Dyeing Fly Tying Materials with Martyn White

A few people have asked me about dyeing materials after I have mentioned it in my videos, so I thought I'd make a short video describing the process.
It's pretty simple and it won't take you long to get to grips with it. I'd encourage you to give it a try because it opens up all kinds of material options that you just can't get from a shop
You'll need:
An old pot
Something to stir/pick up material
Rubber gloves
A basin
A colander for draining and drying loose feathers/dubbing
An old towel
Acid dyes- I use Veniard usually but Jaquard are also good
White vinegar or acetic acid
For more detail you might want to look at AK Best's book " Bleaching & Dyeing Natural Fly Tyning Materials". If you decide to get it, please consider using one of my links.
Amazon UK amzn.to/33IyyhA
Amazon.com amzn.to/2RMYZ2V
To support my channel,get access to the monthly online tying sessions and enter the giveaways head to / flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers

[@graemestrachan7580]

Thanks Martin, really helpful. Tried dying some guinea fowl last week. Went well, but defo agree the rubber gloves are needed. He said typing with blue fingers.

[@kodaifishing]

Thank you so much for your time that was great Martyn.

[@joeduca8582]

That was great Martyn, you made it look easy. I haven't tried dyeing yet but have washed feathers and fur from harvested game. If they're really dirty, especially deer tails, I spray some liquid Oxi Clean on the material and/or in the soapy water. It really brightens up the material, the deer tails almost glow. Thanks.

[@charlesmcfarlane2082]

You forgot to mention to do this only when the Misses is not expected home from work anytime soon. Make sure there is not a splash of dye to be seen anywhere. Make sure she does not know you were using the regular cooking pots. Been there done that. Nuff said. Haha! Beautiful job. Learned a lot from this. Will give it a go again. Thanks for sharing.

[@FlickingFeathers]

Ha ha yeah, you need to be scrupulous with the cleaning. I still have that squirrel for you.

[@charlesmcfarlane2082]

@@FlickingFeathers Awesome thank you.

[@gmcallsuk]

Great video Martyn thanks for that.

[@davidstokes925]

Really nice teaching vid. Your accent, I know I’m from the South nothing you can do about it, is really strong!

[@FlickingFeathers]

I actually manually added the subtitles to this one, have a go at them. Of course, the more videos you watch the more you will get used to it

[@AllanMHutton]

Good vid! I really need to give this a go! I've had a couple of pots of dye for a few years now that I've never got around to using!

[@michaelterry1147]

Thank you Martyn. Just starting to die materials.

[@FlickingFeathers]

Glad it helped

[@tiedbyblake]

Thanks for the video! I have been looking into this! Very helpful!

[@FlickingFeathers]

Glad to help

[@WSFScotland]

This is something I have never attempted. I can see that changing 😉

[@lescundiff6711]

Martyn, Thanks, have just started dyeing after many years of tying. Am having trouble with rabbit zonkers, as the thin skin dries and cracks. Any suggestions?

[@FlickingFeathers]

A cool bath might help but dyeing after the tanning process is something I avoid

[@lescundiff6711]

@@FlickingFeathers

[@lescundiff6711]

Martyn, makes sense, thanks for replying!

[@callumclark3358]

Hi, good video, I've been dyeing stuff on and off for many years. I would be unlikely to dye whole wings, because it's more difficult to ensure the dye getting right in. Also, I would be wasting dye on a load of material, small feathers, down, skin, bone etc that I'm never going to use. You probably have uses for a lot more of the wing than I would, but I think it's worth pointing out to beginners that maybe they consider what they're actually wanting to dye. For instance, if you just want the flight feathers for winging, just clip them off. That way it's easier to get penetration, you can use a smaller bath and save on dye. Also, the material rinses more thoroughly and dries out more easily. Not a criticism, just an additional thought for the non-professional. One more thought : Yellow is probably the most important dye. Well worth popping in a bit of rabbit, some squirrel, a gray goose feather or two, a lightish bit of mole, a peacock eye. You get a great range of olive shades for body materials that way.

[@FlickingFeathers]

That's why I chose to do wings in the video and point out that they need to be opened up, as it is a mistake a lot of people make. I'd say that anyone tying wetflies has a use for all of the feathers on the wing too, even if they don't realise it yet. There is all manner of experimentation to do with patterns. One thing I forgot to add in the video was about throwing extra stuff in the bath, I often grab something to add after the main dyeing is finished - the near spent bath often gives some very nice results. Cheers Martyn

[@claw1952]

What dye are you using? And where do you get it?

[@FlickingFeathers]

Veniard dyes, they're readily available from any good fly shop.

[@otts69]

Where do you buy the dye Martin?

[@FlickingFeathers]

Just depends on where I'm buying things from at the time. Any veniard stockist will be able to get it for you

[@kennethsanders963]

WHAT IS THE BRAND NAME OF THE DIE?

[@FlickingFeathers]

It's Veniard dye