. Just ask your local Hareline dealer to get full stipped rabbit hides for you, or ask one of the many sponsors of this site to get them for you.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Spey Pages
877.1K posts
23.9K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to Spey casting, fishing, flies, and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about trails, licenses, fishing, game laws, styles, reviews, optics, accessories, classifieds, and more!