So I got it into my head to try to dye my own feathers when I stumbled upon a how-to that makes it seem so damn simple, how can you not try it? I'm sure some of you are familiar with it, but it was Herb Haines', found here:

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000020  

I was skeptical at first, but I stopped at the store and grabbed some Rit dye in scarlet for about $3 (the liquid dye, the powder was $2)and some white vinegar cause we didn't have enough at home, for a $1, and gave it a try.

My first piece of advice would be to follow his directions exactly, cause they work, but I would also suggest some things he didn't.

First, i'd probably get the feathers into a chopper ready format (split, ground, and sectioned), cause washing and dying full length feathers is tough just cause of their length.

Second, I would NOT use anything you don't want permanantly dyed. Don't toss the remaining dye bath down the sink inless you want a dyed one, don't use tongs you like unless you want em dyed. EVERYTHING will get dyed a little. Keep that in mind before you start a dying factory in your kitchen. Drips and splashes are very easy to take care of if you get to em ASAP, the longer they sit the longer it stains.

Third, thoroughly dry your fresh out their bath feathers with paper towel, and let dry overnight before messing with em.

If you are gonna get into this, i'd suggest finding some garage sales and looking for big pots to wash and dye in. The results are nothing short of amazing.


In the bath, don't let it boil your feathers, you want a nice simmer.

 

The before and after,

 

Dry:

 


The smell of vinegar was the worst part of the whole task, and that wasn't bad at all. And all in all it took about 30 minutes. I bet the method for staining shafts works just as well. So give it a try. You won't be sorry.

Thats great!

Look nice.

i've been buying the full length white feathers and dyeing them the color i want for a while.  a dozen full length feathers are cheaper than one pre-cut and you can usually get two out of one feather if their not longer than 5".

What colors do you like the most Sulphur?

Thanks for the post.

dylon makes a really great lime green, i think they call tropical green and red of course.  you can buy dylon at walmart.  they have some really vivid colors, its usually in the crafts section.

Sweet. Lime green would be awesome! They didn't have it in the Rit. I'll check that stuff out for sure. Thanks

can you use a bleach solution to turn the turkey feathers white?